Steps To Write A Cookbook Part 5: Check Your Commitment
“Writing is a solitary occupation. Family, friends, and society are the natural enemies of the writer. [S]He must be alone, uninterrupted, and slightly savage if [s]he is to sustain and complete an undertaking.” —Lawrence Clark Powell, author. Cookbook projects are multi-step processes. Each project has a unique set of nuances
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Steps To Write A Cookbook Part 4: Build Your Platform
Welcome to part 4 of my ongoing series Steps to Write a Cookbook. If you’re new to this series, I encourage you to go back to part 1 and work your way through the series. In each blog post I’ve provided a worksheet or checklist to help you identify: Your goals for
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Steps To Write A Cookbook Part 3: Routes to Cookbook Publication
In part #1 of this blog series, we focused on WHY you want to write a cookbook as well as your WHO – your target audience. In part #2, we discussed WHAT – your cookbook concept or main topic. An ideal cookbook concept joins your audience’s needs and desires with your skills, expertise, and knowledge.
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Steps To Write A Cookbook Part 2: Define Your Cookbook Concept
This is part #2 of a series of blog posts to help aspiring cookbook authors walk through the steps to writing a cookbook. In part #1 we discussed the importance of identifying WHO you are writing your book for and WHY you want to write a cookbook. Your WHO and your WHY are unique to you. Every
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Steps to Write a Cookbook Part 1: Identify Your Goals for Publication
There are many reasons that someone wants to write a cookbook. Maybe they want to write for their family, or perhaps to showcase their restaurant’s recipes. Maybe they have a nutrition business and their clients need help cooking, or perhaps an organization they volunteer for wants to publish a cookbook to
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Cookbook Writing A to Z
This post is an A to Z random thoughts list about writing a cookbook. I wrote it because this week I keep thinking about clients who say, “I don’t know”. What if you did know? What would that look
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40 Blog Post Ideas for Building Your Platform
Aspiring cookbook authors have a dual-focus for tasks they need to complete, especially if they desire a traditional publishing contract. First, they need to build their platform and second, they need to write a proposal. One doesn’t necessairly come before the other, but both are important to focus on as
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Cookbook Manuscripts Done!
This is a short blog post – but I’m so happy. I did it! Done and done. I submitted my cookbook manuscripts. Manuscript transmittal is the end of the beginning phase of cookbook publication. Now my publisher takes over. They edit, design, and produce/print my books. They are specialists at
Read moreCreating Your Perfect Day
It’s a beautiful morning here as I write this blog post. We just finished a great weekend. My 15-year old son went to his first homecoming dance. We bought the pants, tie, and flowers. We made the salad for a dinner hosted by a friend. We took pictures and enjoyed
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10 Ways to Persevere When Writing A Cookbook
You aren’t going to find anybody that’s going to be successful without making a sacrifice and without perseverance. – Lou Holtz We live in a world where we want everything quick. Better yet, how about immediate, fast, and tomorrow is too late. In an instant-ramen-noodle-style life, we don’t want to wait,
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Secrets to Cookbook Writing Progress
I’ve been thinking a lot about cookbook projects. They are complicated, but fun and rewarding when you have an idea you want to share with a curated set of recipes. Aspiring cookbook authors can do any of these three things: consume, indulge, or produce. When you consume you read and
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Fall Cookbook Roundup
Fall is a favorite time of year for cookbook publication, so it’s time for my annual fall cookbook roundup referencing lists from foodies websites, Publishers Weekly, and newspapers. The lists include authors who have written more than one book, I like to remember that for many of the authors this
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