Everything Cookbooks
A podcast for curious writers, readers, and cooks. Episodes provide behind-the-scenes information and stories about how cookbooks get made.
Episodes
172: Blurbs: Do They Actually Matter?
Kristin speaks with hosts Molly, Andrea and Kate about blurbs; the good, the bad and the questionable. The hosts define the term and share their first blurbing experiences before chatting about the purpose and goal behind these endorsements. They talk about a blurb's swaying power, what makes a good one, how to know if it is trustworthy and the etiquette and process of soliciting, editing and incl
171: Crowdfunding Your Cookbook with Nandita Godbole
Kate and Kristin speak all about crowdfunding with Nandita Godbole, who has fully funded seven books (and counting) through Kickstarter. Nandita shares how it all began, from her wildly successful supper club to funding her first book in just a few days and takes us through the details, ups and downs and pros and cons of going this route. She speaks about finding her audience, why she decided to s
170: Becoming a Food Photographer While Writing a Debut Cookbook with Saeng Douangdara
Molly and Kristin speak with Saeng Douangdara, a personal chef and academic counselor turned online content creator and now, cookbook author and food photographer. Saeng shares what motivated him ten years ago to get into the online food space, why he wanted to show off Lao cuisine and how he's built up an audience and community during that time. His refreshing approach means he doesn't dilute or
169: Kathy Gunst on What It Takes to Host a Food Writing Retreat
Kristin and Molly speak with Kathy Gunst, a prolific cookbook author, teacher and now leader of food writing retreats, about her varied career and new project. Kathy shares how she got started in the food world by attending London's Le Cordon Bleu, what it is like being the resident chef for NPR's Here & Now and how she deals with creative burnout. She explains the ins and outs of running a writer
168: Domenica Marchetti on Italian Cookies
Kate and Molly speak with Domenica Marchetti about her newest book and finding a niche in the crowded Italian cookbook category. Domenica shares how she got her start as a food writer, bringing her journalistic background and other interests and experiences together in a unique way, and then talks about the personal importance of some of her early work. She gets into how a cookie captured her imag
167: Ifrah F. Ahmed on the Making of Soomaaliya
Kate and Kristin speak with Ifrah F. Ahmed about how the culmination of her expertise in a culture and a cuisine led to her debut cookbook, Soomaaliya. Ifrah shares how a trip to Somalia inspired her to leave law school, create a magazine dedicated to Somali women and start a wildly successful pop-up before turning her attention towards a book. She takes us through her deeply intentional cookbook
166: Natasha Pickowicz on Writing the Second Book
Kate and Andrea speak with cookbook author Natasha Pickowicz about her second book, how it differed from her first and what she learned during the process. Natasha takes us on her journey from the kitchen to the keyboard as she talks about how her first book came to be, the false starts it went through and the role the pandemic played in its evolution. She then shares some behind the scenes on her
165: Inside the Alison Roman and Britt Cobb Design Universe
Andrea and Molly speak with Alison Roman and Britt Cobb, the designer of her new book, Something from Nothing about their collaboration. Alison speaks about her unique approach to her work, how she leans into personhood instead of branding and why this new book is different than her previous works. Alison and Britt describe how they connected and then get into the nitty gritty of working together;
164: Being a Cookbook Editor with Rachel Brown of Appetite
Molly and Kate speak with Rachel Brown, acquisitions editor at Appetite, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada, about her career journey and insights into the Canadian cookbook landscape. Rachel talks about her education and early editing experience before taking us behind the scenes about Appetite titles specifically. She shares what types of books they publish, how the team works, what they
163: Before the Recipes: Cookbook Introductions and Front Matter
To kick off Season 9 Molly, Andrea, Kate and Kristin discuss e-cookbooks vs physical editions before diving into front matter; all of the sections of a cookbook that come before the recipes. They talk about the purpose, process and planning that goes into the preface, prologue, forward, introduction and pantry section and ask whether these are even necessary. Each of them talk about their own expe
95: Recipe Writing with Real Cooks in Mind [re-release]
Originally aired on June 19, 2024
Kate, Kristin and Molly venture back into the user experience arena as they discuss recipe presentation in cookbooks. They highlight the need for this section to delight not distract and prioritize form over function as well as the need to write with a specific audience in mind. They discuss their thoughts as a consumer and developer on elements like: ingredients,
28: All About Recipe Headnotes [re-release]
Originally aired on November 9, 2022
Today, Andrea tackles the topic of the ever elusive headnote with Molly, Kate and Kristin. They discuss what a headnote is, how they go about writing them and the pitfalls to avoid while composing. They bring examples of some favorites and also their pet peeves as they chat about the format, design and variety that goes into these important cookbook ingredients
42: How to Write Recipe Titles [re-release]
Originally aired on February 22, 2023
Kate talks with Molly, Andrea and Kristin all about recipe titles. They share what makes one stand out, what is an immediate veto and how these have evolved over the years. They discuss the importance of indexing, the challenge of translation and how grammar, structure and formatting are used in titling along with some of their own that they'd like to revisit.
