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Keep Up! Read These 17 Useful Links for Food Writers And Bloggers

April 28, 2015 by diannejacob 15 Comments

Peaches in April! Thanks to climate change, these appeared at my Oakland, CA farmer’s market last weekend.

Who has time to keep up with everything going on in our food writing world?

You do! Just click on the peachy links below, especially the fun ones.

This list first appeared in my last quarterly newsletter, a free compendium of links for food writers and bloggers. If you’d like to subscribe, please sign up here. If you’re already a reader, thank you! Here we go:

1. Wondering who’s selling the most cookbooks? Here are the bestselling cookbooks of 2014. As usual for the last few years, Ree [Read more…] about Keep Up! Read These 17 Useful Links for Food Writers And Bloggers

Cookbook Giveaway: The Good Pantry

April 21, 2015 by diannejacob

Pancake and other dry mixes are a feature of Cooking Light’s The Good Pantry.

I don’t know about you but my pantry is out of control.

There are pestos, frozen kaffir leaves, and stocks bulging out of freezer drawers. Little jars of unfinished sauces linger in the fridge. Costco bags of nuts, frozen berries, and fish snooze in the chest freezer downstairs.

And don’t even ask how many kinds of oils and vinegars I keep in the cupboard in a Lazy Susan, along with [Read more…] about Cookbook Giveaway: The Good Pantry

Are Food Writers Privileged? I Am

April 14, 2015 by diannejacob 59 Comments

Here I am, eating bonbons all day as a sponsored writer.

There’s been lots of talk on my blog lately about money and food blogging. (See post about Adam Roberts and Amy Sherman’s post.)

But one thing people don’t talk about is the privilege of being a food writer, where earning money is a secondary ambition for many – not because they’re hobbyists, but because they don’t have to earn a living.

A story on Salon about obfuscating the circumstances that let us write [Read more…] about Are Food Writers Privileged? I Am

You Got a Free Cookbook! Now What?

April 7, 2015 by diannejacob 23 Comments

Publishers send lots of cookbooks to food bloggers, hoping for publicity. If you choose to write about a book, they might supply images and recipes. If you’re not going to write about it, they might say: how about a shoutout on social media?

Do you owe them something in exchange for this free book? If so, what?

This is an area of confusion for many food bloggers. You want to be nice and do the right thing. But understand that, first of all, you owe them nothing.

Even if you requested a book, you are entitled to read it and decide not to [Read more…] about You Got a Free Cookbook! Now What?

Do You Know These Five Essentials of Food Memoir Writing?

March 31, 2015 by diannejacob 21 Comments

Kathleen Flinn has published three acclaimed food memoirs.

A guest post by Kathleen Flinn

Who writes three food memoirs? Before they’re 50 years old, no less? There’s me, Ruth Reichl, Nigel Slater… it’s not a long list. Food memoirs are tricky, though. Here are some things I’ve learned along the way:

1. Conflict drives narrative.

Your grandmother might have made beautiful dumplings. You may be obsessed with kumquats. But does your story pass what my journalism mentor called the “Who Cares” test?

Ultimately, readers keep turning pages because they want to find out [Read more…] about Do You Know These Five Essentials of Food Memoir Writing?

Who Says You Must Write First Thing? I Don’t!

March 24, 2015 by diannejacob 35 Comments

Some writers write at sunrise. I’m fast asleep. When I get to my desk, I tackle email first.

You’ve read a million times that writers need to write as soon as they get up or as soon as they get to their desks. It’s the conventional wisdom passed down by writing teachers and experts everywhere.

Here’s my dirty little secret: I don’t write first thing.

Why not? I have a different process for shallow work and deep work. Here’s my reasoning:

1. I need to warm up.

I’m not ready for intense concentration first thing. Shallow stuff like [Read more…] about Who Says You Must Write First Thing? I Don’t!

I Earn a Living Because of My Blog, Not From It

March 17, 2015 by diannejacob 54 Comments

Amy Sherman started a food blog 12 years ago, before there were ads or sponsored posts.

A guest post by Amy Sherman

Right now there’s a lot of buzz about how hard it is to earn an income from food blogging. I find it hard to be part of those discussions because I have never looked at blogging as a way to earn a living. I think of my food blog as a marketing vehicle and a platform and it’s led to a thriving career.

I started my food blog, Cooking with Amy, in 2003. There were no ad networks, no ads that I can remember, no sponsored posts or spokesperson deals. Food bloggers weren’t getting book deals or TV deals — let alone movie deals — and they certainly didn’t expect to [Read more…] about I Earn a Living Because of My Blog, Not From It