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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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Cookbooks

So Many Ways to Organize A Cookbook

November 22, 2016 by diannejacob 21 Comments

Worst table of contents ever. And it's a famous cookbook. Anyone know which one?

Worst. Table of contents. Ever. And it’s from a famous cookbook. Anyone know which one?

Have you decided how to organize your cookbook?

Well, I hope you’re more creative — and forthcoming–  than this table of contents above. Recently I worked through five drafts of a [Read more…] about So Many Ways to Organize A Cookbook

Filed Under: Cookbooks Tagged With: cookbook writing, organizing a cookbook, structuring a cookbook, writing a cookbook

Should You Co-Write a Book? 7 Tips to Help You Decide

November 15, 2016 by diannejacob Leave a Comment

A guest post by Casey Barber

casey barber headshot 500px

Food writer Casey Barber wrote a few of her own cookbooks before exploring a co-writing opportunity. She interviews successful co-writers for this post.

It can feel overwhelming to take on a solo cookbook project versus co-writing one. You’ve got to hit on the right topic. You write and rewrite a proposal. You invest in a year or more of your life in the result.

Why not consider co-writing or ghostwriting instead? As a co-writer, I can vouch that it’s a refreshing change of pace. I like to dive into someone else’s world and work alongside a professional who’s not a writer.

Besides, “It’s crucial to have a writing pro at the chef’s side,”  says Dorothy Kalins. A former Saveur and Newsweek editor, Kalins has worked with [Read more…] about Should You Co-Write a Book? 7 Tips to Help You Decide

Filed Under: Cookbooks Tagged With: cookbook co-writer, cookbook collaborating, food writing, writing a cookbook

Do You Think of Food Writing As a Business?

October 18, 2016 by diannejacob 10 Comments

andy-schloss-headshot

Andy Schloss makes a 6-figure income as food writer despite the fact that he spends no time on social media.

Andy Schloss does. His business income has stayed steady for the last 30 years, hovering around $100,000 annually. He also thinks of his career in business terms, not as someone who works for fun, where income is secondary.

The bottom line: Andy has stayed on top financially because he shifts his food writing work as the market changes.

I had the opportunity to learn from Andy as part of a podcast panel on food writing and money. Andy moderated the panel for the Symposium for Professional Food Writers. A former chef and newspaper columnist, he is also the author of two dozen cookbooks. Plus he’s a [Read more…] about Do You Think of Food Writing As a Business?

Filed Under: Career, Cookbooks Tagged With: food writing business, writing cookbooks

Sharing Online Recipes Versus Cookbook Recipes

October 11, 2016 by diannejacob 7 Comments

pizza-shapira

Leah’s most popular photo on Instagram, with a short narrative recipe. She wouldn’t put this in a cookbook.

A guest post by Leah Schapira

A few weeks ago, I posted a photo of a shredded beef pizza on Instagram. Here’s the caption:

Loving tonight’s shortcut dinner (yes, it’s as good as it looks!). Breadsmith’s Pizza Dough + pizza sauce (tomato paste, water, seasoning) + @jacksgourmet shredded beef on top. Place on a baking paper and bake directly on oven rack. Bake at 500F for 8-9 minutes. Drizzle with spicy mayo and Caesar dressing. #recipes #meatpizza #summercooking

It was probably  my most popular [Read more…] about Sharing Online Recipes Versus Cookbook Recipes

Filed Under: Cookbooks, Social Media Tagged With: cookbook writing, Food blogging, food writing, Recipe Writing, recipes on social media

Rejection Made Two Big Authors Stronger

May 17, 2016 by diannejacob 5 Comments

How did two prolific food writers start their book writing careers? By enduring rejection and persevering anyway.

Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, authors of several books, and best known for The Flavor Bible, shared some of their early rejection letters for their book first book, Becoming a Chef.

Here’s what rejection looked like from cookbook editors:

Screen-Shot.Andrew.Karen
Screen Shot 2016-03-23 at 1.35.27 PM

[Read more…] about Rejection Made Two Big Authors Stronger

Filed Under: Career, Cookbooks, Proposals Tagged With: Andrew Dornenburg, facing rejection, Karen Page, The Flavor Bible, writing book proposals

10 Pet Peeves of a Cookbook Copy Editor

May 10, 2016 by diannejacob 51 Comments

Crazed-Cookbook-Editor

No, this isn’t Suzanne. But she’s probably pulling her hair right now, if she’s copy editing a cookbook.

A guest post by Suzanne Fass

Cookbook writers may hate me at first if they think that—once they’ve turned in their manuscript to a publisher—they’re done. I make them do more work. I want every cookbook to be the best it can be, the most useful for anyone cooking—and learning—from it.

As a copy editor, I try to save writers from embarrassment. I correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. I fact-check. I query missing ingredients, missing steps, cross-references to recipes, and anything else that looks weird to me.

So if you’d like to see fewer copy editor corrections and queries in your manuscript, consider these ten points: [Read more…] about 10 Pet Peeves of a Cookbook Copy Editor

Filed Under: Cookbooks, Recipe Writing, Writing Tagged With: cookbook editing, cookbook writing, copy editing, Recipe Writing

Nigella Lawson’s Strong Voice

November 24, 2015 by diannejacob 27 Comments

Simply-Nigella

The cover of Nigella Lawson’s new cookbook, Simply Nigella: Feel Good Food

Cookbook author Nigella Lawson has that elusive strong voice writers covet, the one fans recognize anywhere.

I heard it when I went to hear her speak to promote her new book, Simply Nigella: Feel Good Food. She’s brilliant (an Oxford graduate in medieval studies), funny and intimate.

She wrote interviews and film reviews at first, eventually turning to food. “When I write about food I’m still very aware of [Read more…] about Nigella Lawson’s Strong Voice

Filed Under: Cookbooks, Writing Tagged With: food writing, Nigella Lawson, Simply Nigella, writing with a strong voice

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