I'm sure this question has been asked before, but I want to make sure I do the right thing here.  Can I post the cookbooks that you purchase at the grocery store checkout  I think some may have ISBN's and some don't; does that matter?  Thanks for your help!

I believe the official ruling is no, because these often contain advertising (usually for whatever company made the cook book) and cannot be sent media mail. 

There isn't any advertising in them except for on the very back cover for if you'd like to buy past issues of the cookbook.  Does this count as advertising?

I'm not sure.... maybe you could pm a tour guide and ask about that, it sounds like the same kind of thing they have in some of the Mira books, you know the little page where you can order other books that they publish. 

I know all of the chek stand cook books I have, (from Kraft, Tyson and those companies) all have ads for their products every few pages, and that is not allowed, but if you have one that doesn't have any advertising in it, you should ask a tour guide if it's okay to post.

http://www.paperbackswap.com/help/help_item.php?id=204

if you go to this page in the help center and hover over the dotted line that says "contains advertising" it will specifically mention the mini cook books, but it isn't 100% clear, just says they usually contain advertising. 

Wouldn't it be cheaper to mail the mini cookbooks first class?  That would avoid the whole advertising problem.

I believe that these are unpostable because they do not have isbns and have advertising.  I'll double-check....

ETA:  Yup, they're listed under what is NOT able to be posted.

You can offer them free in book bazaar or under Club Member's Thoughts in the "RAOK" (Random Acts of Kindness) thread, though.  They go like hotcakes!  :)

Phooey on those mini-cookbooks

You could also offer them as a freebie w/an order from your shelf.

Do your books have ISBN's (used for books) instead of ISSN's (used for serials including magazines)?  If so, they may be postable. 

I have a hard time passing up chocolate cookbooks when I chance across them (new or used).  I realized while reorganizing my cookbooks several months ago that I had picked up a small spiralbound copy of a Hershey's cookbook that I already owned in hardcover!  The pages were exactly the same except for the fact that the pages in the spiralbound copy were smaller in size.  Publications International puts out a number of these "classic" recipe books and the spiral softcover has the exact same content as the hardcovers.  Both versions are usually just under 100 pages (usually 96 pages each).

 Media Mail can not contain advertising except for incidental announcements of books. USPS - Media Mail

Well, they don't have any advertising except for on the backcover advertising more cookbooks.  They're just strictly recipes through the whole book.  Someone said over on the Bazaar if these are considered not postable that I can't even offer a deal ( i.e. aks for credits ) through the Bazaar.  Is this true?  I'm getting a lot of different mixed messages on these little buggers.  Aargh! ;o)

Holly had mentioned a few post earlier that if I send them first class I don't have to worry about the whole media mail thing ( advertising in the cookbooks ) which is true.  Is that the reason that they're considered "unpostable" or is there another reason.  I guess what I'm asking is if I send them first class am I OK or is this still not acceptable?  I've had people sending me PM in reguards to these because they would like them.  They seem pretty popular and I sure could use some credits! :O)

Here's what the Help Center says that would pertain to these:

Not allowed:

I received a deck of cards (don't know what else to call it) that had recipes on each card.  They came in a holder that had a removeable top.  I didn't realize when I was ordering that it would not be a book.  Fine with me because I can just slip them into my recipe card holder.  It had an ISBN.

So would this have been unacceptable because they weren't bound like a book?  Or acceptable because they had an ISBN? Or neither?

Ange, your question is answered in my update which I added because of the magazine issue, but also applies to your question.

• Not a book.

That specific topic in the HC answers other questions referring to what is not postable.

Rebecca, they are correct in that if they are not postable, you cannot offer to send them to someone in return for them 'buddying you credits for them'. Only postable items may be exchanged for credits.

You may offer them as incentives or bonuses for ordering a book from your shelf (ie: order any book from my shelf, and I'll send you a free cook booklet described below) or such, but you may NOT offer any number of the booklets for any amount of credits by themselves.

Ange and Sherry....in that same section of the HC, it also talks about "unbound pages" as not being postable....so that would include these cards I would think.

Rebecca,  I'm sorry you're getting mixed messages!  :)  This has been a question for a long while now and there still seems to be some confusion.  The general rule of thumb among us Tour Guides is that these are NOT postable.  From what I can gather it really doesn't matter if you mail them First Class, because I don't think that is the issue.  I think it's the fact that these are not technically books and have NOT been assigned an ISBN.  (Now, before I get bashed, I know there are books out there that were published before ISBN's were used....that's not the same thing.)  Most of these cookbooks are small and don't meet the qualifications on the page number side of it.  But mainly, it's about the ISBN's and the advertisements.