06: Getting Your Recipes in Shape with Tina Ujlaki [re-release]
Originally aired on April 20, 2022
Kristin gets into the fundamentals of recipe writing as she chats with Tina Ujlaki, her mentor and the former executive editor at Food & Wine magazine. Tina explains her recipe writing philosophy, how testing can be the antithesis to cooking and the what bothers her about the format's evolution. She shares her thoughts on voice, headnotes, titles and the top 3 th
05: Getting Started Writing Your Recipes [re-release]
Originally aired on April 13, 2022
Kate leads today's discussion about the recipe development, curation and testing that go into creating a cookbook. Andrea, Molly and Kristin each share their individual recipe writing processes and the tools used behind the scenes to keep everything organized. They discuss sticking to theme, finding your audience and what can take away from the magic of cooking a
162: The one in which we issue an apology and answer listener questions
Kate, Molly, Andrea and Kristin begin the episode with an apology about a technical snafu that plagued our website's Contact page and some corrections. They go through some listener questions and discuss copyeditors and the other roles editors can play, share advice, ideas, theories and encouragements about a range of topics, share insights on how to survive the submission process and thoughts on
161: A Journalist's Approach to Cookbook Collaboration with Korsha Wilson
Kristin and Molly speak with journalist and cookbook co-author Korsha Wilson about her experiences in the world of food media. Korsha shares the magazine that sparked her initial interest, her educational approach and a behind the scenes look at some of her projects. She talks about her evolving views on recipes, what her hopes are for her work and how she approaches the research portion of a proj
160: A Mindful Cookbook Born from Burnout with Nicki Sizemore
Molly and Kristin speak about merging the physical act of cooking with emotional and spiritual intentionality with Nicki Sizemore, the author of Mind, Body, Spirit, Food. Nicki shares her personal journey and the life changing process she went through that eventually led to this new focus. Battling creative burnout and the uninspired work of writing for the algorithm, Nicki learned to tune into he
159: Silk Roads with Anna Ansari
Molly and Kate speak with Anna Ansari, a London based Iranian American writer, about her new book Silk Roads and the major career shift that brought it about. A former customs attorney, Anna takes us from her childhood in Michigan to a stint in Beijing where she discovered Uyghur cuisine and how a move to the UK precipitated an interest in cooking and food writing. She shares how she got intereste
158: Cookbook Marketing and Publicity with Brianne Sperber and Felix Cruz
Kristin and Kate get the inside scoop on all things marketing and publicity as they speak to the 'dream team' who worked on Kristin's recent book Turtle Island. Brianne Sperber and Felix Cruz — associate director of marketing for Clarkson Potter and Ten Speed Press and publicist for the same— discuss their specific roles and approaches to cookbook promotion. They touch on the differences between m
157: Helen Goh on Baking and the Meaning of Life
Andrea and Kate speak with Helen Goh about her thirty years of working in the food and hospitality industry and why she chose now to write her first solo book. She speaks about her time working with the Ottolenghi brand, her hesitation at embarking on a solo venture and the pros and cons of working alone or partnered. She's had many evolutions in the personal and professional spheres and talks abo
156: Writing History Through Recipes with Jessica B. Harris
Molly and Andrea speak with the iconic culinary historian Dr. Jessica B. Harris about her career and newest work, Braided Heritage. After discussing the 'more' than recipes that make a cookbook a cookbook, Dr. Harris also shares why this book is important at this point and what interested her about this topic and format. She speaks about the backbeat that motivated the entire project, how she went
155: Aran Goyoaga on the Art of Gluten-Free Bread
Kate and Molly speak with author and photographer Aran Goyoaga about her new, groundbreaking book The Art of Gluten Free Bread. Aran talks about her experience as a pastry chef, where her gluten free journey began and starting her blog Cannelle et Vanille. She discusses the inspiration behind this new book, the research & development process and how her inexperience with bread was actually an adva
