Green Apron Company and Maggie Green – The Green Apron Company

Episode 111: 10 Thoughts that Hold Cookbook Writers Back

October 15, 2020 by Green Apron Company and Maggie Green

Welcome to another episode of the podcast. I recently held a series of interviews with food & nutrition experts to find out what they considered to be their biggest challenges when it came to writing a cookbook and getting published. I thought it would be fun today to talk a little bit about these challenges and for you to see that you’re not alone if any of these resonate with you too.

I have to get super personal and can’t just share the recipe
I juggle a lot of things already
I don’t want to share stories about my life
I’m not a “professional”
I don’t have a niche
I’m not good at putting in all the extra “fluff” writing
I don’t know the publisher’s side of the equation
How many people are going to bookstores now anyway
I don’t know the publishing process
I can’t find an agent or a publisher

Listen to Episode 111 below:

Things We Mention In This Episode:

Let’s connect on Instagram @greenapron

Here’s How To Subscribe

I’d love for you to get notified when I release new episodes so you don’t miss any new episodes Click here to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

How to Leave a Review:

And, I’d love for you to leave a rating and review. I want to know what you think of the podcast and how I can make this podcast one you love to listen to and share with your friends. Plus, iTunes tells me that podcast reviews are really important and the more reviews the podcast has the easier it will be to get the podcast in front of more people, which is the ultimate goal. You can leave a review for the podcast here.

Let’s Keep The Conversation Going…

Do you have an idea for a cookbook concept?

Would you like to know more about writing cookbooks?

Do you collect cookbooks and want to be interviewed on the show?

Comment below and share your story or visit me on Instagram which is currently my favorite way to connect outside of the Cookbook Love Podcast Facebook Group.…

Episode 110: How Cookbook Writers Get Paid: Cookbook Author Georgia Freedman

October 8, 2020 by Green Apron Company and Maggie Green

Welcome to another episode of the podcast. One question I get asked frequently about cookbook writing is, “Is it worth it?” The cost of writing a cookbook could be broken down into the number of hours spent on the project and the money earned reduced to a dollars/hour amount, but what’s always missing from a discussion like that are the valuable, intangible benefits of writing a cookbook. To dive into this topic more, I decided to start this series How Cookbook Writers Get Paid. Today I have 2x cookbook author Georgia Freedman on the podcast. Georgia a freelance food and travel writer and recipe developer specializing primarily in Asian destinations and California-style home cooking. She is the author of Cooking South of the Clouds—Recipes and Stories from China’s Yunnan Province (Kyle, 2018) co-author of the cookbook The Chocolate Room—Recipes from Brooklyn’s Favorite Chocolate Cafe (Rizzoli, 2016).

Listen to Episode 110 below:

Things We Mention In This Episode:

Let’s connect on Instagram @greenapron

Here’s How To Subscribe

I’d love for you to get notified when I release new episodes so you don’t miss any new episodes Click here to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

How to Leave a Review:

Let’s Keep The Conversation Going…

Do you have an idea for a cookbook concept?

Would you like to know more about writing cookbooks?

Do you collect cookbooks and want to be interviewed on the show?

Comment below and share your story or visit me on Instagram which is currently my favorite way to connect outside of the Cookbook Love Podcast Facebook Group.…

Episode 109: Being a Cookbook Writer: How to Stop Feeling All Over the Place

October 1, 2020 by Green Apron Company and Maggie Green

Welcome to another episode of the podcast. Over the past few weeks, I’ve spent time talking to Food and Nutrition Experts and Food Bloggers who want to write a cookbook. Many of them told me that they feel all over the place. When we feel all over the place, it’s typically because our thoughts are all over the place. So in today’s episode, I want to break down some ways to rein in your thoughts about your cookbook project and what to do when you feel all over the place:

Write down your idea
Write down your why? Why I Write Cookbook Episode 38 of the podcast
Identify your reader.
1. What is the burning issue you want to talk about?
2. Where do you want to take them? What story or journey are you going to talk about?
Narrow down or layer the topic with two stories or journeys. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
Look at competitive titles. This shows the possibility. How will your topic be different?
Create a loose outline for your book. Capture the main topics you want to convey. Do you still feel all over the place – that means your thoughts are still all over the place. What are the main thoughts you want to convey to your reader?
Start your research for what you don’t know.
What recipes will best help you convey the idea you want to talk or teach about?
Create a loose recipe list to go with your loose outline

Listen to Episode 109 below:

Things We Mention In This Episode:

Download a copy of the Cookbook Publishing Roadmap
Please join our Confident Cookbook Writer Facebook Group

Let’s connect on Instagram @greenapron

Here’s How To Subscribe

I’d love for you to get notified when I release new episodes so you don’t miss any new episodes Click here to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

How to Leave a Review:

Let’s Keep The Conversation Going…

Do you have an idea for a cookbook concept?

