Dianne Jacob, Will Write For Food
Useful Tips, Interviews, and Stories to Inspire Food Writers and Bloggers
Thug Kitchen co-authors Michelle Davis and Matt Holloway. Their blog led to a cookbook with incredible sales this month. (Photo courtesy of Sean Neild.)
Paging through a new cookbook never fails to thrill me. So when I got a copy of Thug Kitchen as a gift while attending the Food Bloggers of Canada annual conference, I put my feet up for a few minutes to take a look. It’s a vegan cookbook with great recipes and gorgeous [Read more…] about Thug Kitchen Draws Fans and Ire
A few months ago, in exchange for appearing on a panel, the conference paid my expenses.
During the event, I wanted to share photos of the meals on Facebook and Twitter. I also knew the conference organizers were expecting speakers to promote the event on social media.
So I did the wrong thing. I posted a few photos, and I didn’t say my meals were comped. It felt slimy! I didn’t want to! (Cue whining.)
That was wrong, by law in the US. (I hope no FTC officials are reading this.) From now on, I’m either not post anything on [Read more…] about FTC Disclosure Rules on Social Media
Rux Martin in her kitchen with some of the books she’s edited. (Photo by Barry Estabrook.)
I met cookbook editor Rux Martin years ago, before she got an imprint in her own name. Now she is Editorial Director of Rux Martin Books at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
She specializes in cookbooks, narrative nonfiction on food, and diet books. She has worked with Dorie Greenspan, Mollie Katzen, Jacques Pépin, and Ruth Reichl, to name just a few, and has edited New York Times bestsellers including The Gourmet Cookbook; Hello, Cupcake!; [Read more…] about If You Can’t Write Truly Great Recipes, be Honest, says Veteran Editor
Like the song from my teenage years says, “See you in September,” woo woo woo, when the summer’s through…
And why are those guys singing in suits on the beach?
Now, where was I? Oh yes. I’ll be traveling next month to two conferences, and then a third in October, talking about book proposals, career reinvention, and making your food writing sharper. Here’s what’s coming up:
September 8-11, 2014
Panelist and Workshop Leader
Association of Food Journalists Annual Conference
The Peabody Hotel
Memphis, TN
For the first time, I’m attending the Association of Food Journalists (AFJ) annual conference, where I will appear on a panel September 11 called [Read more…] about See you in September? (Or October?)
Here’s the top of one of Laura’s pressure cooker infographics. She’s made three so far. Click on the image to see the entire infographic.
A guest post by Laura Pazzaglia
Infographics are taking the web by storm. They can be read and understood in a flash and shared, shared and shared. The best infographics tell a story (albeit very short) and convey useful information in a fun way.
I’d always wanted to make an infographic but didn’t think I had the tools or design skills to do so. Then I saw two posts from a marketing blog that promised [Read more…] about Think Visually with an Infographic and Create a Valuable Marketing Tool
Do you keep up with your writing projects? Do you hand in your work on time? And how much drama do you like in your life?
Are you a drama queen? I was. I realized years ago that I liked excitement, and I created too much of it, especially when I procrastinated and then went crazy as deadlines loomed. Does this sound familiar?
You can learn good work habits, but doing so means giving up the adrenaline rush. Instead, you become a planner. It might sound boring, but these techniques have helped me avoid all-nighters.
1. Take Small Steps
Years ago I was driving to an appointment with my boss when I confessed, tearfully, that I felt overwhelmed by my workload. He gave me advice that was just right at the time: “Break it down into small steps. Otherwise you’re too overwhelmed to move forward. Just put one foot in front of the other and accomplish small things every day.”
It was good advice then, even though it sounded obvious. I needed a reminder. [Read more…] about 4 Ways to Make a Deadline Without Going Crazy
While listening to a radio interview in the car about music and creativity, I heard something that resonated for me as a writer and coach.
The interviewee, neuroscientist Indre Viskontas, was talking about music, but she was really discussing creativity, and what makes great artists.
Success as an artist, she said, came down to three things:
1. Obsessiveness
2. Imperviousness to feedback
3. Uninhibited.
I found this list surprising, and wanted to think about each one of these traits. Since writers are artists, we can apply this [Read more…] about Top 3 Traits of Successful Artists and Writers
