food writing

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

Keep Up! Read These 17 Useful Links for Food Writers And Bloggers

April 28, 2015 by diannejacob 15 Comments

Peaches in April! Thanks to climate change, these appeared at my Oakland, CA farmer’s market last weekend.

Who has time to keep up with everything going on in our food writing world?

You do! Just click on the peachy links below, especially the fun ones.

This list first appeared in my last quarterly newsletter, a free compendium of links for food writers and bloggers. If you’d like to subscribe, please sign up here. If you’re already a reader, thank you! Here we go:

1. Wondering who’s selling the most cookbooks? Here are the bestselling cookbooks of 2014. As usual for the last few years, Ree [Read more…] about Keep Up! Read These 17 Useful Links for Food Writers And Bloggers

You Got a Free Cookbook! Now What?

April 7, 2015 by diannejacob 23 Comments

Publishers send lots of cookbooks to food bloggers, hoping for publicity. If you choose to write about a book, they might supply images and recipes. If you’re not going to write about it, they might say: how about a shoutout on social media?

Do you owe them something in exchange for this free book? If so, what?

This is an area of confusion for many food bloggers. You want to be nice and do the right thing. But understand that, first of all, you owe them nothing.

Even if you requested a book, you are entitled to read it and decide not to [Read more…] about You Got a Free Cookbook! Now What?

17 Useful Links for Food Bloggers and Writers

February 24, 2015 by diannejacob 27 Comments

Steak tartare, fried eggs and Vietnamese herb salad, an unusual combo but it worked beautifully for brunch.

I adore links that teach me how to be better at what I do. Sometimes people send them to me, and sometimes I discover them online. I cull through dozens to find the best information for food writers. As a result, these kinds of lists are some of my most popular posts.

This particular list came from my last quarterly newsletter. I’m collecting links now for my next newsletter on March 30. It’s free and won’t clog up your inbox because it only shows up 4 times per year. So please consider signing up.

Now, on to what’s new in our world:

How to use the DMCA to prevent people from stealing your online content.
To see what’s trending online in recipe searches, here are sites to visit.
Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks writes about maintaining a long-term blog.
How Ten Speed Press became a cookbook powerhouse.
Here’s what happens on a cookbook shoot.
If you write about special diets, here’s an excellent exploration into the gluten-free craze.
Why is it so hard to catch your own typos?
Need a media kit for your blog? Here’s a free template.
If you want to become a star, start your own YouTube cooking channel.
Mark Bittman changed the way he writes recipes for his newest cookbook, and says we’ve all been doing it wrong.
To pitch newspaper food sections on your latest book or a story, here’s a helpful chart.
Food magazine editors moved around a lot last year. Eater has a chart.
If you want to write long-form journalism, Eater is interested.
If you take ads on your blog, you might want to know which ad network has the biggest market share.

Just for Fun

Here are classic New Yorker stories about chefs, free to read.
Like Food Memoir? Here’s a long list of the best ones, according to a reviewer at Abe Books.

5 Foolproof Ways to Thrive as a Writer

February 10, 2015 by diannejacob 38 Comments

I feel grateful to be alive when I imagine myself here. Wouldn’t it be nice to have this sensation more often?

Don’t you love the word “thrive?” It’s not about just getting through the day, making lists, or driving yourself to do more more more. It’s about a healthy, beaming, happy you, satisfied with your life and filled with gratitude.

Doesn’t that sound incredible? Who doesn’t want to be that kind of person?

As writers, we need constant reminders to stay positive. Otherwise we get distracted by what we’re not doing (not enough pitching, social media, awards, contracts, published work, classes, blog readers), versus what we thrive on (writing!).

Here are five ways to keep writing and moving forward:

1. Believe that you have something to say and people want to read it. Otherwise, when you doubt yourself, you create roadblocks that crush productivity. Manage your internal critic. Learn to recognize [Read more…] about 5 Foolproof Ways to Thrive as a Writer

A Food Blog About “Everything” Can be a Trap

January 13, 2015 by diannejacob 36 Comments

A guest post by Melissa Hartfiel

For the last three years it has been my job to review every blog that applies to join Food Bloggers of Canada.

I make sure they meet our membership criteria, such as being Canadian and being 50% food related. I also find bloggers who can write for us, become a featured member, or a good fit with a brand campaign.

It may sound harsh but, now that I’ve read more than 1600 food blogs, the majority bleed into one generic blog on home cooking and [Read more…] about A Food Blog About “Everything” Can be a Trap

Frustrated by Smaller Can Sizes for Recipes? I Am.

January 6, 2015 by diannejacob 132 Comments

Do canned goods makers have any idea how it affects recipe developers and cooks when they reduce their can sizes?

…and I was just baking, not developing recipes.

Over the holidays I made a pumpkin bread from a favorite recipe in an older cookbook. The recipe called for one 16-ounce can. Yet cans of pumpkin are no longer 16 ounces, but 15.

The manufacturer removed 2 tablespoons instead of raising the price! I repeat: 2 tablespoons. That’s all it takes to mess up [Read more…] about Frustrated by Smaller Can Sizes for Recipes? I Am.