Best-selling cookbook author Julia Turshen has always volunteered in her community, including cooking for for a local version of Meals on Wheels. More recently she’s been working with [Read more…] about Q&A: Julia Turshen on the Politics of Food and Writing
Career
Update: Yes, You Can Still Write Off Business Meals
In a 2018 blog post, I interviewed Steve Hoffman, a tax preparer and food writer, about tax issues, freelancing, and how the new tax law might affect people in our industry. Of most concern was whether we food writers could still write off business meals.
First there was bad news, but now there’s good news. Steve said he didn’t think the IRS would let us write off business meals anymore. But later in the year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) clarified the new law, to our advantage.
Here’s how Steve puts it: “The new tax law eliminated any deductions for entertainment, which most tax preparers originally interpreted to mean both meals and entertainment. Under the prior law, sole proprietors and small businesses could [Read more…] about Update: Yes, You Can Still Write Off Business Meals
Deborah Madison is Done After 30 Years of Cookbooks
Multiple-award winning author Deborah Madison is calling it quits on cookbooks, after 30 years, but she’s not done with writing. To the contrary, she’s working on a memoir.
She wrote 14 cookbooks during those three decades, which comes down to an average of just over one book every two years. It’s a grueling [Read more…] about Deborah Madison is Done After 30 Years of Cookbooks
Micro Influencers Can Get a Cookbook Deal Too, says Agent
Are you a micro influencer? I am. I’ll never have huge numbers, but people do seem to trust me and I have decent engagement. That’s my definition, anyway.
But if you feel discouraged that you can’t get a book deal without a huge platform, here’s hope. Literary agent Sally Ekus says [Read more…] about Micro Influencers Can Get a Cookbook Deal Too, says Agent
5 Tasks Every Food Blogger Should Outsource to a VA
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
The Hidden Life of Grace Young
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.
Is this mixing of cultures a new thing for Grace Young? For us, yes. For her, no. Does she feel [Read more…] about The Hidden Life of Grace Young
A Self-published Cookbook Author Gets Her Own Magazine
Melissa Joulwan has always done things her own way. Now she gets her own magazine! She started a blog, built a following, wrote three award-winning self-published cookbooks, and recently, moved to Prague with Dave, her husband and photographer.
I’ve written about her success as a self-published cookbook author: 5 Things I learned from Selling Almost 300,000 Cookbooks, and Self-publishing Success wth a Paleo Cookbook.
But this! She gets her own magazine?
I didn’t find out about Melissa’s latest venture until a friend showed me [Read more…] about A Self-published Cookbook Author Gets Her Own Magazine