Would you like to know more about writing cookbooks?

Do you collect cookbooks and want to be interviewed on the show?

Comment below and share your story or visit me on Instagram which is currently my favorite way to connect outside of the Cookbook Love Podcast Facebook Group.…

Episode 108: Being a Cookbook Writer: Commitment Can Feel Terrible

September 24, 2020 by Green Apron Company and Maggie Green

Welcome to another episode of the podcast. In today’s podcast, I am going to talk about commitment and how that very often can feel terrible. Join in for today’s episode as I discuss commitment, planning, feeling terrible, and how we can move forward with our dream project like a cookbook.

Listen to Episode 108 below:

Things We Mention In This Episode:

Let’s connect on Instagram @greenapron

Here’s How To Subscribe

I’d love for you to get notified when I release new episodes so you don’t miss any new episodes Click here to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

How to Leave a Review:

Let’s Keep The Conversation Going…

Do you have an idea for a cookbook concept?

Would you like to know more about writing cookbooks?

Do you collect cookbooks and want to be interviewed on the show?

Comment below and share your story or visit me on Instagram which is currently my favorite way to connect outside of the Cookbook Love Podcast Facebook Group.…

Episode 107: Julia Reed and Cook/Food Books to Read

September 17, 2020 by Green Apron Company and Maggie Green

Welcome to another episode of the podcast. First, a sad note to recognize the death of cookbook author and writer Julia Reed. Julia died from cancer at the end of August in Newport, Rhode Island. She was 59. Her books and articles were a joy to read. Which brings me to the topic of this show – cookbooks and food books I love to read. See the links below and listen in as I discuss some of my favorite cookbooks and food books to read. And thanks to all the cookbook readers who are faithful to this podcast.

Listen to Episode 107 below:

Things We Mention In This Episode:

Julia Reed Obituary – Garden and Gun Magazine
A Collection of Julia’s work in Garden and Gun
Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns, and Other Southern Specialties by Julia Reed
Big Bad Breakfast by John Currence
Chocolate and Zucchini by Clotilde Dusoulier
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
The Kitchen Dairies by Nigel Slater
Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Bastianich
Pot on the Fire by John Thorne and Matt Lewis Thorne
Outlaw Cook by John Thorne and Matt Lewis Thorne
Download a copy of the Cookbook Publishing Roadmap
Please join our Confident Cookbook Writer Facebook Group

Let’s connect on Instagram @greenapron

Here’s How To Subscribe

I’d love for you to get notified when I release new episodes so you don’t miss any new episodes Click here to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

How to Leave a Review:

Let’s Keep The Conversation Going…

Do you have an idea for a cookbook concept?

Would you like to know more about writing cookbooks?

Do you collect cookbooks and want to be interviewed on the show?

Comment below and share your story or visit me on Instagram which is currently my favorite way to connect outside of the Cookbook Love Podcast Facebook Group.…

Episode 106: Cookbook Coaches and Literary Agents

September 10, 2020 by Green Apron Company and Maggie Green

Welcome to another episode of the podcast. Today I discuss the differences between cookbook coaches and cookbook agents. There is a role for both coaches and agents in the writing landscape, just like in sports.

Coaches are paid by the writer upfront for their coaching sessions, programs, or services. Cookbook coaches help writers:
Achieve their dream of writing a cookbook
Refine their book idea
Define their audience
Pitch agents and publishers who accept unsolicited proposals
Edi work on the proposal
Provide accountability and move the project along
With emotional support to writers
Understand the publishing process
With their contacts in the publishing industry

Agents are generally not paid upfront by the author. They earn their income from their 15% cut of the earnings of the writer. Agents assist writers with their:
Contacts in the publishing industry
Role as the middle-person between writers and publishers
Experience as a negotiator
Contract and advance negotiation
Inside knowledge about editorial budgets
Inside knowledge about what editors may be looking for
Shaping the proposal to send what publishers want
Leverage subsidiary rights and foreign language translations

Listen to Episode 106 below:

Things We Mention In This Episode:

Download a copy of the Cookbook Publishing Roadmap
Please join our Confident Cookbook Writer Facebook Group

Let’s connect on Instagram @greenapron

Here’s How To Subscribe

I’d love for you to get notified when I release new episodes so you don’t miss any new episodes Click here to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

How to Leave a Review:

Let’s Keep The Conversation Going…

Do you have an idea for a cookbook concept?

Would you like to know more about writing cookbooks?

Do you collect cookbooks and want to be interviewed on the show?