154: Cookbook Writing is a Long Game
Kristin, Molly, Andrea and Kate look back at the cookbook media landscape of 2025 and discuss the Anthropic settlement, their thoughts about AI in the food media sphere and share their inclinations about its usage. Each of the hosts share some wins they had this year with Kristin speaking about working on the Turtle Island book and Andrea joining in to share her thoughts on finding balance in coll
153: Making a Niche Baking Book with Maureen Abood
Andrea and Kate speak with Maureen Abood about her new cookbook Lebanese Baking. She speaks about her Lebanese American heritage and why this project allowed her to know, cherish and preserve that identity for herself and future generations. She shares why she went niche, how long the selling process was, what it was like working with her editorial team and why she decided to put her own spin on t
152: Following Your Culinary Curiosity with Emiko Davies
Molly and Kristin speak with Tuscany based cookbook author and wine bar owner Emiko Davies about her varied career and newest cookbook. Emiko shares her globetrotting journey to food writing and how her shifting interests over time show up in her work. She talks about including her passion for art, especially photography, in her work, how she got her initial book deals and how she works a consiste
151: Capturing Family Heritage in a Cookbook with Polina Chesnakova
Molly and Kate speak with cookbook author Polina Chesnakova about her newest and most personal work yet, Chesnok. Polina talks about falling in love with her family's food which led her to writing, teaching and, eventually, a cookbook deal. While her first two books were less personal, this one is layered with family history, traditional recipes and tales from the diaspora and Polina unpacks the p
150: Entertaining Cookbooks
Molly, Kate, Kristin and Andrea get together to discuss the new trend towards entertaining cookbooks; what they are, what they need and what problem they can solve. The hosts discuss some standouts, how they personally use them and what they hope to see in future iterations. While this genre can tend towards the aspirational, there are a few on the market that highlight the more practical aspects
149: Soju Party with Irene Yoo
Kate and Molly speak with chef, food writer, recipe developer and bar owner Irene Yoo about her debut cookbook Soju Party. Irene talks about her varied media career, the bar pop-ups that led to her opening a bar and writing this book. She's explains why she never thought she'd write this type of book, how her photo directing experience helped with the shoot and design and the thinking behind the b
148: Heartland Masala with Jyoti Mukharji & Auyon Mukharji
Molly and Kate speak with mother and son duo, Auyon & Jyoti Mukharji, about their new cookbook Heartland Masala. Jyoti shares how her popular cooking classes inspired a book and Auyon describes how he got involved and how the project eventually took on a life of its own. They talk about working together (for better or for worse), what skills they each brought to the project and how it progressed f
147: The Most Iconic Italian Cookbook Ever Written with Raquel Pelzel and Michael Szczerban
Kate and Kristin speak with Raquel Pelzel and Michael Szczerban about bringing an iconic Italian cookbook to America. The Talisman of Happiness was written in the 1920s by Ada Boni, "one of the most groundbreaking, pioneering women in food history." The book has influenced some of the most beloved pillars of Italian cuisine. Michael shares what drew him to this book and inspired his years-long que
146: Cookbookery Collective with Jenna Helwig
Kristin and Kate welcome the food director of Real Simple, Jenna Helwig, to discuss her newsletter, The Cookbookery Collective, and her thoughts on the current cookbook landscape. Jenna shares her career path, why she fell in love with food and how she paired writing cookbooks with working as a private chef. She talks about covering food at Real Simple, the role magazines play in our current food
145: Eva Kolenko on Photographing Cookbooks
Kate and Kristin get into all things food photography with Eva Kolenko, the photographer of over 50 cookbooks. Eva talks about her new studio setup, how she got her start as a photographer after a wandering path as an artist and how she made the jump to actually making a living with her talent. She shares what she wished she knew before starting this line of work, how she approaches each new proje
