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Win Secrets of the Southern Table + Get Tips for a Successful Book Tour

May 1, 2018 by diannejacob 24 Comments

image for book tour and cookbook giveaway

Cookbook author Virginia Willis starts another book tour with her new Secrets of the Southern Table: A Food Lover’s Tour of the Global South. She reminds herself that book tours aren’t just about sales. “Book tours are about connecting with readers,” she says. “Even if I sell only a few books, those people will tell their friends.”

Her first book tour took place in 2008 with Bon Appetit, Y’all. She’s written six cookbooks and done four big book tours. In this interview, she’s [Read more…] about Win Secrets of the Southern Table + Get Tips for a Successful Book Tour

Are You Guilty of Recipespeak? Why the Washington Post’s Recipe Editor Hates It

April 23, 2018 by diannejacob 34 Comments

Image for recipespeak post While reading a cookbook review for Food52’s Piglet cookbook tournament, I noticed that Bonnie S. Benwick, recipe editor for the Washington Post, mentioned the absence of recipespeak in one of the cookbooks.

“Recipespeak!” I exclaimed to myself. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I had to find out. [Read more…] about Are You Guilty of Recipespeak? Why the Washington Post’s Recipe Editor Hates It

5 Ways to Know When Your Writing is Done

April 17, 2018 by diannejacob 4 Comments

Image for how to know when your writing is done. How do you know when your writing is done or your blog post is finished? You could keep going over it endlessly, rewriting and wondering if you need to do more research or explaining. Or adding more keywords and spiffing up the SEO.

But if you do so, will it be finished then? Or maybe you’re not sure what constitutes “finished” in the first place.

As an editor, I know what it’s like to pull a piece away from a writer who wants to keep working on it. And as a writer, I also know what it’s like to refine right up to the last second. So I have some ideas that might help.

Here’s how you know when your writing is done:

1. You have a deadline. If an editor hasn’t given you one, set one anyway. Doing so helps you create an end for your work or post. My blog post deadline is Tuesday morning. I can’t keep working on each post forever that way.

2. You have been over the blog post, chapter, or story, many times. You gave yourself time for a thorough edit, and you don’t see what to change any longer.

3. You have spell checked every single sentence. Everyone hates typos. It makes you look careless. I find that even with spell check, errors creep in, so make time to print out the piece or post, and look it over carefully. Or have someone else read the post for you.

Also check all links to make sure they open correctly, and in a new window.

4. You met your criteria. If you have an assignment letter or a contract, review it. Or review your pitch letter and emails to make sure you’re sending the story the editor expects.

If you’re blogging and use regular structures for your posts, make sure your post complies. (You use links to past posts, for example.)

5. You have done your best. Do you feel satisfied that you have said what you wanted to say, the best you could? If you have a level of confidence about your piece or blog post, you’re done.

Do you have trouble letting go of a story or blog post? As an editor, I can relate. I can keep editing forever, it seems.

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How I Will Stay Sane in a Shifting Freelance Climate

April 10, 2018 by diannejacob 10 Comments

A guest post by Jaime Lewis

I love the writing life but I’m done gaming this shifting freelance climate.

The last 10 years of my career, I’ve devoted myself to hunting down, pitching, landing and writing stories for [Read more…] about How I Will Stay Sane in a Shifting Freelance Climate

5 Tasks Every Food Blogger Should Outsource to a VA

April 3, 2018 by diannejacob 10 Comments

A guest post by Maggie Zhu

If you are working nonstop and feeling overwhelmed, maybe it’s time to outsource to a VA or virtual assistant.

Doing so helps you focus on the most important work and grow your businesse. A VA is a member of your team, performing work remotely. Whether you’re hiring a programmer from India or a work-at-home mom in the US, you might be able to pay a reasonable or even low hourly rate, such as $5 to $10 per hour. [Read more…] about 5 Tasks Every Food Blogger Should Outsource to a VA

Cookbook Giveaway: Simply Citrus, by Double Award Winner Marie Asselin

March 27, 2018 by diannejacob

Image of book Simply Citrus Marie Asselin just got her second moment of fame. The creator of the 17-year old food blog Food Nouveau, Marie is a double award winner. She won the 2017 Best Recipe-Based Blog and the 2018 Best Individual Blog from the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). She’s an overnight sensation!

She’s also the author of her first cookbook, Simply Citrus. I thought you might like to win [Read more…] about Cookbook Giveaway: Simply Citrus, by Double Award Winner Marie Asselin

The Hidden Life of Grace Young

March 20, 2018 by diannejacob 16 Comments

Everyone knows Grace Young is a Chinese food writer. She’s won national awards for each of her three Chinese cookboooks. But as with most successful people, there’s much more to her than that.

Recently she took a subversive turn, mixing traditional and Western dishes to cook in a wok. In this video, newly nominated for a Jame Beard award, she uses a wok to make French fries, steak, and even popcorn.