One of the cornerstones of the ubiquitous paleo diet, bone broth, is gaining ground as a health craze on its own.
Popular interest in the folk remedy probably began in October 2014, when Grand Central Life & Style published Nourishing Broth, by Sally Fallon Morell and Kaayla T. Daniel; the book has sold 16.8K units in paperback, according to Nielsen BookScan. Karen Murgolo, v-p and editorial director at Grand Central, says broth appeals to the increasing desire on the part of consumers to reconnect with their roots. “It’s a relatively new discovery that this is healthy. But it’s based so much in the way all of our ancestors ate that I think it will stay around,” she says. “I’ve seen two or three different proposals now on soup and bone broth.”
The growing popularity of broth, and bone broth in particular, can be seen outside of publishing as well. Chef Marco Canora opened Brodo, a bone broth takeout window in Manhattan’s East Village, in November 2014, attracting quick attention from media outlets including the New York Times and Today. In addition, celebrities from Shailene Woodley to Kobe Bryant have attested to the benefits of drinking broth.
Around that time, several authors began self-publishing e-books on bone broth. Holly Schmidt, a partner at book packager Hollan Publishing, says her team jumped on the trend in January. “We’d been seeing a lot out there about it, and we were well aware of the trend toward ancient foods [and] nourishing traditions.” Hollan delivered the manuscript for The Bone Broth Miracle, by chef and nutritionist Ariane Resnick, to Skyhorse in late February; the book, which includes recipes and full-color photographs, will be published by Skyhorse in June.
That stepped-up timetable is in line with Schmidt’s belief that in order to keep up with trends, traditional publishers will have to move more quickly. “This notion that you sell a book and two years later it’s published—it just doesn’t work anymore,” she says. “The news cycle is fast. People don’t have long attention spans.”
Other forthcoming broth-focused books include A Bowlful of Broth (Ryland Peters & Small, Oct.) and Bone Deep Broth, by Lya Mojica and Taylor Chen (Sterling Epicure, Jan. 2016).
