Dianne Jacob, Will Write For Food
Useful Tips, Interviews, and Stories to Inspire Food Writers and Bloggers
It’s hard to keep up with all the great links that speak to our lives as writers, bloggers, food lovers and cooks.
So I do it for you. I scour social media, Facebook groups, newsletters and other media to find what interests me and I hope by extension, you. Usually I [Read more…] about 15 Great Links for Food Writers and Bloggers
A guest post by Literary Agent Maria Ribas
When I was an editor, my publishing house did one of the first blog-to-book cookbooks. We were only allowed to do one, because obviously, we had to wait and see if this “blog” thing was going to blow over.
Now, every one of my authors is a blogger or vlogger (except the chefs). It still amazes me how blogging can build deep and lasting relationships. Yet, too often, I get that inescapable question: How many [Read more…] about What Bloggers Need for a Book Deal: Reader Relationships
What have I been eating lately? Thanks for asking: A tender Bahn Xeo (Vietnamese Crepe) with cannonball flowers found outside the restaurant.
Hey there, do you have time to research stories and posts about what’s happening in our industry? I thought not. But I do. And people send me terrific articles and posts too, which makes me happy. That’s why I like to make lists like these.
I’ve thrown in a few silly things just for fun. Because let’s not take ourselves too seriously, okay?
As a reminder, you can get fantastic links like these — on [Read more…] about 25 Fantastic Links for Food Writers and Bloggers
Last week the New Yorker featured a snarky piece on food bloggers, called So You want to Write a Food Blog. Yes, it’s cute and clever, but wrong.
My main gripe is that the writer — Julia Edelman, a comedy writer and filmmaker, according to LinkedIn –has reduced all food bloggers to goofy incompetents. That’s not right, or fair.
1. Most food bloggers are hobbyists. Edelman doesn’t seem to [Read more…] about 5 Reasons Not to Bash Food Bloggers
Tech guru Stephanie Stiavetti
A guest post by Stephanie Stiavetti
I’m sure you’re familiar with the term Search Engine Optimization (SEO), one of the biggest time sucks we food bloggers endure to get more people to our blogs.
There’s no way around doing this work, as all bloggers must bend the knee to Our Great Google Overlords, with the exception of a handful of folks who are so insanely popular that they transcend the realm of mortal blogging (*cough*Ree*cough*).
The problem with keeping our websites search engine-friendly, however, is that every so often, Google changes the rules. And inevitably, for months following these changes, my inbox is flooded with the doleful cries of bloggers who have lost a chunk of their traffic.
If you’re smart, though, it won’t matter how Google alters its algorithm. All you have to do is produce good content and avoid questionable SEO practices. There are countless finer points, a few of which I’ll get to in a moment, but the fact remains that you’ll need not fear even the most Machiavellian changes Google makes to its ranking methods.
Here are a few tips for maintaining your trusted liege status to The Goog. They’re easy enough so that even if you’re [Read more…] about 5 Killer SEO Tips for Food Bloggers
The upscale eatery that invited the blogger to a meal.
Here’s a story that could have happened to any food blogger or restaurant reviewer who receives email invitations to restaurants.
A restaurant p.r. person invited a food blogger to a “food tasting session,” where she said the restaurant would host him for lunch.
The food blogger couldn’t make it at the suggested time, and later sent an email saying he’d be in the following Sunday for brunch, not lunch. He did not confirm that he expected it would still be a “food tasting session” where he would be hosted.
Lesson #1: If you’re changing the game plan, seek confirmation that you can still be hosted. Just because a restaurant invited you to a specific event doesn’t mean [Read more…] about Food Blogger Pays for Expensive "Freebie" Restaurant Meal, In More Ways than One
Photo by Heather Lunan
This is the best part of being an author: when your book comes out and you have a signing at a terrific food-centric bookstore like Omnivore Books in San Francisco.
Photo by Owen Rubin
It also helps to have a great interviewer like food blogger Sean Timberlake of Hedonia, who lives in the neighborhood, to make it fun and dynamic. We talked about food blogging, mostly, but also got in a little bit about restaurant reviewing and freelance writing.
Photo by Kirstin Halgedahl
And it helps to have a good crowd. Among those who came out were food [Read more…] about First Bookstore Signing for the New Edition