Comment below and share your story or visit me on Instagram which is currently my favorite way to connect outside of the Cookbook Love Podcast Facebook Group.…

Episode 105: Behind The Scenes of A Cookbook: Your Story and Your Cookbook with Patricia Greenberg

September 3, 2020 by Green Apron Company and Maggie Green

Welcome to another episode of the podcast. Today I’m excited to have an interview with Patricia Greenberg. Patricia is a best-selling cookbook author, dietitian, chef, fitness expert, wife and mom. In her work with Fitness Gourmet Patricia is ushering in a new era of bite-sized livable health, nutrition and fitness solutions. The Fitness Gourmet is a wellness consulting firm that specializes in teaching seminars nationwide. Patricia has a special interest in enhancing the education of the general public, through television, radio, and her web series, providing accurate nutrition and health information to today’s consumer which has had an impact on the lives and health of thousands of people. Today on the podcast we talk about Patricia’s four cookbooks, her journey through agent-assisted publishing to self-publishing, and Patricia’s belief in the power of storytelling in all of our writing.

Listen to Episode 105 below:

Things We Mention In This Episode:

The Fitness Gourmet
Patricia’s Amazon Author Page
Download a copy of the Cookbook Publishing Roadmap
Please join our Confident Cookbook Writer Facebook Group

Let’s connect on Instagram @greenapron

Here’s How To Subscribe

I’d love for you to get notified when I release new episodes so you don’t miss any new episodes Click here to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

How to Leave a Review:

Let’s Keep The Conversation Going…

Do you have an idea for a cookbook concept?

Would you like to know more about writing cookbooks?

Do you collect cookbooks and want to be interviewed on the show?

Comment below and share your story or visit me on Instagram which is currently my favorite way to connect outside of the Cookbook Love Podcast Facebook Group.…

Episode 104: The Difference Between Cookbook Publishing and Cookbook Printing

August 27, 2020 by Green Apron Company and Maggie Green

Welcome to another episode of the podcast. Today I want to talk about the difference between cookbook printing and cookbook publishing. Many of my students and those I talk to about writing cookbooks, start to look for cookbook publishers. But some are not clear in the understanding of what a cookbook printer does and what a publisher does. So today I thought I’d talk a little bit about that.

Printing

Printing is ONE aspect of the entire publishing process
The key focus in new technology and adapting to the needs of the people who buy book printing through sales, managing materials
Printers print for hundreds of publisher
Publishers typically don’t have their own printing press
A printer manufactures a physical product – a book
A publisher requests the print job
A publisher pays the book printer to produce the book – they print it, and they bind it
A publisher can order one book or a print run
When the book is printed, the author or publisher receives a printed and bound book created to their specifications
The publisher retains rights to the intellectual property of the book
Some printers fulfill orders and some printers distribute books

Publishers

The key activities of a publisher are: acquisition of manuscripts, editing, book design, coordinating the printing, and then marketing and sales of the book
Primarily responsible for bringing books to market
Publishers look for manuscripts to publish
Publishers shepherd and move manuscripts through the process
Publishers turn the raw manuscript into print-ready files
Book publishers own the rights to the books they publish
Book publishers make a profit from the sales of the book
Book publishers obtain the rights to publish a book from an author, or if they are self-publishing they already own the rights
Book publishers accept all financial responsibility for the production and promotion of the books they publish in return for the majority of the salves revenue from the sales of the book.
The author receives a royalty payment based on a percentage of each book sold
Publishers organize and managing the printing of a book.
Publisher market the book
They also handle book production to include
- Editing with a professional editor
- Design to create the layout for the book, choose the fonts, and format the book style as well as design the front and back cover.
- The legal department of a publisher obtains the copyrights for the book, registers the ISBN and arranges contracts and other legal documents that protect the IP of the book.
- Market the book through indirect channels like wholesalers and booksellers
- Reach the audience directly through their website and events like conferences
- Act as venture capitalists for authors??
- Marketing to get the book in front of the target audience through social media, author appearances, and other marketing strategies.
- Distribution and warehousing hold the inventor of books and distributes them to retail outlets or the customer directly as the orders are received. Note: some publishers order print-on-demand copies of the book to reduce the

…

Episode 103: Cookbook Writing: Let’s Dispel Some Myths

August 20, 2020 by Green Apron Company and Maggie Green

Writing a cookbook should not be a mysterious process. Also, writing a cookbook is not a project available only to celebrities and TV stars. If you have a passion for baking, nutrition, special diets, or cooking, and you have an audience who needs something you know about, then you can write a cookbook. Based on my experience with both my own and other author’s cookbook projects I’d like to dispel a few myths about writing a cookbook.

Myth #1

I need to have a successful food blog before I write a cookbook.

While a food blog might help with the promotion of a cookbook or it may provide the way that you connect with your audience, you do not have to have one prior to writing a cookbook. I have written two cookbooks, and am under contract for two more books, and I don’t have a food blog. I tried to start a food blog once, but it did not take long before I realized that I didn’t enjoy food photography. Also, I am interested more in cooking and building my business than I am in taking the time to learn how to photograph food. There are other cookbook authors who do not have a food blog. However, even if you don’t have a food blog, what you do need is a platform. This is how you connect with your audience and how your audience connects with you. If you are a consultant, speaker, cooking or baking teacher, food or nutrition writer, you have a connection with an audience even without a food blog. Agents and publishers like robust platforms, but this is not always specifically a food blog.

