Launch of eBook Version of EDIBLE ART

Finally we have been able to launch the eBook version of the book "Edible Art".

Radha (aka SRK, Sriradhakrishnan Polsetti) finished the editing of the photographs, working late into the night. Without his inputs this beautiful book would never have seen the light of day.   

Once this was done, Jacob inserted the text in English for most of the photographs and the details. This was edited by Annikki as she wanted to ensure the facts were correct. 

Memories fade over the years, but her intimate knowledge about the designing of each cake and the circumstances of their creation, never faded from her artist's mind.

We decided to use an image taken at the end of the Eighties for the cover.

This is a picture of our nephew, Samuli Reinikka, when he was a little boy and his spontaneous reaction to seeing this Ginger Bread Creation by Annikki. He certainly wanted to get his teeth into it.

Radha and Annikki created the cover by removing the background and the final result was the grand cover.

Every time Jacob completed the cover text, Radha would rearrange it so his name vanished. He gave lots of lame excuses! 

Annikki was adamant as she knew that without his dedicated input this project would never have seen the light of day. aAnnikki and Jacob have always believed that credit must always be given when credit is due.

After working a long day at the office, Radha would come home and work late into the night to ensure that every picture was good enough to earn a place in the book. 

He worked out a background picture strategy for most of the pages, where he embedded the main picture as a background on which he placed a filter on top of which we could put details and text.

 Both Annikki and Jacob liked this idea.

Radha had to return to Bangalore, so Jacob was left to complete the book.

The decision was to launch first the eBook. Again using Radha's input, Jacob decided to use Scribd.com and put the pdf format file on line.

Converting the Powerpoint presentation to the eBook format was not too difficult. 

Before we realised this was an eBook and it was on the Apple Apps Store.

We priced it at just $4.99, as Annikki was really keen to showcase her cake designs in front of the world.

Launch of Paperback English Version of "Edible Art"

Once the eBook version was launched, we decided to launch the smaller size A4 Landscape version of "Edible Art".

As Jacob was familiar with Lulu.com, as we have published Annikki's book about her last stages of her fascinating life in India, "...for the hour of His judgement is come:...",  our 1994 best-seller "Handbook for Survival in Finland" and also the 2009 Coffee Table Book, "Golden Reunion November 2009, Cathedral & John Connon School, Mumbai, India, Directory of 1959 Cathedralites", Jacob decided to stick with a known and tested service. There was an email from a company, Archway,  which worked with the international publisher Simon and Schuster, but they wanted us to buy a package which we already had, so that idea was thrown out.

Also there were no upfront fees to pay to Lulu.com. We could pay for hatever services we int ennded to use.

Converting the Powerpoint presentation into a pdf file first seemed to be unsurmountable. Powerpoint did not offer the option to save as a pdf file. Also OpenOffice did not offer this alternative. But NeoOffice, the Mac Version of OpenOffice had an export feature and the document was saved as a pdf.

All the inside pages were uploaded onto Lulu.com and then the single front and back cover was created. The spine was a problem, and only after we receive the proof copy can we finalise it.

But we decided to launch the book and inform our friends about its availability.

The reaction was spontaneous and overwhelming. We will publish some of the comments we received in forthcoming posts.

Probably the most liked creation was Annikki's Pond Cake.

Whoever met Jacob was fascinated by this cake.

Now it has come to the process of marketing the book. We knew from our many relatives and friends that the book was excellent and would be well received. 

The first eBook, meanwhile, was sold to a nephew in Belgium who bought it as a present for his wife who loves cooking.

However, before the final marketing thrust, a proof copy has to be received and any final adjustments made.