A "Mean, Unpleasant Woman"
I spoke to a group of kids about food writing.
That’s what one student thought I would be like when food writer Melissa Uchiyama invited me to Zoom with the students of her children’s food writing camp in Tokyo.
The actual event went quite well. First the students asked me questions about my background. Then some read food essays they’d written, and I commented on structure and content. At the end of the event, I asked them which writing exercise they liked best. Not surprisingly, the kids said they loved writing about sweet things. And then we were off, talking about the many flavors of Kitkats and how much I love daifuku.
Afterwards, Melissa had them write thank you letters to me. Here are the top three letters, one of which includes the phrase “I thought you would be this mean, unpleasant woman…”
Yes it’s funny, but for most editors, it’s our worst nightmare to think that our feedback might be extremely unpleasant. I confess that when I was younger I was not as concerned. But since becoming self-employed years ago, I have tempered my comments. That has been good for both the people I edit and for me.
I’ve been on the other side as a writer who gets edited, so I do know what it’s like. My last boss, a former editor at Time Life Books, printed out my work and put a red line through each page, with no explanation. I had to guess at how to fix it. (He is the main reason I became self employed.) And my journalism teachers’ feedback could be blistering. He taught us to just fix whatever it was and keep going, but it was still hard.
Fortunately, the Tokyo student revised his view of me after the Zoom event. You’ll see what he said in the letter. I’d like to think that kind of warmth comes through in my edits, but it probably doesn’t. Most editors are busy pointing out what’s not working, and we have to remind ourselves to also point out what’s good.
Have you had a harsh experience with an editor? Or a surprisingly good one? Tell me. Let’s have a dialogue about what it’s like to be edited. Maybe an editor employed a technique you really liked? I’d like to know that too. Leave a comment.
About this new Substack newsletter
Someone asked me if I’ve had any negative responses to moving my newsletter from Mad Mimi to Substack. It surprised me. It’s the same free newsletter about food writing that you have come to enjoy. And the answer is no.
There’s some controversy about Substack, because it is venture funded and it has paid some selected writers. Now it has big competitors: Facebook launched Bulletin (You’ll see that Dorie Greenspan and Nik Sharma landed there, to name a few food writers) and Twitter has launched Revue.
I plan to offer a paid newsletter soon. I’m creating all kinds of great content for it right now: interviews with hard-to-access superstars in our industry, some interactive posts where you can chime in, and perhaps even a few personal essays. If you subscribe you will get two newsletters a month, instead of one. But you will always get this one, no matter what. Stay tuned.
The best thing on my Instagram feed:
Is there anything better than a rolling cart?
Can you help me with this?
The latest edition of Will Write for Food has a review on goodreads where the reviewer gave my book one star. Here’s what she said:
“Ugh I was so encouraged when i picked up this book. Just started it and I am mired in content about the whiteness (race) of food writers. Killing my interest in the book at an astonishing pace.”
If you have read the fourth edition of Will Write for Food, I’d love it if you could leave a short review on goodreads. Thank you so much. Let me know if you do so.
Fall Classes Start Next Week!
Which class is right for you?
If you’d like to write a cookbook, do you know whether to go traditional or self-published, whether to get an agent, and other issues? The second class is for you
If you’re ready to be traditionally published, the third class helps you start writing your cookbook or memoir proposal
And if you are new to food writing and want to know what’s possible, the first class is for you.
Food Writing With Dianne Jacob — starts in a few days!
Monday, October 4, 2021
92nd St.Y New York, New York
7-8:15 p.m. ET / 4-5:15 p.m.
$40 online
If you’re just getting started writing about food, and you’d like to know what’s possible, this class breaks down the most popular ways to write. There’s recipe writing for blogs and cookbooks, feature writing, and social media writing. Get an overview and get going on what resonates for you.
So You’d Like to Write a Cookbook? — starts in just over a week!
Saturday, October 9, 2021
Civic Kitchen Zoom Class
10 a.m. - 1 p.m. PT/ 1 - 4 p.m. ET
$135 online
If you've always wanted to write your dream cookbook, and you're wondering what's involved in getting published (whether traditional or self-published), this is the class for you. We'll cover many topics -- including how traditional publishing works, what kinds of cookbook ideas and recipes editors look for, whether to get an agent, and whether to go the traditional route or self publish. And then there’s actually writing the book itself, testing the recipes…there’s lots to cover. Get the info you need to move forward with your cookbook in an informed and confident manner.
Jumpstart Your Cookbook Proposal
3 Saturdays, November 2, 9 and 16, 4 - 7 p.m. PT/ 7-10 p.m. ET
Civic Kitchen Zoom Class
13 students maximum
$399 online
If you're procrastinating about writing your cookbook proposal, you're not sure what to write, or you need accountability and support, this is the class for you.
You’ll get lots of insider, strategic advice, gained from years of covering cookbooks in my blog and from writing my own. I'll cover how the publishing industry works and what editors and agents look for in a proposal. Then I'll discuss what goes in each section.
You will write first drafts of several sections of your proposal in the class. At the end of three weeks, you'll have the start of a proposal, with the knowledge of how to make it irresistible to an agent or editor. Book proposals have a 1 percent success rate, so it's critical to learn all you can before sending out your proposal.