Myth #2

I cannot write a book because someone has already written about my topic.

Let’s put this myth to rest. Take a trip to a local bookstore or the Food, Cooking, and Wine section of cookbooks on Amazon.com and look at how many Italian cookbooks or cookie books or Paleo diet books are published and in print. Even if your topic has been written about before, there is room for you and your unique spin on the subject. That is the difference between your book and everyone else’s book – YOU! -and your unique approach to the topic. Insert yourself in any topic you write about and provide for your audience what they want and need in a way only you can. No one has written that book before.

Myth #3

I must have my cookbook published by a major publisher.

There are several routes to the publication of a cookbook. Large publishers look for authors with extensive, robust platforms. If you have that, then a larger publisher with nationwide distribution may be for you. However, I’d argue that small, regional publishers are worthy of your cookbook proposal as well. Smaller publishers create beautiful cookbooks generally on more regionally focused topics that are popular such as micro-cuisines as evidenced by the rise in interest in books about Appalachian cuisine and …

Episode 102: 20 Ways a Cookbook Writer Can Start the School Year

August 13, 2020 by Green Apron Company and Maggie Green

Welcome to another episode of the podcast. With the beginning of the school year I wanted to talk about 20 things we can do to start the school year – to learn something new and grow into a new project or new identity.

Give yourself some time to complete this exercise. This is the kind of stuff I like to reflect on as I embark on a new school year. I hope you enjoy this reflection.

Write down everything you have accomplished this past 12 months.
Pat yourself on the back. Tell yourself the story of how awesome you are to accomplish all of that.
Write down the name of three people who helped you become the person you are today.
Write them a note of appreciation.
Write on a piece of paper the story you tell yourself about not being worthy of becoming a writer, author, or business owner, or whatever you dream of doing.
Burn this story in the next neighborhood firepit gathering or in your fireplace. Your worthiness is never questioned. Ever. You were born worthy. The end.
Practice telling yourself this every morning.
Write down something you wanted to accomplish yesterday, but didn’t.
Write down the reason you didn’t accomplish this.
Take a look at this reason. If your reason is one that crops up ever so rarely, like, “My son had a fever of 103F and I sat with him and watched movies” then as a mom tell yourself, “I was standing where you were supposed to be standing” as Ron Rohlheiser says. You were doing what you needed to do. This happens rarely so all is well.
If your reason for not doing what you want to do repeats and repeats itself over and over in your life, reasons like “I didn’t want to”, “I’m too busy”, or “I decided it wouldn’t matter”, “I don’t have enough time”, then….
Understand that sometimes we have to feel discomfort (negative emotion) to get to our dreams of becoming a writer, decluttering our closet, drinking less, or losing weight. And acknowledge that the real reason we don’t write, declutter, drink less, or lose weight is because of how it makes us feel to change and do something different.
Write a letter to time. Tell time how you feel about it.
Reflect on this: Time is truly finite and the one finite thing we have – the minutes of our lives. Are you using the minutes of your life to make a difference? Or watching others make a difference?
Update your Instagram app. In the top right corner of the updated app, tap and set the timer to alert you when you’ve been in IG for 15 minutes/day. IG is fun and I use it too, but in this new school year let’s get back to living our lives and not watching others live their life.
Write a list of the recipes you love to cook and bake that everyone asks you for. You know – the recipes

…

Episode 101: If You Want To Write a Cookbook: Ask Your Brain Questions

August 6, 2020 by Green Apron Company and Maggie Green

When we have a question the first thing many of us do is turn to Google.

Google will tell us the answer.

Google is amazing, but for finding answers that will help us grow and expand, we have to turn to our brains.

My business coach teaches that the secret to anything “better” is better questions – the type of question that inspires high-quality results.

When I ask my brain questions I jot the answers in Google Keep, or my iPhone notes app. If I’m in the car or on a walk I’ll even record the answers on my iPhone. When I’m near my notebook and have a pen, well that’s my favorite spot to answer.

Today I want to share some questions for you to consider. Take time to ask. Your brain knows the answer.

What would I need to think and feel so that I can make decisions like a writer who wants to find and pitch a publisher?
What would my life or book look like if I didn’t procrastinate or self-sabotage my project?
What do I want to believe about finding a publisher for my cookbook?
How could my days or weeks change for the better if I got a grip on my schedule and stopped believing I don’t have time?
How could I make pitching a publisher so easy that they couldn’t do anything but offer me a contract?
How can I think, feel, and do to inspire cooks or bakers into action?
What new and fun opportunities will I have as a result of being the author of a print cookbook?
What thoughts about my cookbook project make me feel inspired? How can I inspire a publisher to take action on me?
What would I need to think to feel more confident as a cookbook writer?
What would a perfect day as a cookbook writer look like? what would it take to create that day? Do I have to have a perfect day to move forward with my project?