144: The Author-Agent Relationship with Peter J. Kim and David Black
Kate and Molly speak with both an author and an agent about their collaboration process. We talk to Peter J. Kim about his debut cookbook, The Instant Ramen Kitchen, and to David Black about working as a literary agent and why this project caught his attention. David shares his thoughts about cookbook proposal revisions, speciality stores and what agents and publishers look for in a book while Pet
143: Jacques Pépin
Molly and Kristin speak with the iconic Jacques Pépin about his latest book which includes recipes along with original artwork. Jacques, the writer of over 30 cookbooks since 1967, shares memories and inspirations behind his work, his take on recipe creation over the years and his thoughts on the similarities and differences between cooking and painting. He talks about the gradual inclusion of his
142: In Which We Get Into AI, Recipe Testing, Cookbook Comp Titles, and more
Kate, Kristin, Molly and Andrea meet up to launch Season 8 with a grab bag of topics, including free speech in the cookbook space, thoughts around using Chat GPT and AI as tools for writing and recipe creation, and checking in on 'Happy Robot Voice'. They discuss the need for friction in writing and the development of personal voice, taste and expertise before diving into thoughts around the curre
30: Making a Moving Cookbook Memoir with Eric Kim [re-release]
Originally aired on November 23, 2022Andrea and Kristin talk with Eric Kim about his intensely personal and remarkable book, Korean American. He shares his inspirations and motivations for the essay format, how he wrote his family as characters and the potential and limits of memoir writing. He talks about the idea of authenticity in food, what goes into naming recipes and the unpredictability of
39: Toya Boudy on Storytelling Through Recipes [re-release]
Originally aired on February 1, 2023Molly and Kate dive deep into the journey and person that is chef/writer/artist/activist/culinary ambassador (and more), Toya Boudy. She shares how her talents as an artist and wordsmith, along with the interwoven nature of life, resulted in her latest cookbook, "Cooking for the Culture". She discusses her creation process, the unconventional schedule for the bo
58: David Lebovitz on the Writing Life in Paris [re-release]
Originally aired on July 19, 2023Kate and Kristin talk with writer David Lebovitz about his career and life in France. He discusses how he went from pastry chef to food writer, how blogging strengthened his writing voice and why he pivoted to video during the pandemic. He shares his decision to write "the hardest book he ever wrote", the advice he gives to aspiring writers and his choice to move h
37: Managing a Voice of Authority with Kenji López-Alt [re-release]
Originally aired on January 18, 2023Molly and Andrea talk with Kenji López-Alt, author and Chief Culinary Advisor for Serious Eats, about creating and maintaining a voice of authority. He shares his career path, where his interest in food got started and the work that has influenced his own. He describes the relationship he has with his followers, how (or if) to curb enthusiasm while doing topic d
29: Finding Your Voice with Tori Ritchie [re-release]
Originally aired on November 16, 2022Kate and Molly chat with cookbook teacher, author and editor Tori Ritchie about her career trajectory and how she developed her personal writing voice after years of working on branded cookbooks. She shares insights and tips about developing a voice and the bad habits to avoid in writing before revealing a few of the writers she assigns to her students. Finally
22: What Does it Mean to Craft a Voice? [re-release]
Originally aired on September 28, 2022Kristin starts out today's episode asking Molly, Kate and Andrea about the books that inspired them to follow this career path and how they'd define the idea of "voice" in writing. They discuss the difference between tone and voice, the tools they've use to craft their own and how to inject it into recipe writing. They reveal some writing exercises and advice
141: Season 7 Highlights
Molly, Kate and Kristin get together to celebrate the end of Season 7 and over 140 episodes of Everything Cookbooks! They chat about the highlights and takeaways from this season, what topics and guest insights stood out to them and even wade back into the waters of comp titles for a beat. They are delighted to see how the show has helped authors create their cookbooks over the past few years and