Bonus: It's very difficult to get someone’s successful cookbook proposal, but I'll share one of mine, which led to a beautiful cookbook by Rizzoli.
Anytime
Private Consult
Delicious Experiences
One-hour consult: $250
For years I've had a five-hour minimum for consulting. But now, through Delicious Experiences, we can do a Zoom call for just one hour. If you’ve wanted to figure out your dream cookbook, how to get your book published, or how to get better freelance assignments, let’s have an hour together to move you forward with your goals. Despite the title (Learn to be a Food Writer), writers at all levels have booked me to discuss a variety of topics.
What I'm Reading
How to Find Inspiration for Recipes as a Food Blogger. A terrific post from Food Blogger Pro for those times when you just don’t feel it.
Fall Preview 2021. Paula Forbes breaks down the fall cookbook line-up in her Stained Page News newsletter.
Association of Food Journalists’ Code of Ethics. The Poynter Institute agreed to post this, even though the AFJ has disbanded. It’s definitely worth reading and remembering. Here’s Hannah Raskin’s story about its history.
7 Tools to Help You Plan Out Your Content Calendar. Food Blogger Pro has a helpful blog post with lots of tips and strategies.
The 17 Best Cookbooks of Fall 2021. Eater’s list features the usual busy weeknight cooking, comfort baking, and some outliers: Korean vegan and Ghanian food.
Off the shelf: Cookbooks A to L and Off the shelf: Cookbooks M-Z. Dorie Greenspan covers her favorite new cookbooks in her newsletter.
Read Cook Eat Drink Tote Bag with Dual Handles. I’m coveting this bag from Kitchen Arts & Letters.
A Dearth of Pleasure: The Curse of Modern Food Writing. The author quotes Roy Andries de Groot.
Psychologists Explain Why Food Memories Can Feel So Powerful. Hint: It’s not just about the dish.
Nigella Lawson Parody. Watch them all. You’ll howl.
Claire Saffitz Parody. I had no idea about the Nigella parody, which led me to this one. It’s the same person, a drag queen named Olympia.
How to Market Your Book Without Social Media. So many people I talk with want to avoid social media but get published anyway.
Better eats. This piece is ostensibly about how kitchens haven’t changed much since the 1960s but it’s really about how cookbooks have evolved since then, and whether people enjoy cooking.
How Chef John Determines What Recipes To Try On Food Wishes. John just passed 4 million users. He’s so nonchalant about it all!
Succeeding with Self-Published Memoir: Q&A with Ashleigh Renard. A great post about how to promote a new book, period.
How a Goodreads Author Page Strategically Supports Your Brand. This article forced me to go to Goodreads, where I found an incorrect book cover and an outdated bio from 2012. So if you’re an author and you ignore this website like I do, maybe go check around.
Claudia Roden: ‘What do I want from life now? Having people around my table.’ She’s 85 and she’s got a new cookbook!
Food Scholar, Folk Singer, Blunt Speaker: The Many Lives of Leni Sorensen. Kim Severson writes the best profiles. (Possible New York Times paywall.)
The Bite Shot. Melissa Guerra told me about this YouTube channel on how to improve your food photography. I don’t know if you’ve seen Melissa’s Instagram page, but her photos are like paintings.
It's Fall Cookbook Season! Cookbook author and blogger Nik Sharma discusses his favorite cookbooks of the season.
The 2022 James Beard Awards Will (Hopefully) Be Different. A new ethics committee will form, judges and voters will be more diversified, and more.
Building Strong Partnerships. Food Blogger Pro founder Bjork Ostrum interviews Cassidy Stockton, the Senior Content Marketing Manager at Bob’s Red Mill, about how her team works with content creators, what she wishes creators knew about working with brands, and more.
Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Food Blogger Pro.
News About Clients and Students
Bon Appetit magazine published Monti Carlo’s essay: I Put My Faith in George Michael, But Cookies Were My Ticket to Freedom. (Possible Washington Post paywall.)
Jennifer Segal’s new book, Once Upon a Chef: Weeknight/Weekend: 70 Quick-Fix Weeknight Dinners + 30 Luscious Weekend Recipes: A Cookbook, hit the New York Times bestseller list.
Lia Turk edited sections of the new cookbook The Food Shift Seasonal Kitchen Guide.
(I like to brag about your food writing accomplishments here. Just send me an email: dj@diannej.com.)
Thanks for Reading
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Dianne Jacob
Editor, Writer and Coach
Office: (510) 923-1770
Website: www.diannej.com
Twitter: @diannej
Facebook: www.facebook.com/foodwriting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diannemjacob/
My Books
Will Write for Food: 2021 4th Edition
Photos by Charles Deluvio and Monika Grabkowska on Unsplash.
It's a shame that someone commented on your book which includes how to make food writing more inclusive. Food is about sharing and it's what binds us together in so many ways. There are so many cuisines and cultures that meet at the table, it's good to be aware that the table is big enough for everyone and we should do what we can to not exclude anyone.
Dear Dianne, I'm sorry to hear about that review. I have purchased and read both the last and previous edition of Will Write for Food and appreciate them wholeheartedly. The food writing industry is changing (🎊) and it's only fair to report on this. Thank you for your newsletter and books. Heading over to Goodreads to leave my review! All the best xx