Listen to Episode 101 below:

Things We Mention In This Episode:

Download a copy of the Cookbook Publishing Roadmap
Please join our Confident Cookbook Writer Facebook Group

Let’s connect on Instagram @greenapron

Here’s How To Subscribe

I’d love for you to get notified when I release new episodes so you don’t miss any new episodes Click here to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

How to Leave a Review:

Let’s Keep The Conversation

…

Episode 100: 100 Things to Love About Cookbooks

July 30, 2020 by Green Apron Company and Maggie Green

Welcome to another episode of the podcast. Today is episode 100!

The plan for today’s show is to list for you 100 “things” to love about cookbooks. So enjoy this episode as I run though features, people, topics, and more – all components of a cookbook that I love.

Recipes
Stories
History lessons
Illustration
Photographs
Ingredient discovery
How to use ingredients
Techniques
Flavor building
Boxed tips
Mistakes to avoid
Chef tips
Pro tips
Pantry lists
Glossaries
Shopping lists
Endpapers
Foreward
Acknowledgments
Index
Introductions
Table of Contents
Charts for measurements
Equivalents
Conversions
Substitutions
Recipe writing style
Action method recipes
Formula recipes
Ratio recipes
Step by step photos
Ingredient photos
Photos of people and cooks
Dust jacket
Casing
Trim Size
ISBN
Bar codes
Copyright
Paper selection
Paper edging
Book design
Fonts
Recipe and page layouts
Authors
Chefs
Home cooks
Home economists
Bloggers
Celebrities
Farmers and growers
Dietitians
Doctors
Photographers
Agents
Acquisition editors
Production editors
Line or copy editors
Indexer
Printer
Marketer
Public relations expert
Book packagers
Book distributors
Booksellers
Readers
Publishers
Cookbook stores
Bookstores
Online book shopping
Series cookbooks
Collectible cookbooks
Collecting cookbooks
Indian
Asian
European
African
South American
North American
Australia
Antarctica
Dictionaries
Tip books
Single-subject
Restaurant
Inns
Cafes
Meal courses
Appliances
Cooking technique
Baking
Health
Healing
Chronic disease
Regional
States
Countries
First books by authors
Historic
Food fundamentals
All-purpose
Cooking schools
Armchair travel
Road trips
Essay or narrative
Menus
Meal Plans

Listen to Episode 100 below:

Things We Mention In This Episode:

Download a copy of the Cookbook Publishing Roadmap
Please join our Confident Cookbook Writer Facebook Group

Let’s connect on Instagram @greenapron

Here’s How To Subscribe

I’d love for you to get notified when I release new episodes so you don’t miss any new episodes Click here to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

How to Leave a Review:

Let’s Keep The Conversation Going…

Do you have an idea for a cookbook concept?

Would you like to know more about writing cookbooks?

Do you collect cookbooks and want to be interviewed on the show?

Comment below and share your story or visit me on Instagram which is currently my favorite way to connect outside of the Cookbook Love Podcast Facebook Group.…

Episode 99: Want to Write a Food Memoir?

July 23, 2020 by Green Apron Company and Maggie Green

Welcome to another episode of the podcast. Today I want to talk about writing food memoirs. One of my private coaching clients is discerning the format of the food/cooking book she wants to write. Part of her wants to write a memoir and part of her a cookbook. One would be more story-driven, and the other more recipe-driven. She was then questioned whether she needed to write a book proposal for a memoir and wanted me to tell her what to do.

As a coach, I try to avoid telling my clients my opinion about what they should do. I believe that they have internal guidance that directs them what to do and helps them have their own back and feel good about their decision. So, I do feel that not giving a direct response is a challenge because that’s often what my coaching clients desire – someone to validate their next step. As a coach, I certainly want to facilitate their decision-making process, and let them create their own results. But, in this instance, I also wanted an informed answer, from someone in the trenches, about whether writing a book proposal for her book concept was necessary.

To get an informed answer, I emailed colleagues who are editors at traditional publishing houses and university presses. I asked them if they received a submission for a food memoir, would they expect to see a proposal or manuscript? Much to my delight, they all responded. (Never underestimate the power of asking and never be afraid to ask!) And here are their answers:

Editor #1: She needs to write a proposal but does not need to write a full manuscript.

Editor #2: I would advise the author to put together a proposal if possible. It is a wonderful and helpful exercise and ultimately will be a strong snapshot for a publisher or agent to gather information quickly about the project. It is important to include marketing thoughts and comparable books as well.

