Dear Reader, First, thank you for being a reader of my twice-monthly blog. I appreciate you being part of my ongoing conversation about food writing and blogging. For the past few years, I have featured guest bloggers on the blog, rather than my own essays. You heard from dozens of experts on topics ranging from cookbook promotion to keyword writing for blog posts to increasing your productivity as a writer. Over on Substack, I write a free monthly newsletter, which I originally launched in 2005 as a way to keep in touch with students and clients. It’s grown quite a bit since then, and writing ..read more

A guest rant by Bonnie S. Benwick Cookbook recipes are undergoing yet another a rethink of sorts. I’m fine with some innovations, like Ali Slagle’s cookbook, I Dream of Dinner. Her recipes feature specific amounts in the method, rather than in the ingredients list. But a development that really burns my toast has surged in restaurant cookbooks of late. Anyone who has tried to edit restaurant recipes understands the hitch: How to capture the essence of a chef’s dish that had the benefit of many hands, processes, and without presenting its creation as a treatise? The answer can involve oversimp ..read more

By Sara of Wandercooks In Feb 2020, our food blog Wandercooks was at 75,000 monthly views. We spent six months updating all of our content through deep keyword search analysis. As a result, our organic traffic has now grown to over 600,000 monthly views in just two years. Our keyword research paid off.   Keyword research is an essential part of getting traffic to a food blog. Yet it’s often overlooked in the development and research stage of a recipe. If done correctly, however, keyword research can save you  hours on a post that will never rank, and help you build organic traff ..read more

By André Darlington If you think landing a book deal is difficult, try writing a manuscript within today’s tight timelines. Some multi-year projects still exist, but many authors count book schedules in months, not years. How does a writer navigate all the tasks that must be completed to become a productive book author, while juggling life, a partner, children, work, exercise and more? A few strategies I used turned out to be useful. When employed diligently, they unlock abilities you may not believe you have. I found this when I wrote two books during the pandemic in 2021. Three of my books w ..read more

A guest post by Anna Mindess Over the last dozen years, I have received scores of assignments from editors of print magazines and online websites. I especially cherish those relationships that have spanned years and feel like collaborations. When editors appreciate my work and trust me, my job gets easier. Instead of a formal pitch, editors will accept just a few lines for a story idea. Even nicer is when they come up with story ideas specifically for me. It’s not difficult to build this kind of mutually respectful relationship. You will get more assignments. Here are a few suggestions: 1. Tim ..read more

By Carla Contreras You have 150 characters to tell people why they should follow you on Instagram. Or as I like to say, join your community. The formula I use to create an Instagram-worthy bio doesn’t just apply to Instagram. You can insert these concepts wherever you like, including on your website, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest or TikTok.  For 12 years, I have built my business as a food stylist, online course creator and podcaster on Instagram. It’s a place that can require a lot of care and attention, but it pays off because it can build real life connections with your community. A goo ..read more

By Kathy Hester There is no better way to get the word out about your latest product than to promote with live video.  Why? Imagine how easy it would be to make a sale if you were able to meet face-to-face and talk with all your fans. Live video allows you to make eye contact with your viewers and even answer questions that they type into a chat. You are talking, asking questions, teaching and reeling in your audience. They feel like they are hanging out with you and are in your inner circle. You can go live on any of the platforms from your phone. You can go live on your computer for Fac ..read more

A guest post by Barbara Abdeni Massaad When I decided to write and photograph my first book, Man’oushé: Inside the Street Corner Lebanese Bakery, I had no experience in writing books or taking professional food and location photos to document my journey. I come from a kitchen background. My cooking career started in the 1980s in a family-owned restaurant in Fort, Lauderdale, Florida, called Kebabs & Things. Serving and cooking for customers was an important experience in my life. Years later, I would go on to train in restaurants in Beirut, Lebanon, where I moved a few years later. No ..read more

Hello Dear Blog Readers, I’ve sent this special blog post today to let you know about some classes coming up in March and April. I’m excited to teach for the prestigous 92nd St. Y in New York, to continue my proposal writing class, and to teach at IACP.  These days guest bloggers write most of the posts on this blog. If you want to hear from me, I’m over on  Substack. I encourage you to sign up. My free newsletter comes out once a month, and it’s packed with great links about trends in our industry and best practices for food writers and bloggers. I also have a paid version that feat ..read more

  A guest post by Alexa Peduzzi of Food Blogger Pro If you’ve been in the blogging industry for more than a few minutes, you’ve probably heard a very common catchphrase –– “Content is king.” At the new year, you may have set some goals for your blog. If they’re anything like mine, they revolve around creating more content. And, of course, that’s easier said than done. I’m coming off a year where I took eight months off from posting on my blog (more on that here). Now I’m excited to head into this year with a plan to help me actually achieve my goals. Here are the five strategies to crea ..read more