Winter salad with blood oranges, radicchio and capers.
It’s time for my quarterly list of fantastic food writing links with practical insights on writing, blogging, cookbook promotion, photography, food styling, social media and other subjects of interest.
I collect these so you don’t have to. Just pull up a chair and start clicking.
This list of food writing links comes from my latest quarterly newsletter. To get the full newsletter in your email, please sign up here. Now, on to the good stuff:
- The Bestselling Cookbooks of 2015. The Pioneer Woman and Barefoot Contessa usually slug it out for first place. This year Thug Kitchen intervened in the second spot. With three books on the top 10 list, the Pioneer Woman triumphs overall.
- Food-Styling 101: Pro-Tips to Step Up Your Game. I like how the writer shows you different photos of the same tart and explains which is best.
- The Writer’s Diet.Test the flabbiness of your prose here. It’s a fantastic tool.
- You Don’t Eat Well, and More Things I Learned on My Cookbook Tour. Tips on what to expect.
- 5 Myths About Writing a Cookbook. Good reminders for those times when you feel discouraged.
- Mary Karr, The Art of Memoir No. 1. A Paris Review interview with bestselling memoirist Mary Karr about her craft. Great for bloggers and personal essay writers.
- A Month’s Worth of Simple Social Media Growth Hacks and Experiments. Want to grow your numbers? Try some of these tips.
- Not as Pictured. Insider info in this interview with food stylist Delores Custer.
- The Myth of ‘Easy’ Cooking. We do know that it’s not really easy, right?
- The Power of the Food Influencer. Key findings on the best way for food bloggers to work with brands.
- Want to write more long stories? Read and learn from The 21 Best Longform Food Stories of 2015, a curated list by Eater’s Helen Rosner.
- Print book sales are on the rise again in the US. Print book sales are up and e-book sales are down, says this article.
- Is ‘Food Porn’ Making Us Fat? The short answer: yep.
- The 15 Most Scathing Restaurant Reviews of 2014. What food bloggers are unwilling to write, professional critics can still do.
- Need an excuse to cook more and socialize? Why Cookbook Clubs Should Be the New Way We Entertain.
- The Archive of Eating. One 84-year-old food historian has spent more than half her life building a comprehensive database of cookbooks throughout history. The amazing part? You can take a class with her in June.
- A toast to the rigor of writing recipes. What floored me is the author’s admission that a national magazine never tested its recipes!
- Our Vegan Diet Almost Killed Us. Wink, wink.
- Jacques Pépin’s Food Memories. Just beautiful on its own, but also a good read for those interested in food memoir.
- Cookbook author Barbara Abdeni Massaad wrote Soup for Syria as a way to donate to refugees. I hope you’ll take a look.
- The Problems with Food Media That Nobody Wants to Talk About. The people on the outside have been talking about them for years, so it’s nice to see an insider fess up.
I want to read every last one of these. Thanks for compiling such a fantastic list.
Aww, you’re sweet Katie. Thank you and happy reading. There were more in my newsletter, if you are not signed up to receive it.
Great list! Thanks. I want to take a class with that food historian.
That does sound pretty amazing. Hope you go for it.
Aw, shoot. I was with you till #21, Dianne. Are cookbooks “food media”? Was this piece kinda rambling and badly in need of an edit? Did it reiterate long-held issues? Dingdingding.
That one got so much media attention, even an RT from Pete Wells, but I have to say, I’m with you, Bonnie. I was kind of disappointed when I read it. It’s still good to bring up long-held issues every once in a while.
Hi Dianne! Thanks for the amazing list! You’re the best.
And that burger on #2 is def contributing to the fat cause on #13! haha
Hah! Good one, Maureen.
This filled my morning in a most entertaining and informative way. Thank you for this compilation. I learned more this morning than I have in awhile.
Oh how wonderful, Susan. Thanks for saying so.
Thanks for these. I’m dying to test the flabbiness of my prose. As if the decline of my body wasn’t enough!
OH you will be quite shocked by that test, if my results were any indication. Give it a shot!
Thanks, Dianne, for this wonderful list. I appreciate the hard work you have done for your readers.
My pleasure. Sometimes people send me these links, but most of the time I find them on social media.
Thanks for all these helpful links. It’s hard to pick a favorite. Every link has something worthwhile. Bookmarking as well as sharing these links, Dianne!
Thanks Betty. I saw your share on Twitter and I appreciate it.
This list looks so helpful! I’ve bookmarked all of them. I think they will help me hone my skills and give me a better shot at being a great food writer! Thank you Dianne, I really appreciate it!
My pleasure, Meisean. I love to collect them.
What a fantastic resource. Thanks for sharing it! Dani
You are most welcome, Dani.
I’m setting aside one day each week to do nothing but read great articles like the ones you highlighted. I’ve bookmarked them ~ can’t wait to check them out! Thanks!
Thank you Bernie! Great to read that you’re all over them.