1. Achieving a goal such as writing a cookbook isn’t always about talent, physical looks, TV shows, or hundreds of thousands of social media followers. More than these what can help someone achieve a big goal are the habits they practice on a daily basis. Here’s an article I enjoyed about 8 Habits More Important to Success Than Raw Talent.

2. When writing a cookbook we need to define the audience for our book and recipes. Is the audience kids, retirees, or teens? Maybe it’s young moms, single parents, or the DIY crowd. This recent Bon Appetit article brings to light the Millennial generation (born early 1980’s to early 2000’s) and their focus on food. Maybe they are the audience for your cookbook?

3. Is food writing becoming a “men’s club”? Kathleen Purvis explores this topic in her recent article and study of the pre-dominance of male voices in 21st century Southern food writing.

4. Santa Monica’s Huckleberry Bakery owner Zoe Nathan wrote a cookbook that was published in 2014. I love this article about her experience writing a cookbook.  When she wrote her cookbook she enlisted the help of recipe testers mainly because she had to scale the recipes to home-size quantities. Her honesty about “winging it” while writing a cookbook provides a lesson in willingness to just do the work even if you don’t always know exactly what you’re doing. I also like her discussion about life balance while writing her cookbook, raising a family, and operating the bakery. The truth is that more often than not cookbook authors lead busy lives in a kitchen and find time to write their books in spite of other things going on in their lives.

5. Cookbook publisher Phaidon plans to release three vegetarian cookbooks this spring. This interview with Emilia Terragni at Phaidon reveals why they are publishing vegetarian cookbooks.

6. And for fun, here’s the Epicurious’ Spring Cookbook roundup for 2016.

Below are a few links to popular posts on this blog about writing cookbooks that you many have missed:

5 Myths about Writing a Cookbook

4 Ways to Find a Traditional Cookbook Publisher

5 Tools and Software for Writing a Family or Fundraiser Cookbook

Q&A: How Do I Write a Cookbook Proposal that Attracts Agents and Publishers?

Is My Cookbook Concept Good Enough?

10 Reasons to Hire a Cookbook Coach

Author, editor, and Culinary Dietitian Maggie Green coaches aspiring cookbook authors during the pre-publication phase of writing a cookbook. If you want to write a cookbook, and wonder if you’re ready, download her 11-point checklist Am I Ready to Write a Cookbook?