Publishing company Somekind has raised more than $200,000 (AU$) for Australian restaurants through crowdfunded cookbooks.
When the pandemic hit back in March, like many of us, Melbourne-based freelance creative director Vaughan Mossop found himself out of work. But Mossop, who has spent the majority of his career in publishing, decided to set up Somekind. A micro-publishing company which, in just eight months, has raised over $200,000 for the hospitality industry.
Despite his own work-related problems, Mossop became concerned for his friends in hospitality who faced large overhead costs despite the pandemic-related closures. Mossop asked himself, “well, what what can I do to help?” As he had previous experience in publishing cookbooks, he decided “I could make these standardised paperback cookbooks where I would flip the publishing model on its head a bit and give the majority of profit to the venues.”
Despite popular belief, many authors don’t actually make much money. On average, authors receive just 10% royalty from their books, with the majority of sales money going back into the publishing company itself. But with the creation of Somekind, Mossop also wanted to create a new (and fairer) means to publish. Their paperback books rely on crowdfunding in order to pay 40 percent of the proceeds to authors. The rest is split equally between Somekind, editors and designers, and anyone else who contributed to the book. “The reason why we exist is because we wanted to create this model that was actually giving back to the community—and funding money back into the community—rather than giving 90 percent to a publisher,” Mossop said.
Once Somekind finds a business to partner with, it opens pre-orders for the book online. Unlike standard publishing, Somekind prints on demand. After 100 pre-orders have been made, production begins. Over a twelve-week period, Somekind and said food business, create a 96-page book, complete with recipes, stories, and advice. Each paperback, from the flagship Takeaway series, focuses on a restaurant or bar, and sells for $20. The proceeds from these books, go directly to the business. Books can then be restocked as long as the authors still want them to be available on the website.
Although this printing model doesn’t have the financial resources to produce big, glossy and heavily produced photos that traditional cookbooks would use, Mossop believes that Somekind produces a more nostalgic book. The small, black-and-white pages are full of illustrations and photos by the restaurants themselves – in part as a means to get around lockdown preventions. But these add a personal touch, and as an extra detail, the first 100 people to preorder are credited in print.
This new (and unconventional) way to publish has only proved popular, as Somekind’s approach towards community-based efforts fits into the wider narrative of the coronavirus pandemic. “This is about community, so it’s about finding the smaller venues that are important to their community rather than just the places with all the awards,” Mossop said. More and more people are stepping up to help each other, and people are recognising Somekind’s efforts to do just that.
Following their success in Australia, Mossop is taking the company to the US, as “venues around the world aren’t doing the greatest right now, and obviously, the US seems to be pretty hit pretty hard.” His aim is to preserve the American food scene, which has been left dwindling since the pandemic hit. Starting in LA, Somekind is working with Sonoratown, a small taco restaurant known for its grilled beef and fresh tortillas. Mossop hopes the community spirit of the Australian public will translate to the US, as Somekind tries to keep small businesses afloat.