140: The Italian Summer Kitchen with Cathy Whims and Kate Lewis
Molly and Kate speak with chef and author Cathy Whims and illustrator Kate Lewis about their new cookbook The Italian Summer Kitchen. They share the inspiration behind the book, how it evolved after a few setbacks and why they landed on an illustrated version instead of a photographed one. Her first time working on a cookbook, Kate shares the process of creating the watercolor illustrations and th
139: Green Gold with Sarah Allaback and Monique F. Parsons
Kate and Molly speak with co-authors Sarah Allaback and Monique F. Parsons about their new book Green Gold. With backgrounds in scholarship, journalism and avocado farming this duo was uniquely qualified to write all about avocados; their history, agricultural background and the characters that helped mainstream this ingredient. They share why decided to write this book, the false starts and chara
138: Writing a Cookbook Based Around Her Ice Cream Brand with Pooja Bavishi
Kristin and Kate speak with Pooja Bavishi, the founder of Malai Ice Cream, about her debut cookbook. They ask Pooja about her company's history from stand to scoop shop, why she wanted to revolutionize ice cream by highlighting South Asian flavors and why now was the right time to write a book—even when many publishing professionals told her to wait a year or two. She takes us through the expectat
137: Being a Cookbook Editor with Sarah Billingsley of Chronicle Books
Molly and Kate speak with Sarah Billingsley, the publishing director of food and lifestyle at Chronicle Books, about moving up the ranks as an editor and her experience on the other side as an author of her own cookbooks. She talks about how her role has shifted over the years, the first book she acquired and what makes something a "Chronicle Book". We get a glimpse at what goes on during a typica
136: Cooking the Food of Nigeria with Ozoz Sokoh
Kristin and Molly discuss how Ozoz Sokoh, an Ontario-based professor of food tourism and culinary anthropologist, went about creating her new book that explores the vastness that is Nigerian food. Ozoz shares her thoughts on Nigerian cuisine, why she loves it and where the inspiration for making this book a 'bridge' came from along with the trepidation she had for writing the proposal and the chal
135: The Manuscript is In. Now What? with Martin Sorge
Molly, Kate and Kristin speak with Martin Sorge, the winner of The Great American Baking Show, about his debut cookbook while he is still in the thick of creating it. Martin talks about getting started on his baking journey, the role the show played in his career and what he's taken away from the experience before diving into the process of developing, pitching, testing and writing his cookbook. H
134: Cookbooks as a Career with Maria Zizka
Kate and Kristin speak with cookbook author Maria Zizka about writing her solo projects as well as the more than forty collaborations she's worked on so far in her career. They chat about the challenges inherent in collaborations, how Maria got her start in the food world and the role letter writing played in getting her incredible internship—recipe testing alongside Suzanne Goin. Maria shares how
133: Why Comp Titles Matter
This episode Molly, Kate, Kristin and Andrea chat all things comp titles, but first they talk about a recent plagiarism controversy that is rocking the cookbook world. They share their thoughts on copyrighting recipes, including attribution and having respect for 'the canon' of cookbooks. Then they move on to the subject of comp titles: what they are, what they are used for, how to identify them,
132: Adam Roberts on being a Food Person
Kate and Molly welcome our first repeat guest, blogger and new novelist Adam Roberts, to discuss his foray into fiction. Adam shares what made him turn to fiction, why his first attempt didn't work and his own experience working as a ghostwriter as he shares the process of getting this book out into the world. He explains where the original idea came from, what parts of himself he infused into his
131: Delicious Tangents with Victoria Granof
Molly and Kate speak with the self described 'OG Food Creative' Victoria Granof about her vast and varied career in food media. With decades of experience cooking, catering, food styling, writing and directing she is filled with insights, stories and, like her newsletter, delicious tangents as she talks about what she loves about her work, lessons she's learned and a few wild celebrity encounters.