Editor #3: My recommendation would be to put together a book proposal first to solicit either an agent or a traditional publisher, whether or not she has a manuscript completed. When soliciting an agent or editor, they are going to be bogged down with submissions so even if she has a completed manuscript, a comprehensive proposal is going to be much more compelling to catch their eye. My recommendation would be to keep it simple but engaging (around 8-10 pages is about perfect because you can include a lot of important information without asking too much time of the agent/editor.)

Editor #4: A proposal is a way to go. That’s what literary agents and editors/publishers are going to want to see: an outline, sample chapter, author bio, competitive/comparative title overview, marketing strategy.

So if you’re reading this, and want to find a publisher for your cookbook or your food memoir or any work of non-fiction related to health, wellness, or food, write a proposal. Don’t write your entire manuscript. …

Episode 98: Hungry For a Cookbook Mastermind

July 16, 2020 by Green Apron Company and Maggie Green

Applications are now open to join the September 2020 Hungry for a Cookbook Mastermind. I started Hungry for a Cookbook in 2017 and since then have had over 50 cookbook writers go through the mastermind. As a result of the mastermind, have been defined, businesses built, proposals written, agents retained, publishers signed, manuscripts written, and cookbooks published.

Here’s what Jack Canfield of The Success Principles has to say about masterminds. “We all know that two heads are better than one when it comes to solving a problem or creating a result. So imagine having a permanent group of five to six people who meet for the purpose of problem-solving, brainstorming, networking, and encouraging and motivating each other. This process, called masterminding, is one of the most powerful tools for success presented in this book. I don’t know anybody who has become super successful who has not employed the principle of masterminding.”

Jack is right. Masterminding is a powerful tool.

Over the next few days, you have a chance to join a small group of dietitians, cooks, and bakers in the Hungry for A Cookbook Mastermind. In this mastermind, we focus on cookbook concept development, platform building, and writing cookbook proposals.

What is a mastermind group?

A Mastermind Group is a group of individuals who meet on a regular basis to challenge each other to set goals, brainstorm ideas and support each other in a spirit of compassion, respect, and honesty. Mastermind Groups help participants grow because the other participants are supportive, but can also help to clarify goals through being a devil’s advocate to one another.

Each Mastermind Group meeting has an agenda, but participation by each group member is key, for the group cannot function without participants who are committed to attend the meetings, set goals, and help others set their goals as they grow alongside each other. Brainstorming and a spirit of community and cooperation are key to the success of a Mastermind Group.

Anyone can join a Mastermind Group. Typically there are 5 to 8 people in a Mastermind Group. The members have a shared interest, similar skill or success level, and have a desire to make the next months of their life extraordinary. The want to be in a supportive group that helps them reach or exceed their goals. They are ready to let their desire to reach their goals overcome any fear of change or goal setting that they may have.

Mastermind Groups are organized by an individual who is responsible to gather the group, set up the meeting space, set the agenda for the meetings, and ensure that the meetings run smoothly. Because of the group nature of a Mastermind Group, commitment from each member is crucial. Highly motivated participants who are willing to ask, and give, help and support, and who commit to showing up for meetings make the group successful.

Mastermind Groups meet at least once a month, but sometimes more frequently such as weekly or every other week. The agenda is …

Episode 97: Anatomy of a Cookbook Project with Maggie Green

July 9, 2020 by Green Apron Company and Maggie Green

Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast. Today I want to talk about the anatomy of a cookbook project. I think if you’ve tuned in to the past several episodes of the podcast, Behind The Scenes of a Cookbook…., you can see that there are many people involved in the production or “publishing” of a cookbook. And whether the cookbook is self- or traditionally- published, the book needs to be edited, designed, photographed, or illustrated, printed, promoted, marketed, distributed, and sold. But, even before those wheels are set in motion, the writer of the book has decisions to make. That’s what I want to talk about today. What are the steps to get to the point where you have a cookbook manuscript to edit and a publishing plan in place?

First, a cookbook is the most profitable and portable way to share your recipes, stories, and solution. If you find yourself repeating yourself record yourself to replace yourself. A cookbook extends you and your message for your readers to their kitchens. And you don’t have to be there. And they don’t even have to know you for your book to help them. So what are the steps that someone who is thinking about writing a cookbook and getting it published need to do:

Identify Goals for Publication: Why are you wanting to write your cookbook and who is your book for.
Define Your Cookbook Concept: What is your cookbook about? What is your unique solution?
Pick Your Path to Publication: How do you want to get your cookbook published?
Build Your Author Platform: Where can your readers find you now? How can they get to know you better?
Write a Cookbook Proposal or
Write a Cookbook Manuscript
Query Agents or Publishers if you want to get traditionally published
Sign a Contract and write your manuscript
Stay committed. This is a long-game project with a finite end.
Share Your Book with your readers.

If you are ready to define your concept, build your platform, and write a cookbook proposal or a cookbook manuscript, I invite you to apply for the September 2020 Hungry For a Cookbook Mastermind Group.

