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Making a Chef’s Recipe? Don’t Cook Alone!

March 8, 2016 by diannejacob 22 Comments

Humorist Betty Teller, an accomplished cook, at a cooking party.

A guest essay by Betty Teller

It’s not my fault, not really. I will admit that I procrastinated to the last possible day. But I do that every week. I always put off writing, in the hope that I’ll have an adventure, or inspiration will otherwise strike, so I don’t have to write about raking the yard yet again.

But I woke up early this morning with every intention of jumping right in. I’d cleared my calendar in preparation. I had only one small item on the agenda before I could sit down at my computer.

I had to go buy a few ingredients for the moussaka I was making for the cookbook club dinner tonight. And then I needed to cook [Read more…] about Making a Chef’s Recipe? Don’t Cook Alone!

Why a National Board or Brand Might Hire You

March 1, 2016 by diannejacob 8 Comments

Pamela Johnson hires bloggers, cookbook authors and chefs for the National Pork Board.

I’ve enjoyed Pamela Johnson’s straightforward descriptions of how she works with food writers when she speaks at conferences. Pamela has a degree in journalism and joined the National Pork Board in 2003.

As Director of Consumer Communications, one of her  responsibilities is to hire chefs and food writers to inspire, educate and advise consumers on incorporating pork into their diets.

Here’s what she looks for when hiring:

Q. How do you work directly with food bloggers and cookbook authors?

A. We hire them to produce content for a specific program. We have retail customers, such as supermarkets, who want to highlight specific pork recipes. So we’ll look at bloggers [Read more…] about Why a National Board or Brand Might Hire You

8 Best Tips on Writing and Pitching a Listicle

February 23, 2016 by diannejacob 10 Comments

A guest post by Sara Bir

Last year, I assigned, edited, and posted 230 listicles for my former job as food editor for the pop culture website Paste Magazine.

A listsicle, if you’re wondering, comprises a short list of 100-200 words that tells a larger story. You’ve read many of them online because they’re fast reads and often, you can’t help yourself.

I once resented listsicles for their seemingly dashed-off nature. I thought they were just articles with numbers in them. But I had to make peace with [Read more…] about 8 Best Tips on Writing and Pitching a Listicle

Lots of Events Coming Up

February 16, 2016 by diannejacob 7 Comments

Hey there, I don’t always hang out at my desk in sweats, squinting at my screen. Sometimes I put on a dress, and then speak and teach at events and conferences. Thank goodness for a chance to get out, dress up, and meet people!

Here’s where I’m heading in the next few months. I hope to see you soon at one of these events.

February 17, 2016
Book signing and talk
Book LarderSeattle, WA
6:30 – 8 p.m. Free
Seattle folks, let’s talk about current trends in food writing and publishing. Bring a question or topic that’s been on your mind.

March 13, 2016
Reading
LitQuake
Palo Alto JCC
3-8 p.m. Free
I’ll give a reading about food writing. Also, Margo True and Kenji Lopez-Alt will discuss the future of food in a conversation.

21 Useful and Fun Links for Food Writers and Bloggers

February 9, 2016 by diannejacob 22 Comments

Winter salad with supremes of blood oranges, radicchio and capers.

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 [Read more…] about 21 Useful and Fun Links for Food Writers and Bloggers

June Workshop on Culinary Storytelling in Cambodia

February 2, 2016 by diannejacob 13 Comments

Cuisine Wat Dam Nak, Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo by David Hagerman.

I know, right? Sometimes I have to pinch myself. I taught my first workshop with food and travel photographer David Hagerman and food and travel writer Robyn Eckhardt in Turkey last October, and had a blast. Now they’ve invited me back, this time to teach culinary storytelling in Cambodia in June.

Our workshop is Crafting Culinary Stories: An Intensive Workshop in Food Photography and Writing. It takes place in the resort town of Siem Reap, June 3 to 8 and already there are only 3 spaces left! [Read more…] about June Workshop on Culinary Storytelling in Cambodia

7 Tips to Successfully Crowdfund a Cookbook

January 19, 2016 by diannejacob 24 Comments

Author Kathy Strahs raised more than $21,000 on Kickstarter to publish The 8×8 Cookbook. The project was named a Staff Pick, boosting its visibility.

A guest post by Kathy Strahs

Over the past 18 months, both first-time and established authors learned to crowdfund a cookbook on Kickstarter, and raised good money. Here’s a sample:

Leanne Brown, Good and Cheap: $144,681
Hank Shaw, Buck, Buck, Moose: $93,763
Emily Kaiser Thelin and Andrea Nguyen: UNFORGETTABLE: $91,465
Anna Watson Carl, The Yellow Table Cookbook: $65,815
Leslie Jonath and 18 Reasons, Feed Your People: $40,805

Mine was one. After writing The Ultimate Panini Press Cookbook with a traditional publisher in 2013, I published The 8×8 Cookbook this past fall by establishing a publishing company, Burnt Cheese Press, and crowdfunding my cookbook on Kickstarter. I raised [Read more…] about 7 Tips to Successfully Crowdfund a Cookbook