20 Years of Will Write for Food
How my book changed over the years, to fit with the times and trends.
Since debuting in 2005, the four editions of Will Write for Food have sold about 50,000 copies. Here’s what the covers look like (The photos are small to fit in this newsletter!), and how the content changed over time:
The first edition debuted in 2005. My contract was for 80,000 words but I wrote 120,000, in four months! The editor liked it all and kept it.
If you remember the cover of The Man Who Ate Everything, we riffed on its design. I loved the nod to my old journalism days, where I typed stories on a typewriter.
The second edition came out in 2010. I ditched the chapter on fiction writing and wrote a long new chapter about food blogging.
Lifelong Books/Perseus bought Marlowe & Company, so that meant a new editor and publisher. Luckily, Renee Sedliar became the editor of this and the future editions.
Da Capo/Lifelong Books published the third edition in 2015. “Restaurant Reviews” disappeared from the subtitle.
The fourth edition came out in 2021, in the middle of Covid, from Hachette Go! I wrote a new chapter on voice and expanded the sections on social media, making money as a blogger and self-publishing.
Thank you for buying my books, sometimes more than once. Many professors have used them in college and university classrooms also.
Next Chat: Literary Agent Sally Ekus
Do you wonder how to find an agent? Or what an agent does for you? Join this paid subscriber chat with me and Sally Ekus on Monday, February 10 at 12 p.m. PST/ 3 p.m. EST on Substack. Sally is the Senior Literary Agent at The Ekus Group, a division of JVNLA. She specializes in cookbooks.
No need to sign up. You’ll get an email that the chat has begun. Click the button in the email to join. It’s a benefit of being a paid subscriber!
What I’m Reading
The obits and tributes for Nathalie Dupree:
Nathalie Dupree Left a Legacy of Education, Wit, and Really Juicy Pork Chops
Nathalie Dupree Was a Southern Food Icon and a Trailblazer of Celebrating Home Cooking.
I met Nathalie at IACP and wrote about her twice: Culinary Maven Nathalie Dupree Writes About Sexual Assault, and University Acquires Papers of Cookbook Author Nathalie Dupree.
More links:
Pableaux Johnson, the Heart of New Orleans Hospitality, Dies at 59.
Support L.A.’s food bloggers, creators and chefs who lost their homes in the fires. Send a recipe for a fundraising community cookbook called Flavors of Resilience. Deadline is looming.
On the Politics of Attention in 2025. Alicia Kennedy on the endless pitches, self-promotion, and content we must produce to stay competitive and relevant. (Possible paywall.)
Are Food Influencers Going To Make Restaurant Critics Obsolete? They are pretty close to that already!
How to Write a Query Letter. Helpful posts from Agents and Books newsletter writer Kate McKean.
Gingerbread Snacking Cake. About writer Laurie Colwin, by Susan Spungen.
A Substack Notes Reality Check: When 1 Note Brings in 20,000 Subscribers. Includes prompts for when you don’t know what to write.
What's the point of cookbooks? On this BBC podcast, a panel explores why people buy cookbooks.
Plus: Paid subscriber Joy Marr of Joy’s Cooking Chronicles won a copy of Meat Pies, Michael Ruhlman’s newest cookbook. Congratulations, Joy!
Events
New Class: Jumpstart Your Cookbook Proposal
March 17, 24 and 31, 2025
Three 3-hour Zoom classes, 4-7 p.m. PST/7-10 p.m. EST
Cost: $425
It’s back! Join a group of just 10 students and increase your chances of publishing success, whether for a cookbook, memoir, or culinary non-fiction book.
A proposal tells agents and editors who you are, why you’re the right person to write this book right now, and who cares. It details which books compete with yours, explains the target audience, and tells how you will promote it. It could be as long as 50 pages, double spaced.
Start writing during class and you’ll have a rough draft at the end.
Move Forward with a Private Consult
Make your appointment through my partner, Delicious Experiences
One-hour consultation: $250
Let’s talk through your book idea and more.
News from Clients and Students
Mary Cressler and Sean Martin’s Fire + Wine Backyard Pizza is ready for pre-order. (I coached them on their first book proposal.)
Two publications syndicated Jaime Lewis’s Washington Post essay on apology cookies. She also wrote How One Perfect Strawberry Helped Me Survive a Scary Mammogram for Jennie magazine. (I coached her on freelancing.)
Jessica Smith’s new cookbook Start with a Vegetable, debuted. (I coached her on the proposal.)
Belinda Smith-Sullivan’s new book, Cocktails, Southern Style, is out. (I coached her on her first book proposal.)
I like to brag about clients and students. Contact me at dj@diannej.com. Also read my interview with FoodStack Library.
My Book
I’m also the co-author of:
Disclosures: I am an affiliate of Food Blogger Pro, Amazon and Bookshop.org.
Thanks for Reading
Like this newsletter? Please forward it to a few people or share it on social media. New subscribers can sign up here.
If you enjoyed this post, please click on the little ❤️ below ⬇️.
Dianne Jacob
Email: dj@diannej.com
Website: http://diannej.com
X: https://twitter.com/diannej
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foodwriting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diannemjacob
Renee is the editor of my next book—I had no idea you worked with her. She’s FANTASTIC! (And congratulations on the longevity and sales!!!)
you are amazing!