Dianne Jacob, Will Write For Food
Useful Tips, Interviews, and Stories to Inspire Food Writers and Bloggers
A guest post by Kate Leahy
Writing a thriller requires writing a story that keeps readers turning the page. Writing a cookbook should require grabbing someone’s attention so they don’t skip the recipe headnote.
It’s not easy to do, but it’s worth the effort. Why? Sometimes a headnote includes important tips. Other times it’s a way to convince readers to [Read more…] about How to Write a Great Recipe Headnote
A guest post by Jennifer Kurdyia
Every editor is different, but as a cookbook editor for The Experiment Publishing, I’ve read enough proposals and cookbook drafts to have developed a few editor pet peeves. I know where the most common shortcomings among my writers lie.
Avoiding them requires a simple but challenging mindset that most first-time writers wouldn’t ever consider: You are teaching people how to cook. Pretend they know nothing about cooking, let alone have made your recipes as many times as you have. As soon as you accept that, your editor will open your email not with butterflies in her stomach, but with a grumble, hungering for what’s inside. [Read more…] about 5 Editor Pet Peeves About Cookbook Manuscripts
Is a cookbook author’s Asian Sandwich with cheese “perfect for every occasion?” I think not.
Recently I edited a cookbook manuscript for a publisher, where the author used “perfect for every occasion” in one too many headnotes.
I lost it. I struck out the phrase and then went back and struck it out every time it appeared. “Perfect for every occasion” screams 1950s housewife to me. And it doesn’t make sense.
Here’s why:
1. Most of the time, readers don’t need ideas for “occasions.” They need food for meals.
Okay, they might need the occasional dish for a potluck, a baby shower, or a new neighbor. Those are specific events. A dish cannot be perfect for every occasion. I guarantee you that the author’s Asian sandwich with cheese (oh yes, I did [Read more…] about I’m so Over “Perfection” in Recipe Writing
