What I’ve eaten lately: A kale and sausage pizza from Lungomare, an Italian seafood restaurant in Oakland, CA.
Wondering how to get ahead? My quarterly e-newsletter is filled with links on best practices and ideas for book promotion, social media, freelancing, writing and blogging. Here are some of those terrific links, the best of dozens I’ve culled through in the last few months.
If you’d like to subscribe, my newsletter is free. Please sign up here.
1. For tips on book promotion, read 31 Ways to Find New Readers, Outside of Your Network.
2. And if you’re getting interviewed about your new book, here’s a slide show from Random House about acing it.
3. Lastly on book promotion, read Six Components of a Successful Book Launch.
4. Wondering how to make money from your blog? Here’s a list of ideas, plus more in the comments, taken from a seminar I gave in Canada in October.
5. To up your success rate pitching magazines, read this post from a magazine editor.
6. Ever wondered if you should get an MFA to improve your writing? Read The Low-Residency MFA.
7. Here’s the latest on the best time to post to Facebook, send emails, publish, etc.
8. Did you self-publish a book this year? Congrats. Submit it to the National Indie Excellence Book Awards. Deadline is March 14, 2014.
9. You’re about to have your book manuscript edited by a copy editor. What should you expect? Read Copy Editors: What they Really Do.
10. There’s always something new to say about recipes. Here’s How to Write, Create, and Test a Recipe Like a Pro, from a dietician’s point of view.
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If you enjoyed these links, here are more from past e-newsletters:
* 13 Must-Read Links for Food Writers
* 10 Useful Links for Food Writers and Bloggers
* 10 More Links for Food Bloggers and Writers
Hi Dianne, I’ve been reading your book “Will Write for Food” and in the chapter “Get Published with a Food Blog”, you say that blogging can be a quicker path to publication, that traditional ways – also that book editors and literary agents read blogs, and keep a lookout for those with promising potential in terms of a book. I’m interested to know whether you think this has changed significantly since 2010 when this edition was published? I don’t know a lot about the publishing world in terms of cookbooks, but from what I read and hear, it’s far more difficult to get anything published now, of whatever genre. Would you agree?
Not if you’re a blogger with a big audience, Anne. I’m sure it’s true even more now than when the book came out that more agents and editors read food blogs.
Thank you for fixing the “subscribe” page for the Newsletter. I’m all signed up and look forward to receiving your “pithy snippets” 🙂
Oh you remember that saying from my old website design, Mardi? Funny. I got rid of it in this version. Fortunately, my subscribe page got fixed just in time. Since I’ve moved to Mad Mimi I’m getting more subscribers now.
Thanks, Dianne, for this very timely advice. My book, “Soufflés” comes out in March, so I’ve already made personal contacts with members of the food press to receive copies of my book as soon as they become available. I’ll be interviewed on a major radio show about food in Los angeles in early February, and I’ll be speaking at Omnivore Books in San Francisco at the end of March and giving a demonstration on how to whip egg whites properly. I have much more to do in the months to come, but I just want to stress that no one is going to be a better spokesperson and publicist of your work than you are.
So true, Greg, so true. I’m not sure what kind of support your publisher is giving you — probably next to none.
Ditto, Greg! Have fun in San Francisco. Omnivore is a lovely venue.
These are awesome recommendations. I know I will be spending some time reviewing more then a few of them. I also will be forwarding this to others I think could benefit. Thanks for compiling this list. 🙂
You are most welcome, Susan. I spent months accumulating these and I try to pick out only the most relevant ones.
What great advice. I am grateful that you patiently put these links and helpful tips together for us, Dianne!
Hi Dianne! Heidi’s Quitokeeto “pop up” is absolutely gorgeous — great to see what she’s doing now. The Nourishing Home site (Kelly) is a treasure trove — gave me some ideas and reinforces the direction I’m headed now. Thank you for the info-packed list!
My pleasure, Amy. Readers, she’s talking about this post on making money from your blog: http://www.foodbloggersofcanada.com/2013/12/dianne-jacob-on-making-money-from-your-blog/
Dianne,
Your photo of the sausage and kale pizza looks divine. I just finished a slice of left-over cheese and mushroom thin crust, heated on low on a griddle. Why I never thought to reheat my pizza that way before is beyond me. Aren’t you glad I mentioned that? Lol
Anyway, I started baking my own bread a few months ago and hope to graduate to pizza-making soon. (I ordered Pizza and Piadinas from amazon just now!)
Thanks for all the links! You’re really the best. I appreciate all your freebies.
Thank you! How nice to get a comment on my photography. That pizza was as good as it looks, too.
I just read about how to reheat pizza using the skillet method. I will have to try it.
Thanks for buying the pizza book. Craig and I are working on a new one. I’ve made about 50 pizzas so far and they have been fantastic. I’m learning about all kinds of different crusts.
Thank you for these links Dianne! I will be coming back to this post and revisiting these links. There is constantly things changing in the publishing, blogging, & tech world; thank you for helping us to stay up to date!
You are welcome, Melissa. It is almost impossible to keep up with it all, isn’t it?
When one of your posts lands in my e-box, I know I am going to need the time for a long coffee and be ready to take notes as I read.
Thanks, Dianne!
Valerie
That’s a great testimonial! Thanks Valerie.
As always you are amazing with helping others. Thank you for all these links, I am working my way up and need to learn all I can. THANK YOU
You’re going to be busy for a while, Kristin, if you read both these and the ones below. You’re welcome.
Dianne,
Love your book, “Will Write for Food” and just want to say thank you for the consistent meaningful help you provide to food bloggers. Not just helpful links but encouragement and thoughtful advice. I loved what Molly Wizenberg said in your post from the other day and was very encouraged by that.
Thanks again!
Oh thanks Abby, for taking the time to leave this comment. It is my pleasure. Yes, Molly’s words really struck a chord with a lot of writers. I was pleased by how many commented.
I second Abby regarding the encouragement and the thoughtful advice. Thank you!!
Via wordpress, I just found this Feb 11 interview with the author of the Domestic Man blog, who recently published a book (entitled The Ancestral Table):
http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2014/02/11/the-domestic-man/
Thought, other readers might be interested in seeing it too.
Have a great week!
Thanks. It’s my pleasure.
Just catching up on your posts… and I love these lists of links. Always useful.
Thank you. They are fun to collect. Sometimes people don’t click on them in my newsletter, but then they see them again and start clicking.