Welcome back to the Cookbook Love Podcast!
If your dream is a publisher’s yes, with a team behind you and a publisher who pays you to write, I’d love for you to join me for my free From Kitchen to Book Deal Masterclass, starting Tuesday, October 20. You’ll learn 3 insider truths about traditional publishing so you can say yes to your dream without saying goodbye to your savings. Sign up here.
This week I’m joined by Ellyn Caruso, and the timing couldn’t be more fitting. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Ellyn wrote her book for women who have walked through breast cancer and want to live their most vibrant life on the other side. Ellyn and I first met in a recipe writing course I taught back in 2022, so this conversation felt like a reunion and a celebration.
Forkfuls of Flavor: Mediterranean-Inspired Dishes for Breast Cancer Thrivership holds 90 recipes built on the Mediterranean way of life: eat well, move more, and connect with others. Think Salmon and Spinach Lasagna, Three-Flavored Eggplant Pizzettas, and a cod with lemon blueberry sauce made to win over fish skeptics. This is food for the whole family table, not a diet of restriction, and many dishes come together in under 30 minutes.
Ellyn has spent 40 years in public relations and leads Caruso PR, an award-winning Chicago firm. She is a breast cancer thriver who lost two close friends to the disease and stood beside her younger sister through a diagnosis at age 36. When her oncology team asked her to share what was working for her, this book became her answer.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Why Ellyn chooses “thriver” over “survivor,” and what thrivership looks like day to day
- The “three W’s” that carried her through treatment
- What it takes to serve as your own creative director, from recipe testers to two photography teams
- Her owned, earned, and paid media framework, plus her “crescendo moments” strategy
- Why old-fashioned word of mouth still sells books
Ellyn’s book began with a simple request from her medical team: share what’s working. That’s how so many cookbooks start. Someone sees that your food, your story, and your experience can help people you’ll never meet.
Mentioned in This Episode:
From Kitchen to Book Deal Masterclass
The Classic Italian Cookbook by Marcella Hazan
Simply Sensational Desserts by Sharon Tyler Herbst
The New Food Lover’s Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst
Listen to Episode 423 below:
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