Dianne Jacob, Will Write For Food

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

Food Blogging

Is a Work-for-Hire Cookbook Worth It?

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image for post about writing a work-for-hire cookbookBy Aneesha Gupta

In January, 2020, my husband asked me what were my top goals for the year. Instinctively, I said, “I want to write a cookbook.” At the time, I didn’t know that would mean a work-for-hire cookbook.

A few weeks later, I received a cookbook offer from Callisto Media. The editor wanted a cookbook on world curries made easy, using an electric pressure cooker. Here was a topic that fit my interests and aligned with the recipes on my blog.

I had heard about Callisto from [Read more…] about Is a Work-for-Hire Cookbook Worth It?

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

Why Food Bloggers Don’t Just “Stick to Recipes”

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Image for post about not sticking to just recipesBy Vicky Cohen and Ruth Fox of MayIHaveThatRecipe.com

We get it. Many people who search for recipes online want food bloggers to stick to recipes. They don’t want a backstory, tips on how to make the dish — none of that “nonsense.”

We’ve all seen the tweets:

“Why does every recipe have to have a mini-essay preceding it? #justgivemetherecipe” 

“If you blog an 8-page life story about a recipe that you have instead of getting straight to the point, then you deserve to be judo chopped in the neck and I will forever pray that a swarm of bees follow you around for the rest of your life. #justgivemetherecipe”

Apparently, no one has the time or patience to scroll for 30 seconds (unless they’re scrolling through their Facebook or Instagram feed), to find what they came for.

For food bloggers like us, it’s annoying. Sometimes it’s infuriating. Because [Read more…] about Why Food Bloggers Don’t Just “Stick to Recipes”

How SEO Rules for Food Blogs Can Make Them Less Effective

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Image for post on SEO rulesI’ve been thinking about the growing power of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experts and their advice. Hiring them has been a powerful way for food bloggers to learn the SEO rules for food blogs and increase their readership.

I’m all for that. I try for good SEO in my posts as well.

But do the changes these experts advise also [Read more…] about How SEO Rules for Food Blogs Can Make Them Less Effective

I was Burned Out on Food Blogging. Then I Started a Fashion Project

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Lead image for post on food blogger who became fashion influencer.A guest post by Maggie Zhu

I started Omnivore’s Cookbook in 2013 as a hobby. It turned it into a full-time job in 2016. After that, I started to feel burned out on food blogging. It took longer and longer to recover. Being alone in the kitchen made me lonely. The need to produce uniform, predictable content to please my readers made me unhappy.

Now the blog is about modern Chinese cooking and Asian-inspired fusion recipes. But it didn’t start that way. My first blog post was for Tuna Pasta with Arrabiata Sauce. My early recipes included random dishes ranging from poorly-conceived fusion to Taco Bell copycats.

Burned out on Food Blogging

One year into blogging, a reader told me he was only interested in my Chinese recipes. He said he’d go to Food Network if he wanted to learn how to make pasta. Soon I focused on Chinese recipes. My blog finally started to grow when I narrowed my scope to that niche. But the problem was (and is) that I love food from many cultures. And the fact that I’m constrained to just Chinese cooking made me burned out on food blogging.  [Read more…] about I was Burned Out on Food Blogging. Then I Started a Fashion Project

After Food Blogging, Gluten-Free Girl’s Shauna Ahern says “Enough”

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Shauna Ahern gave up her blog, Gluten-Free Girl, in 2017. She made a good go of it for 12 years and her blog lives on online. Now, instead of food blogging, she works full-time as head writer at ChefsSteps. Her husband Danny stays home with her two kids, and everyone gets health insurance.

That was part of the decision to close the blog and get a job: Worrying about money. 

Her new book of essays is Enough: Notes From a Woman Who Has Finally Found It. She writes [Read more…] about After Food Blogging, Gluten-Free Girl’s Shauna Ahern says “Enough”

How I Kept My Sanity Blogging For Over a Decade

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Blogging over a decade -- imageA guest post by Nicole Hunn

When I read Dianne’s post about blogging for 10 years (Happy aluminum anniversary, Dianne!), I realized that I ‘ve reached that milestone, too. And I’ve learned a few things about blogging for over a decade — successfully and sustainably.

After 10 years, there’s lots to celebrate. Most importantly, blogging works with my lifestyle, which includes raising three now-teenage kids. Second, I’m grateful to [Read more…] about How I Kept My Sanity Blogging For Over a Decade