More Cookbook Writing and Publishing Resources: Must-Listen Podcast Episodes, How Books are Printed + Tips on Writing Recipe Headnotes
Anyone else feel as though August happened at warp speed? Part of it may have been because my new book, Wine Style, launched at the end of July and it’s been fun getting the word out—though it’s also meant trying to keep moving forward on all the other projects swirling around on my virtual desktop.
ANYWAY… onto this post: a few more publishing and writing resources for cookbook authors & aspiring cookbook authors.
1. COOKBOOK LOVE PODCAST
A few weeks ago, I came across Maggie Green’s podcast all about cookbooks—the people who write them, read them, collect them, and so much more. She’s been podcasting for a few years now, but I learned about it through Jane Friedman’s excellent (and free) Electric Speed Newsletter. Jane is well-known in the publishing world for demystifying the business side of the industry. On Episode 152 of the Cookbook Love podcast, she talked about some of the big-picture aspects of publishing that affect all authors, including those who write cookbooks. But Jane also owns and cooks from print cookbooks, and had some great insight as a cookbook user regarding e-books, meal planning, and more. Listen all the way to the end of the episode for something she found in an Ottolenghi book that blew my mind.
If you like that episode, brows through the archives—you can learn a lot. For example, for more intel about how literary agents factor into cookbook publishing—and how cookbook authors get paid—listen to Epsiode 112 with Sally Ekus, an agent with the Lisa Ekus group. Maggie Green also offers a free online class about how to get paid writing a cookbook. I haven’t checked out the class, but if it’s like the podcast, it likely offers practical tips and explainers.
2. WHAT FOOD WRITERS LEARN BY WRITING COOKBOOKS
This post from Kitchn is a few years old, but it holds up. Some of the points in this post are echoed in the Q/As I’ve done with Christine Gallary and Daniel Shumski. Essentially, no one’s kitchen is the same, so a recipe can’t anticipate every question or problem the end user may encounter. But we can try.
3. EVER WANT TO SEE HOW A COOKBOOK IS PRINTED?
Printing a Cookbook is another older post—this time from Heidi Swanson’s excellent 101 Cookbooks—but it’s a remarkable peek at a side of publishing that few authors ever get to see. Heidi also has one of the most thorough approaches to developing a cookbook proposal (especially from a visual standpoint) that I’ve ever seen.
4. HOW TO WRITE A GREAT RECIPE HEADNOTE
I did a guest post over at Dianne Jacob’s blog on ways to write recipe headnotes that count—and keep people engaged with your book. It’s a punchier rendition of an earlier post. Check it out here.
PS: In case you missed it, Daniel Shumski interviewed me about writing my first solo cookbook after years of working with others. It’s in Stained Page News, a must-subscribe if you want to follow allllll the trends/people/things affecting the cookbook world.
Also, catch my earlier post on 5 cookbook writing and publishing resources.