Random House's food blog and online cooking community, TasteBook, has added a new bookstore called The BookShop. The online store launched with an inventory of over 10,000 cookbooks and food-related titles from various publishers.
The new online store, RH said, offers titles in a variety of formats and drilled down into 18 sections, ranging from categories like 'celebrity chef' to 'memoir.' According to RH, TasteBook currently has 500,000 members and more than a million unique visitors per month. Membership is driven largely by the site's current recipe database and content. Recipes on the site will now link to the new online bookshop; TasteBook members can also create custom cookbooks, using a combination of personal recipes and those on the site, for a price point ranging from $0.29 to $34.95.
Current bestsellers on TasteBook include The Chopped Cookbook by Food Network Kitchens (Clarkson Potter) and The Hungry Girl Diet by Lisa Lillien (Macmillan).
Speaking to the retail addition to the site, Lilly Kim, associate director of digital channel development, said: "We know that TasteBook’s half-a-million members are avid cookbook collectors who heavily rely on print cookbooks as tools and for inspiration. The BookShop provides cooking enthusiasts an easy way to discover and purchase new cookbooks. It’s a great resource for frequent and occasional cooks who seek out new flavors and inspiration for everyday meals and entertaining."
