Dianne Jacob, Will Write For Food

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

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Cookbook Promotion In a Pandemic

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A guest post by Mary Cressler and Sean Martin

cookbook image for cooking in a pandemic

Our first cookbook launched in April, right after the pandemic hit.

We had spent two years preparing for the launch of Fire + Wine: 75 Smoke-Infused Recipes from the Grill with Perfect Wine Pairings. That included another six months of planned book tour and events post launch.

And then the world shut down in March. But we still had to do cookbook promotion in a pandemic.

The two of us can chuckle now at the mention of “pivot,” but that’s exactly what had to happen. All of our planned in-person events that would have [Read more…] about Cookbook Promotion In a Pandemic

Why My Free E-Cookbook Turned Out Better Than I Ever Imagined

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A guest post by Jamie Schler

Free ebook project-- photo of the book cover.

We chose a photo of the Meringue-Topped Rice Pudding with Apples because it is visually striking and filled the cover space. I named the book Isolation Baking because that was the name of my Twitter project that led to the book, and it was familiar to people. The subtitle “Recipes from my (post) confinement kitchen” signaled that the cookbook wasn’t limited to the period of Covid confinement.

My first e-cookbook came about by accident. And so did giving it away for free. Nevertheless, my free e-cookbook has been a big success and led to some other positive events.

Here’s the backstory: As the world went into lockdown I began sharing recipes on Twitter under the hashtag #IsolationBaking. After panic-shopping, people found themselves with lots of ingredients they didn’t know what to do with, and lots of meals to cook.

They were also looking for a distraction. Social media had become a lifeline for human contact. I started thinking about what I had to offer this huge community now hanging out online.  

The answer was recipes. I wanted to reconnect with [Read more…] about Why My Free E-Cookbook Turned Out Better Than I Ever Imagined

How to Support Black Lives in Food

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An image for Black lives in food.A guest post by Adrian Miller

I’ve been trying to figure out my role in being someone who can create a shared future for black lives in food. It’s a future where we have racial justice and so many other forms of justice that are needed.

I’ve always maintained that if we’re ever going to get a breakthrough on race, white people need to work this out amongst themselves. Because no matter what I say or whatever [Read more…] about How to Support Black Lives in Food

Developing Recipes in the Age of Coronavirus

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Starting image for post on recipe development during the coronavirus.A guest post by Faith Kramer 

Like many food writers ordered to shelter in place, I spend my days developing recipes. I’m doing so for my cooking column, which appears every other week in the j, Northern California’s Jewish Resource. 

Once the quarantine began, it was time to adapt. Overnight we became a nation, if not a world, that wanted comfort food. Taste was still paramount, but I needed recipes that were emotionally nourishing, easy to source, economical and convenient to make, and still connected to my target audience.

Here are my 5 tips for developing recipes in the age of COVID-19:

1. Watch social media to see what people cook and what resources they turn to for recipes and guidance.

Many Facebook groups, Instagram and Twitter hashtags, Pinterest boards, TikTok videos and [Read more…] about Developing Recipes in the Age of Coronavirus

What Makes an Award-Winning Cookbook?

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image for post on award-wining cookookA guest post by Sara Bir

I always tell people the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) awards are to the James Beard Awards what the Golden Globes are to the Oscars. They’re a big deal, a feather in the caps of publishers and authors who produce an award-winning cookbook.

I was a volunteer cookbook judge for the awards. The category I judged had [Read more…] about What Makes an Award-Winning Cookbook?

A New Model for a Mini Cookbook?

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image for bing bread cookbookWhat if you want to get just one really great recipe out into the world? How do you get it published? Kevin Pang figured it out. He and the owners of Parachute restaurant in Chicago published one recipe as an illustrated mini cookbook. Called The Parachute Bing Bread Book, they created it through a successful Kickstarter campaign. And Pang has plans for more mini cookbooks, with chefs.

The 32-page cookbook covers a recipe for just one menu item that has a cult following. The recipe for bing bread is 5,000 words.

Now, obviously, this bing bread is no ordinary [Read more…] about A New Model for a Mini Cookbook?

Why I’m Not Concerned About SEO

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image for post about SEOA guest post by Jean of Delightful Repast

For 10 years I posted once a week like clockwork. For year 11, I decided to post just once every two weeks. Will that hurt my SEO (Search Engine Optimization)? I don’t care. I’m too busy writing quality content—in my own unique voice without any gimmicks—punctuated with pretty food pictures. I’m not concerned about SEO.

Would I love to be a “successful” food blogger with a huge audience? Of course! But I don’t usually think about that. If I did, I’d have to be concerned about SEO: Things like posting frequency and timing, stats, email lists, paid promotions on social media platforms, which recipes are trending, and oh so much more.

My blog is a platform for self-expression, where I share the [Read more…] about Why I’m Not Concerned About SEO