Listen to Episode 97 below:

Things We Mention In This Episode:

Download a copy of the Cookbook Publishing Roadmap
Apply for next session of Hungry For a Cookbook Mastermind Group
Please join our Confident Cookbook Writer Facebook Group

Let’s connect on Instagram @greenapron

Here’s How To Subscribe

I’d love for you to get notified when I release new episodes so you don’t miss any new episodes Click here to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

How to Leave a Review:

And, I’d love for you to leave a rating and review. I want to know what you think of the podcast and how I can make this podcast one you love to listen to and share with your …

Episode 96: Behind The Scenes of A Cookbook: Cookbook Designer and Art Director Barbara Scott Goodman

July 2, 2020 by Green Apron Company and Maggie Green

Today on the podcast I’m excited to continue our Behind The Scenes of a Cookbook Series with Barbara Scott Goodman. She has worked as an Art Director and designer of many cookbooks. Her work includes creating cover and interior design concepts, page and typography design, and their execution through all phases of production. She also organizes and supervises photo shoots, working with photographers, food stylists, prop stylists, location scouts, studio managers, and their assistants while overseeing schedules and budgets. Other responsibilities include reviewing page proofs for color and print quality and accuracy. Today on the podcast Barbara and I discuss her work as a cookbook designer as we walk a cookbook manuscript through the production phase of editing, design, and printing. In this interview, we also discuss book packagers and book packaging and the role of book packaging in the publishing process.

Listen to Episode 96 below:

Things We Mention In This Episode:

Connect with Barbara on her website
Download a copy of the Cookbook Publishing Roadmap
Apply for next session of Hungry For a Cookbook Mastermind Group
Please join our Confident Cookbook Writer Facebook Group

Let’s connect on Instagram @greenapron

Here’s How To Subscribe

I’d love for you to get notified when I release new episodes so you don’t miss any new episodes Click here to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

How to Leave a Review:

Let’s Keep The Conversation Going…

Do you have an idea for a cookbook concept?

Would you like to know more about writing cookbooks?

Do you collect cookbooks and want to be interviewed on the show?

Comment below and share your story or visit me on Instagram which is currently my favorite way to connect outside of the Cookbook Love Podcast Facebook Group.…

Episode 95: Behind The Scenes of A Cookbook: Recipe Writing with Cookbook Author and Food Writer Cynthia Nims

June 25, 2020 by Green Apron Company and Maggie Green

Today on the podcast I’m excited to continue our Behind The Scenes of a Cookbook Series with Cynthia Nims. Cynthia is a Cookbook Author, Freelance Food and Travel Writer, and former managing editor of Simply Seafood magazine. Cynthia believes that there’s a great deal of value in a well-written recipe. Beyond a reliable outcome, solid recipes build trust in the cookbook author and reflect their source. Today on the podcast we discuss various tips for writing better recipes with everything from drafting the recipes before you test them, to ensuring that as a recipe writer you communicate to the user where you make mistakes or run into problems with a recipe, thus helping them overcome possibly making the same mistake.

Listen to Episode 95 below:

Things We Mention In This Episode:

Let’s connect on Instagram @greenapron

Here’s How To Subscribe

I’d love for you to get notified when I release new episodes so you don’t miss any new episodes Click here to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

How to Leave a Review:

Let’s Keep The Conversation Going…

Do you have an idea for a cookbook concept?

Would you like to know more about writing cookbooks?

Do you collect cookbooks and want to be interviewed on the show?

Comment below and share your story or visit me on Instagram which is currently my favorite way to connect outside of the Cookbook Love Podcast Facebook Group.…

Episode 94: Interview with Feast Cookbook Club Founder Jessica Brand

June 18, 2020 by Green Apron Company and Maggie Green

Today on the podcast I’m excited to interview Jessica Brand. Jessica is a professional graphic designer and website designer. She loves cooking and hosting and is always trying new recipes, tinkering with various ingredients, and learning from my mistakes. When visiting bookstores, the first area she would head to is the cookbook section. Being a graphic designer, she was drawn to beautiful covers, typography, and imagery. She felt like cookbooks are a treasure trove of inspiration and loved flipping through the pages and getting new ideas for recipes and techniques, much more so than scrolling through the Internet or Pinterest. The idea of a cookbook club was introduced to her by my neighbors back in 2012. Jessica and her husband had just moved in and they mentioned their “culinary book club” on numerous occasions. She was secretly waiting for an invitation, but it never came. As it turns out, it was a blessing a disguise. If she had joined their book club, she would have never started her own cookbook club, called Feast. So today on the podcast we talk about Jessica’s love for cookbooks, her Feast cookbook club, and her tips for starting a cookbook club of your own.