130: Nature’s Candy with Camilla Wynne
Kate and Molly speak with Camilla Wynne, a Toronto-based pastry chef, writer and teacher, about her new cookbook Nature's Candy. Camilla shares her unique career trajectory, the book's origin story and why she wanted to write about the niche technique of candying fruit. She explains the challenges and approach to its writing, design, photoshoot, research and recipe testing, along with how she pitc
129: Cookbook Dreams Fulfilled with Rick Martínez
Kristin and Andrea speak with Rick Martínez about his new book, Salsa Daddy, and his thoughts on the state of Mexican cooking and cookbooks in America today. Rick shares why he wanted to write this specific book, how it changed him as a cook and what he hopes to convey with his work. He reveals a few key editorial differences between working on this and his first book, why he is inspired by other
128: Memoir Writing with Sutanya Dacres of Dinner for One
Kate and Molly speak with podcast host Sutanya Dacres about her debut memoir, Dinner for One, which was inspired by her podcast of the same name. Sutanya shares how her 'anti-fairytale' led to a show and a book, how she developed her writer's voice and her thoughts on what makes a memoir and why her book is unique to the 'American in Paris' lexicon. She describes how finding the arc of the story l
127: The Mid-Career Pivot with Betsy Andrews
Molly and Andrea speak with food journalist, poet and new cookbook author, Betsy Andrews, about her recent career pivot. She shares the story behind the book Coastal as it went from idea to article to cookbook and why a bidding war ensued after the proposal. She talks about how her hustle mentality and editorial background helped to craft the aspirational travelogue, the process to 'ventriloquize'
126: Open Sesame with Rachel Belle
Molly and Kate speak with Rachel Belle, a journalist and Seattle media personality who was hired to write Open Sesame, a cookbook all about tahini. She talks about her background in food media, the unique way she joined the project (leave the house!), and how she learned the aspects of cookbook creation on the job. She takes us through the recipe creation and testing process, shares why it was imp
125: Alternative Publishing Paths with Barkha Cardoz
Kate and Kristin speak with Barkha Cardoz about the motivations and intentions behind expanding on her late husband Floyd Cardoz's legacy. She speaks about working with masala spice blends and why a collection of recipes was the next best step to demystify and empower home cooks, even though she has seen first hand the demanding nature of the cookbook creation process. She shares what the collabor
124: Should You Start a Food Podcast? with Maggie Hoffman
Kate, Kristin, and Molly speak with Maggie Hoffman, host of The Dinner Plan Podcast, about her varied career in food media and what led to her starting her show. Maggie reminiscences about blogging, editing and working at Serious Eats and Epicurious as well as the ever changing landscape of food media. She shares why she began her podcast, the concept behind it and the intimacy allowed by the audi
123: The Revolution Will Be Well Fed with Corrie Locke-Hardy
Molly and Kristin speak with Corrie Locke-Hardy about their debut cookbook, which pairs their passion for social justice activism and food. Corrie talks about their atypical path towards publication, the unique approaches of their publisher and how the 'figure it out as you go' method worked during the book's creation. Corrie shares how they balanced the various tones of the book, why they focused
122: Start With Who
In this first episode of Season 7 Kristin, Molly, Kate and Andrea sit down to ask the question: What happens when we start with Who instead of Why? They share the readers they had in mind when they wrote their first books and why its important to identify an audience instead of writing to the market. They share a few tips to research such as demographic data, awareness level and niching down as we
56: Hybrid Publishing with Vasudha Viswanath [re-release]
Kate and Kristin discuss all things hybrid publishing with Vasudha Viswanath, the author of The Vegetarian Reset. Vasudha shares a quick rundown of the typical routes of publishing and why she chose to go down the hybrid path. She talks about the pitching process, what partnership publishers cover (and don't), the recipe development steps and how she assembled her creative and publicity team. She
04: Let’s Make a Cookbook Deal [re-release]
Andrea leads today's chat about selling a cookbook and all the nitty gritty elements that go into it. Kristin, Molly and Kate share some of their own insights and lessons learned about advances, royalties, contract negotiation, and how to keep the right amount of tension there. They discuss how to gauge the value of your idea, morality clauses and what to look out for when looking over a contract.
03: Cookbook Proposal Writing Tips [re-release]
Kristin leads today's discussion all about the cookbook proposal, sharing her own first experience with the process. Molly, Kate and Andrea each describe their own firsts as well as how they format their more recent versions. They review all of the elements that go into a proposal, the three vital things to highlight, how long the process can take and how a project can morph as it leads into its f
31: Catch an Agent’s Attention with Sally Ekus [re-release]
In this repeat episode, Kate and Kristin talk with literary agent Sally Ekus. A lot has changed in Sally's professional life since we last had her on -- the Ekus Group is now part of the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, and Sally is a senior agent there. What hasn't changed is the great advice she gives in this episode for emerging cookbook writhers. We talk to Sally about her career path, what she
02: Do You Need an Agent [re-release]
