Markets for this Book
In Slim Spaniards Eat Six Times a Day, Celine Bak with her husband Spanish historian Antonio Cazorla-Sanchez set out a family culinary autobiography. They take this sometimes funny personal point of departure to write about the place of food in the lives of Spaniards. She is a North American business person who has worked internationally. He is a professor of Spanish Twentieth Century History who has come from Andalusia to North American academia. She creates the bridge between one family and Spanish families generally by looking at underlying statistics about social trends, economics, health and household spending. She takes this information and with Antonio sets it in the rich context of the 3,000 years of food history on Iberian Peninsula, of food during the Franco dictatorship and the last 27 years since democracy was restored in Spain.
Spanish food is fashionable; there is a reason for that. It is fabulous. But that does not change the relationship between Spaniards and the singular place of food in their lives. Food comes only second to family for Spaniards, be they richer, poorer, educated or less so. Readers of Slim Spaniards Eat Six Times a Day will be all the richer when they learn that nothing comes between Spaniards and the time and care they dedicate to food.
The author brings a broad base of knowledge about potential markets for this book. She has lived and worked in a number of US and European cities in her 15 year business career. These cities include among others Madrid, London, New York, Chicago, Frankfurt, Atlanta and Toronto. She is intimately familiar with North American and European business practices. She worked for many years in Fortune 50 enterprises as management consultant with a global management consulting firm. She then worked as an executive in two successful software companies both in North America and in Europe. The author is trilingual; speaking, reading and writing French, Spanish and English.
Markets for Slim Spaniards Eat Six Times a Day
There are a number of markets for Slim Spaniards Eat Six Times a Day.
1. In the US and in Canada (in English and French)
There are 40 million Hispanic Americans. Spain is the cultural point of reference for many of the Latin American countries where Hispanic Americans come from. Food and family are known to be core values for Hispanic Americans.
There is also a proven market for books and films that reframe the place of food in people’s lives in North America. French Women Don’t Get Fat, Fast Food Nation and Supersize Me are very different from each other but all reconsider what food means to North American.
There are 1 million Americans who visit Spain every year. In addition food enthusiasts know see Spain as one of the most fashionable food and wine destinations for culinary tourism.
Increasingly popular today are Non-fiction titles that enable the reader to understand more about the geopolitical workings of the world and more specifically about the Arab world are increasingly popular. Slim Spaniards Eat Six Time a Day describes the vital influence of the Arabs during their 800 year reign on the Iberian Peninsula. It also describes the impact of major historical events such as the Spanish Civil War and the Franco dictatorship on the lives of people.
The Mediterranean Diet is gaining tremendous support in North America. References to the positive health benefits of The Mediterranean Diet are entering popular culture in North America. The best selling success of Eat, Drink and be Healthy is evidence of this trend.
With the exception of the presence of a large Hispanic population, all of the above trends are present in Quebec. Quebec has more than its share of health conscious food enthusiasts who are looking for ways to experience enjoyment through food. In Quebec there is the co-existence of a growing interest in locally produced artisanal food stuffs and increasing internationalism in food experiences, particularly in the home.
2. In the UK and Ireland
Of the 52 million visitors to Spain every year (equivalent to 125% of the Spanish population of 42 million), there are 16 million from the UK and 1.5 million from Ireland. The British and Irish who visit Spain every year represent a full quarter of the respective country’s population. Spain has been British holiday destination for more than 3 generations.
We believe the North American and British markets should be prosecuted in a coordinated fashion.
3. In Spain published in English
In addition to the 17.5 visitors to Spain from the UK and Ireland, there are another 6 million visitors from Benelux and Scandinavia many of whom purchase English language media when they are in Spain.
After the US, Spain is the second most important destination in the world for vacation property purchases. There were 50,000 vacation properties sold in Spain in 2004 – about half were purchased by foreigners. By 2010 vacation property sales in Spain in are expected to triple from the current number.
Britons make up the majority of foreign buyers of holiday properties today and are expected to increase their share of purchases each year moving forward. There are 500,000 registered British voters in Spain today.
To reach both the visiting and expatriate English speaking market there are a number of channels that can be combined. These include the ubiquitous Spanish newspaper kiosk, the Spanish Airport Authority Retail Shops and the dominant Spanish retailer El Corte Ingles with locations in almost all Spanish cities and towns with populations greater than 150,000.
We believe the English language Spanish market should be prosecuted as soon as a go to market approach is defined for the U.K.
4. In Spain published in Spanish
If this book were to be published and sold successfully outside of Spain, Spaniards would become an important market. This is because it is widely agreed in Spain that Spaniards seek validation from the English-speaking world. For this market, a Spanish language adaptation of Slim Spaniards Eat Six Times a Day could be published.
5. In South America published in Spanish
Spain is the cultural point of reference for most of South America. Should the book be published successfully in Spanish in Spain, it would likely be of interest to publishers in South America.
Une note sur les francophones en Amérique du Nord
L’Actualité déclarait l’an dernier que l’Espagne est maintenant la Californie de l’Europe. Les thèmes reliant les Espagnols aux Francophones de L’Amérique du Nord sont nombreux. Les cuisines du monde font de plus en plus partie des expériences quotidiennes que recherchent les francophones du Québec et d’ailleurs au Canada, la gastronomie et l’alimentation santé étant des valeurs importantes à ces groupes. Tout en demeurant accessible au grand public, ce livre combine la cuisine, le commentaire social, l’histoire moderne de l’Espagne ainsi que des traditions plus anciennes. Il décrit la place primordiale du monde Arabe dans le développement de la culture de la péninsule Ibérienne et dans l’avancement de la tolérance religieuse.