Listen to Episode 94 below:

Things We Mention In This Episode:

Connect with Jessica on her website A Cookbook Club
Feast Cookbook Club on Meetup
Paperless Post
Download a copy of the Cookbook Publishing Roadmap
Apply for next session of Hungry For a Cookbook Mastermind Group
Please join our Confident Cookbook Writer Facebook Group

Let’s connect on Instagram @greenapron

Here’s How To Subscribe

I’d love for you to get notified when I release new episodes so you don’t miss any new episodes Click here to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

How to Leave a Review:

Let’s Keep The Conversation Going…

Do you have an idea for a cookbook concept?

Would you like to know more about writing cookbooks?

Do you collect cookbooks and want to be interviewed on the show?

Comment below and share your story or visit me on Instagram which is currently my favorite way to connect outside of the Cookbook Love Podcast Facebook Group.…

Episode 93: Behind The Scenes of a Cookbook: Cookbook Editor and Author Ashley Strickland Freeman

June 11, 2020 by Green Apron Company and Maggie Green

Ashley Strickland Freeman is an award-winning food stylist, recipe developer and tester, author, and editor. She grew up in Savannah, Georgia, and realized her passion for food and cooking at a very young age. After receiving a degree in Journalism from The University of Georgia and a degree in Culinary Arts from The French Culinary Institute in New York, she moved to Birmingham, Alabama where she worked in the Oxmoor House test kitchens, developing, testing, and food styling recipes for cookbooks for the brands of Southern Living, Coastal Living, Cooking Light, Weight Watchers, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Health, and Gooseberry Patch. From there she transitioned to the editorial side and was the Food Editor of over 30 publications before becoming a freelancer in 2013. Her latest cookbook, The Duke’s Mayonnaise Cookbook, was officially published this past week. In this episode, we talk about her favorite types of cookbooks she collects, thoughts about the process for photographing cookbooks, and what she as an editor for Oxmoor House looked for in cookbook writers.

Listen to Episode 93 below:

Things We Mention In This Episode:

Connect with Ashley on her website
The Duke Mayonnaise Cookbook
Savannah, GA: E Shaver Booksellers
Charleston, SC: Blue Bicycle Books
Charleston, SC: Buxton Books
Download a copy of the NEW Cookbook Publishing Roadmap
Apply for next session of Hungry For a Cookbook Mastermind Group
Please join our Confident Cookbook Writer Facebook Group
Let’s connect on Instagram @greenapron

Here’s How To Subscribe

I’d love for you to get notified when I release new episodes so you don’t miss any new episodes Click here to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

How to Leave a Review:

Let’s Keep The Conversation Going…

Do you have an idea for a cookbook concept?

Would you like to know more about writing cookbooks?

Do you collect cookbooks and want to be interviewed on the show?

Comment below and share your story or visit me on Instagram which is currently my favorite way to connect outside of the Cookbook Love Podcast Facebook Group.…

Episode 92: Behind The Scenes of a Cookbook: Professional Food Photographer and Author Jackie Alpers

June 4, 2020 by Green Apron Company and Maggie Green

Jackie Alpers is an award-winning professional food photographer based in Tuscon, AZ. Jackie cooks, styles and photographs food and recipes in her natural-light studio and documents food & travel on location.

Her popular food photography and recipe blog “Jackie’s Happy Plate” showcases her culinary adventures as a Midwesterner transplanted to the Sonoran Desert. She is especially interested in the emotional, psychological and spiritual relationship that people have with food and drink because she believes that food lends itself to vast symbolism and interpretation and she loves the rituals surrounding it.

Today on the podcast we talk about Jackie’s belief that writing and photographing a cookbook is an inclusive process, along with her experiences as a full-time food photographer, and her ultimate desire to write her own cookbooks, which culminated in two books, one called Sprinkles: Recipes and Ideas for Rainbowlicious Desserts which explores the science of sprinkles (Sprinkology!), shares crafty methods for sprinkling, and offers a comprehensive guide to identifying and cooking with them and her most recent book published in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic – Taste of Tuscon.

Listen to Episode 92 below:

Things We Mention In This Episode:

Connect with Jackie at her blog Jackie’s Happy Plate or

Connect on her website

Jackie’s Cookbooks:

Taste of Tucson
Sprinkles: Recipes and Ideas for Rainbowlicious Desserts

Food photography books:

Plate to Pixel
That Photo Makes Me Hungry

Download a copy of the NEW Cookbook Publishing Roadmap
Apply for next session of Hungry For a Cookbook Mastermind Group
Please join our Confident Cookbook Writer Facebook Group
Let’s connect on Instagram @greenapron

Here’s How To Subscribe

I’d love for you to get notified when I release new episodes so you don’t miss any new episodes Click here to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

How to Leave a Review:

Let’s Keep The Conversation Going…

Do you have an idea for a cookbook concept?

Would you like to know more about writing cookbooks?

Do you collect cookbooks and want to be interviewed on the show?

Comment below and share your story or visit me on Instagram which is currently my favorite way to connect outside of the Cookbook Love Podcast Facebook Group.…