Molly starts out today's episode with an interview with Rica Allannic, a literary agent with editorial experience. Then, Kristin and Kate share how they've navigated their own agent relationships while Andrea explains how she works without one. We get into the many roles of an agent, how to find the right one and some things to consider at various stages of a cookbook author's career. Finally, And
54: Cookbook Ideas: Where it all begins [re-release]
Molly, Kristin, Kate and Andrea talk about the idea behind the cookbook. After sharing some shelved ideas of their own, they workshop submissions from listeners to highlight considerations on topic, marketability, expertise and "the hook" for each premise. They brainstorm and discuss structural considerations, format, audience appeal and comp titles to give listeners insights into the vital first
121: The Burnout Episode
We've noticed that 'burnout' is seeming more and more prevalent these days so Kate, Kristin, Molly and Andrea are using the final episode of Season 6 to speak all about it. They discuss how to identify it, how it manifests for each of them and share some ideas on what to do about it. They speak about how the blending of life and career as freelancers can exacerbate feelings of constantly being 'on
120: The Realities of Photographing Cookbooks with Clay Williams
Kristin and Molly speak with photographer Clay Williams about the financial realities and logistics around cookbook photography. Clay shares what he wishes authors knew before embarking on the photography portion of their book and what spurred his viral Thread about the finances behind photoshoots. He speaks about assuming the role of project manager, unexpected expenses, his typical workflow and
119: Jenny Rosenstrach on Cookbooks That Chronicle Family Life
Molly and Kristen speak with Jenny Rosenstrach about her family focused approach to food writing. She talks about her long running dinner diary, how her first book was a real time project and what went behind the decision to continue working around that theme. She explains why she includes a 'hook' in her recipes and how she landed on her unique recipe structure as well as the idea of a 'text test
118: Nicola Lamb on Writing the Book You Want to Read
Kate and Kristin speak with Nicola Lamb her debut cookbook, Sift, and writing the book you want to read. Nicola talks about her passion for baking, learning and teaching before diving into the book creation process. She shares the lengthy proposal writing process, working from her Substack and a post-it wall, the importance of trusting your team and the resources she used while writing. She also s
117: Joe Yonan on Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking
Molly and Andrea speak with Joe Yonan, the Food and Dining Editor at the Washington Post, about his new book, Mastering the Art of Plant Based Cooking. As they discuss the idea behind creating an authoritative resource, Joe explains why he wanted to write this particular book and concentrate on this topic as a cuisine instead of a lifestyle choice. He shares why he wanted to shift the narrative ar
116: Emily Weinstein on What Makes a Good Recipe
Kate and Andrea speak with the editor in chief of New York Times Cooking, Emily Weinstein, about all things recipe writing and recipe curation for the new book Easy Weeknight Dinners. They chat about what makes a great recipe, what are missteps, if there is a formula and all the formatting considerations involved in writing recipes. Emily talks about curating this collection, the idea behind the b
115: Cookbook Trends
Happy New Year! Molly, Kristin, Kate and Andrea take a look at the past year in cookbooks and share their thoughts on the trends they predict for 2025. They discuss how the pandemic affected the cookbook market, how they see production costs and finances changing and share some insights from editors and agents about what publishers are looking for in 2025 (hint: platform!). They talk about special
114: Hetal Vasavada on Desi Bakes
Kate and Molly speak with blogger, writer and MasterChef alum Hetal Vasavada about her atypical career journey. She shares stories and lessons learned from her time on the tv show, how she got around the limits of her contract after it aired and why it was important to foster a community. Hetal talks about the differences between book one and book two, the advice she got during recipe development
113: Food, Romance, and Fiction with Sarah Chamberlain
Today things get a little bit spicy and steamy as Kate and Molly speak with debut romance writer Sarah Chamberlain. Sarah shares her experience working to "American-ize" foreign cookbooks and how she brought that food world expertise to her fiction writing. She discusses stepping into the romance world (reading and writing), the inspirations for her novel and how she landed on the cookbook details
112: Writing a Cookbook for Kids with Priya Krishna
Kristin, Andrea and special co-host Elsa chat with Priya Krishna about her fresh and unique kid's cookbook 'Priya's Kitchen Adventures'. Priya talks about approaching this project without kids of her own and why she wanted to create a physical book instead of going the video/social media route. She shares how writing for kids made her a better recipe developer, how she decided on the format, recip
111: The Joy of Networking
Kristin, Molly and Kate chat all about that often dreaded activity, networking. They talk about the stressors involved, their individual approaches and what they focus on to build relationships and why re-framing these as learning opportunities can help with imposter syndrome. They discuss some specific resources and advice along with some personal experiences that they've learned from to build a
110: Sarah Fennel on bringing an online platform to the page
Kate and Kristin speak all things platform building and content creation with Sarah Fennel as we learn what should come first, the audience or the book? Sarah shares her definition of 'content', her path from hobbyist blogger to business owner and what areas she focused on on to build her platform. She speaks about tipping points in her career, how she balances creating persona forward vs food for
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