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Dianne Jacob, Will Write For Food

Useful Tips, Interviews, and Stories to Inspire Food Writers and Bloggers

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Blog

4 Ways to Use Instagram Strategically

June 23, 2015 by diannejacob 19 Comments

sternmanule-Instagram

A guest post by Cheryl Sternman Rule

In our social media ocean, most of us swim, flail, float, glide, and sputter, sometimes all in a single day. We do our best not to drown as we navigate crowded platforms, with varying degrees of success, enthusiasm, and begrudging obligation.

We also play favorites.

I, for one, love Instagram. Instagram has grown my network in ways I both couldn’t have imagined and didn’t know I needed.

Yes, I use other platforms, too, but my heart belongs to [Read more…] about 4 Ways to Use Instagram Strategically

Filed Under: Freelancing, Promotion, Social Media Tagged With: 5 Second Rule, Cheryl Sternman Rule, finding editors on social media, Using Instagram strategically

A New, Updated Edition of Will Write for Food

June 16, 2015 by diannejacob

WWFFIIIcover.border
At last! I started working on this edition last year and I couldn’t tell you about it until now. The third edition of Will Write for Food, completely updated and with a new chapter on making money, goes on sale July 14, 2015.

Much has changed since my second edition came out in 2010, most notably the rise of food blogging as a career. The biggest star is Ree Drummond, who got a cooking show on the Food Network, and sold almost as many books as Ina Garten in  2014.

(Ree wrote about my book: “I wish I’d read Dianne’s book before I started a tiny little food blog on a whim years ago. For current and aspiring food writers, it’s positively dripping with helpful advice and information!”)

Since my last edition, many food bloggers have made the top ten cookbook lists in sales, and more than a hundred U.S. food bloggers have book deals. A few food writers make a six-figure income from their businesses, and I describe how in this new edition.

While most food writers write as a hobby, a growing number would like to make an income and even a career from it. The new chapter in Will Write for Food addresses myriad ways to make money, including

  • Work that comes from a blog
  • How to negotiate pay
  • How to work with brands
  • How to create a media kit and rate sheet
  • Branding yourself and your blog
  • How some food writers earn a six-figure income (hint: online businesses).

I’ve also updated every chapter with new information and new voices, whether they’re covering cookbook writing, getting published, blogging, or making money. For the first time, I’ve invited a few respected authors and bloggers to contribute their stories of success. Some wrote insider how-to pieces on such subjects as negotiating pay and how to work with companies.

WWFFII

So long, Will Write for Food, second edition, 2010.

And don’t you love my new cover? It’s fun to look at how the covers of my prior books have evolved.

WWFF.1

The first edition from 2005. I do feel kind of sentimental about it.

If you bought a previous edition, thank you. This new edition will refresh your skills and knowledge, and inspire you to up your game. My goal is to empower and inspire you.

If you are a new reader, welcome. You’ll find a smorgasbord of info about writing a blog, upping your social media and photography skills, writing a cookbook, or getting published in print or online. Get your markers and underliners ready!

Finally, take a look at this sneak peek introduction for Will Write for Food, prepared for you by my publisher. And please pre-order Will Write for Food at your favorite independent bookstore, or on Amazon or another online retailer.

 

Filed Under: Personal Stuff Tagged With: cookbook writing, Food blogging, food writing, Will Write For Food, writing food blogs

Eating Well in Dubai and Egypt

June 10, 2015 by diannejacob 24 Comments

Dubai-Students.2015

Food writing students at my class at the Dubai International Writers’ Center.

I’m just back from two weeks away, teaching in Dubai and vacationing in Egypt. I have so much to say about this trip and the foods I ate but I will try to condense it into a few paragraphs:

1. Dubai

This city is a non-stop party for food writers and bloggers. There are dozens of publications to write for, and bloggers get invited to such events as [Read more…] about Eating Well in Dubai and Egypt

Filed Under: My workshops and conferences Tagged With: Dubai food blogging, Dubai food writing, Dubai International Writers' Center, foods of Egypt, writing workshops

Submit Your Writing Now to Lucky Peach

May 26, 2015 by diannejacob 22 Comments

Lucky PeachLooking for a paid outlet for your food writing?

Recently Lucky Peach launched a new website featuring “daily essays, recipes, restaurant recommendations, comics, and other miscellany,” says editor Chris Ying.

That means they need lots of content, which is the best news ever for freelance food writers. Here are some guidelines for submission:

1. Write for a monthly theme, tied to the [Read more…] about Submit Your Writing Now to Lucky Peach

Filed Under: Freelancing Tagged With: food writing, freelance food writing, Lucky Peach, writing for Lucky Peach

An Agent Answers: “What Should I Expect for a Cookbook Advance?”

May 19, 2015 by diannejacob 50 Comments

Literary Agent Sally Ekus represents cookbooks and food-based books.

Literary Agent Sally Ekus represents cookbooks and food-based books.

A guest post by Sally Ekus

Every time I talk with a new author or prospective client they ask the same question: “What can I expect for an advance?” I tell them $250,000. No wait, that was a dream I had last night. In reality, though, I can’t answer.

Spoiler alert: the answer to most everything in publishing is “It depends.” In the case of cookbooks, the answer depends on platform, proposal, and concept. And no agent will tell you an amount in advance. Let’s be real, if you were applying for a job and you were told your salary could be [Read more…] about An Agent Answers: “What Should I Expect for a Cookbook Advance?”

Filed Under: Literary Agents Tagged With: cookbook deals, literary agents for cookbooks, Sally Ekus, The Lisa Ekus Group

Woo Hoo! I’m Teaching in Dubai

May 12, 2015 by diannejacob 24 Comments

DIWC_

The recently-opened Dubai International Writers’ Center, which hosts talks, coaching and workshops.

I’m thrilled to return to Dubai, that hot, impossibly complicated and dizzying place of high rises, including the world’s tallest building. It was more than 100 degrees on my first trip in September 2013, and it will be about 100 degrees later this month. Sense a pattern? I’m packing light.

Last time I was a guest instructor for Bethany Kehdy, who runs [Read more…] about Woo Hoo! I’m Teaching in Dubai

Filed Under: My workshops and conferences Tagged With: coaching on writing, Dubai International Writers' Center, Dubai writing workshops, Food blogging, food writing, Sally Prosser

How Denise Vivaldo Uses Optimism to Develop a Thick Skin

May 5, 2015 by diannejacob 55 Comments

Denise-Vivaldo

Denise Vivaldo doesn’t let other people define her.

You’re doing fine until someone makes a snide remark on social media. Then a literary agent says your book idea won’t sell, and two editors haven’t responded to your story pitches.

Soon you’re having trouble getting through the day.

What you need is a mini Denise Vivaldo on your shoulder. This successful food stylist and food writer is one of the most optimistic people I know. She seems to let slights, criticisms and rejection slide right off.  I thought I should interview her to find out how she does it:

Q. You say you have thick skin. How do you define that?

A. I got a thick skin early in life and it has worked for me. As a child I danced and by the time I was eight or nine years old, I was already [Read more…] about How Denise Vivaldo Uses Optimism to Develop a Thick Skin

Filed Under: Career Tagged With: Denise Vivaldo, developing a thick skin, Food blogging, food writing

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Archives

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