Career

Do You Know Your Career Path as a Writer? I Didn’t

October 20, 2015 by diannejacob 10 Comments

Here’s a nice looking path. Are you on it?

My current career path took off with a phone call.

It was 2004, after I taught a food writing workshop at Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA. A student called to say she met my workshop supervisor at a party and had a conversation that went like this:

“I really enjoyed Dianne’s class on food writing,”she told my supervisor.

“Dianne does a great job,” answered the supervisor. “I wish she had a book, though, to improve her credibility.”

I can’t remember the name of this student, but I thank her often. That phone call changed [Read more…] about Do You Know Your Career Path as a Writer? I Didn’t

Busy Mom Starts Online Recipe Business and It’s a Hit

September 29, 2015 by diannejacob 12 Comments

Aviva Goldfarb writes recipes for busy moms and runs a successful newsletter and website for them. (Photo by Mary Gardella.)

Can someone who writes recipes create a thriving recipe business? Yes.

Aviva Goldfarb founded the The Six O’Clock Scramble in 2003, a menu planning service for busy moms. Now she’s a Today Show and Washington Post contributor, and author of several Six O’Clock Scramble cookbooks. She frequently appears on the The Katie Couric Show and in national publications including O magazine, Real Simple, Working Mother, and Prevention. The American Diabetes Association will publish her fourth cookbook in January, 2016 .

I discovered Aviva’s recipe business when researching my new chapter on making money in Will Write for Food. Here’s how she got started and why her business works:

Q. What is a menu planning company?

A. I make busy mom’s lives easier by planning what they have for dinner and what they need to buy at the store. These moms aspire to cook more so I try to take all that stress out of the process and make it more turnkey for them. I give them a weekly menu of [Read more…] about Busy Mom Starts Online Recipe Business and It’s a Hit

How to Successfully Cold Call for Food Writing Jobs

July 28, 2015 by diannejacob 7 Comments

As you saw in my post about the new edition of Will Write for Food, my new chapter focuses on how to make money as a food writer, which interests an increasing number of food bloggers. Food blogger Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen, a world-class negotiator, contributed tips.

She and her husband Scott launched a new mastermind program for food bloggers recently, helping those who want to grow their blogs into a business. They have the chops: Jaden’s food blog, Steamy Kitchen, has been profitable for over [Read more…] about How to Successfully Cold Call for Food Writing Jobs

Blogger Finds Famous Cookbook Recipe Doesn’t Work, but He’s Happy

July 7, 2015 by diannejacob 37 Comments

When a high-end cookbook recipe doesn’t work, how can this story have a happy ending? Somehow, it does.

First, a little backstory. Remember when Julie Powell started her career-changing food blog, The Julie/Julia Project, in 2002? It was about a government drone who makes every recipe from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking over a one-year period. Her blog led to the first blog-to-book deal and a subsequent movie.

After that, a whole bunch of people started blogs about [Read more…] about Blogger Finds Famous Cookbook Recipe Doesn’t Work, but He’s Happy

How Denise Vivaldo Uses Optimism to Develop a Thick Skin

May 5, 2015 by diannejacob 55 Comments

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

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

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