Readin’ Vegan: How Da Capo Climbed Its Way to the Top of the Vegan Food Chain
By Lynn Andriani -- Publishers Weekly, 3/30/2009
When the Perseus Books Group acquired the Avalon Publishing Group in 2007, one of the things that came with it was a little imprint called Marlowe & Company. Marlowe had had success with diet books as well as vegan cookbooks like Sinfully Vegan, Vegan with a Vengeance and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. Sales figures for the books went as high as 90,000 copies for one of them—pretty impressive for a cuisine that doesn’t include any animal products (that means no meat and no dairy) and is followed by about .5% of American eaters. Marlowe has since been folded into Da Capo Press’s wellness imprint, Lifelong Books. And now, two years after the merger, Lifelong has seen tremendous growth in its vegan list. It has eight vegan titles coming out this spring and fall, and three more under contract. As a result, Da Capo has emerged as one of the country’s premier publishers of vegan cookbooks.
The editorial brains behind Da Capo’s vegan operation are executive editor Katie McHugh and senior editor Renee Sedliar, formerly of Marlowe. Together, they’ve lengthened and strengthened the house’s vegan list. McHugh says that when she was at Marlowe, she focused on nutrition, especially “areas that were underserved,” like veganism. The house started its vegan trajectory in 2002 when it published Fresh and Fast Vegan Pleasures by Amanda Grant. It hit the target readership, and the house was on its way. Its bestseller so far is Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero; the hardcover pubbed in 2007 and to date has sold around 90,000 copies. A paperback comes out in October. Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule by Moskowitz, Romero and Sara Quin (2006) isn’t far behind, with around 70,000 copies sold.
At first glance, the market for vegan cookbooks may seem small, but a study by Vegetarian Times found that there are about one million vegans in the U.S., which is enough cookbook buyers to satisfy Da Capo. (And at least one vegan title, Skinny Bitch—a Running Press book from 2005—made it onto national bestseller lists.) “There used to be a perception of vegans being fringe, activists and PETA people,” McHugh says. (Incidentally, Sourcebooks is publishing PETA’s Vegan College Cookbook—which features a tattooed chef on the cover—in May.) But McHugh says PETA supporters are “not the only people who are coming to veganism anymore. People are going vegan for health reasons, and are more concerned about where their food is coming from.” McHugh also says with parents’ growing concern about their children’s food allergies, more are turning to vegan diets. And Sedliar says even non-vegans are interested in the cookbooks. Vegan food is “not just dirt sandwiches,” she says. “The recipes are for great, solid, hearty food. People don’t need to become 100% vegan but can appreciate various aspects of the diet.” Neither McHugh nor Sedliar are 100% vegan, incidentally.
Many vegan cookbooks exude a punk rock aesthetic, with covers showing tattooed chefs wearing black, but a growing number are showing another side. Among Da Capo’s spring vegan titles are Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine by Bryant Terry, which has garnered praise from Alice Waters, received a starred PW review and has two national NPR shows confirmed for this month. Another book, Ani’s Raw Food Desserts: 85 Easy, Delectable Sweets and Treats by Ani Phyo, has a pink polka-dot cover. And while Moskowitz (Veganomicon) runs a website called The Post Punk Kitchen, her forthcoming book, Vegan Brunch: Homestyle Recipes Worth Waking Up For—From Asparagus Omelets to Pumpkin Pancakes, has more of a retro than punk feel.
Da Capo certainly didn’t set out to become a vegan publisher, but as a result of its early successes, it has evolved into a major player in the field. “This is in no way a fad,” says McHugh, suggesting the house’s vegan titles have a long backlist life ahead of them.
