Five Takeaways about Writing and Social Media
The Brooklyn IACP conference was packed with teachable–and fun–moments.
Attending and teaching at the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) conference in Brooklyn was a blast. About 200 people came, and another 100 arrived, dressed in finery, for the awards ceremony later that day.
The League of Kitchens taught optional cooking classes, and I taught the two optional writing workshops (Literary agent Jenni Ferrari-Adler co-taught the one about cookbook proposals, with a talk about cookbook trends by Stained Page News Publisher Paula Forbes. I also taught a class on AI and writing.)
IACP began in 1978, co-founded by cooking teachers Julia Child, Jacques Pépin, Martin Yan and Nathalie Dupree. When I joined around 2002, maybe 1500 people showed up for the annual conference. We ate lavish, multi-course meals. We met with big companies and had meetings with book editors. We could pitch stories and books to magazine, book and website editors. We could schmooze with people we admired. Basically, tout le monde of our industry showed up. It was a place to see and be seen, to forge new connections and to party late into the night with friends old and new.
Now, it’s different. Lately the conference lasts one day and it’s held in New York, which makes sense for the awards ceremony. So many editors, writers, agents and publicists live and work there. I don’t know whether the diminished attendance is because of Covid, post-Covid or changes in the industry, but it would be great if more of you attended.
Here’s a video of the cocktail party before the awards ceremony. Click on the image to see it:
So, why aren’t you going to the conference? I acknowledge that:
It costs money (which maybe you can write off on your taxes? That helps.)
Covid is still out there
We think, mistakenly, that we can do everything we need online
For me, IACP has been worth the investment. I’ve made new friends, I get new clients, I meet people I admire and I’ve learned from the best in our field.
My five takeaways from IACP talks:
Be less polished on social media. Sarah Faubion, strategic partner manager at Meta, said people want to hear from you often, so everything doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, they prefer it that way. Your followers want to see behind the curtain. “Realness” is in, she said.
Reels get more views on Facebook than Instagram. Faubion says it pays to connect them to each other, so your posts appear in both places.
Show your face on video and in photos, she said. I’m particularly bad at this. I think I’m too old, but then @jenncooks showed me this account, so I’m trying to be braver.
Don’t show off in memoir. Steve Hoffman, food writer and memoirist, said, “No one wants to know what you know. Readers want to watch you learn something.” He also asked “What is the thing that you don’t want to admit?” and then share how it feels to be vulnerable, warts and all.
AI can deliver a strong voice. This fact surprised me when writing prompts with my class. Once I asked AI to “Make it snarky,” suddenly the writing became laugh-out-loud funny, current, and engaging. It was a welcome change from the bland middle-of-the-road content we endured in class until that moment, whether AI wrote a recipe, pitch letter, bio or book outline.
If you try it, review the results carefully for accuracy. AI often makes mistakes. We asked it for a vegan meatloaf, for example, and it included oyster sauce in the ingredients list.
Are you a member of IACP? I’ve found the organization is a great way to stay connected, competitive and empowered. Invest in yourself! Get 25 percent off a new annual membership by using coupon code NewMember2024.
Let’s Chat about Freelance Writing
Many people want to write a book. However, they have not established themselves as published writers, particularly on the subject of their book. It will be much easier to get a book deal with this qualification.
Let’s discuss how to get freelance writing published in a chat on Monday, November 4 at 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET. You’ll get notified in an email when the chat begins. This event is for paid subscribers.
What I’m Reading
Seven Lessons I Learned from Ina Garten’s Memoir. Cookbook author and newsletter writer Jenny Rosenstrach reveals Garten’s approach to recipe development.
Bites. Camera. Action! Literary agent Sally Ekus, who specializes in cookbooks, discusses the ins and outs of cookbook photography.
See the Tools and Gadgets From Julia Child’s Kitchen That Reveal How the Beloved Chef Cooked. What Julia liked best, according to Smithsonian magazine.
13 ways to consider an interview. “It's not a conversation and you are not a supplicant.” Exactly. I really notice this lack of awareness in podcasts.
The Best Food and Drink Magazines In 2024. Use this list as a tool to pitch feature articles. For information on how to freelance, see my chapter in Will Write for Food, or check out these free resources on my blog.
How to Detect AI-Generated Recipes and Images Online. This particular website is struggling with AI-replicated recipes that compete with its website. It’s a fascinating dive into what’s going on. It’s happening not just to them, but other recipe-based websites.
In These Chilling Novels, Good Cooking Leads To Bad Behavior. The writer mentions the novel Butter first. My foodie book group just read it, and loved it.
Events and Consults
A Talk at Omnivore Books in San Francisco
I’ll be in conversation with cooking teacher Pascale Beale about her 10th cookbook, Flavours, on November 16 at 3 p.m. She has styled and photographed all her gorgeous cookbooks. Just a few days ago, I spoke with Rose Levy Beranbaum and Woody Wolston at Ominvore, about the new edition of The Cake Bible.
A December IACP Event
I’ll be talking with literary agent Amy Collins and Jenny Wapner, Publisher of Hardie Grant, North America, in an IACP Zoom event December 3 at 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET to discuss their views on cookbook publishing and what they want to see in an author. If you are a member, please join us.
Private Consults Anytime
Through a partner, Delicious Experiences
One-hour consult: $250
Book a Zoom consult for just one hour (or more). If you want to write a cookbook, get published or get better freelance assignments, I can help move you forward.
My Newsletter Survey Results
I avoid including stories behind a paywall (meaning you can’t read them without a subscription). But in a survey in last month’s newsletter, readers said to put them into the links, by a slim margin (54% to 46%).
So here are the paywalled links, all from the New Yorker:
Are you on Instagram?
So am I, with cookbook and memoir mini-reviews, upcoming events and classes announcements, and writing tips.
Would you give me a follow at instagram.com/diannemjacob? I’d appreciate it. Click on the image above to see my mini-review and photos of the book’s interior.
News from Clients and Students
The Guardian wrote a terrific review of Christopher Beckman’s new book, A Twist in the Tail: How the Humble Anchovy Flavoured Western Cuisine. Chris wrote this opinion piece, Anchovies Are Always a Good Idea, in The New York Times (gift article). Nigella Lawson wrote a blurb for the cover after the publisher reached out to her! (I edited Chris’s proposal.)
Former student Jennifer Eremeeva started the Destination Curation Newsletter about off-the-beaten-track travel experiences (including cuisine), plus lots of resourceful links.
Amy Loeffler wrote a feature article on Latin culinary culture for the Cardinal News. (I coached her on a book proposal.)
The Keepthings published former student Tamar MC’s essay, “Bubbe’s Potato Latke Grater.”
I like to brag about food writing accomplishments. Send me an email: dj@diannej.com.
My Book
Here’s the latest edition of my multiple award-winning book, Will Write for Food: 2021: Pursue Your Passion and Bring Home the Dough Writing Recipes, Cookbooks, Blogs, and More.
I’m also the co-author of:
Disclosures: I am an affiliate of Food Blogger Pro, Amazon and Bookshop.org.
Thanks for Reading
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Dianne Jacob
Editor, Writer and Coach
Email: dj@diannej.com
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Thank you for the shout out. I love that you’re encouraging people to come back to IACP. It’s such a wonderful organization and so many author’s foundation to how they got started.
I have had several conversations with other bloggers about being more realistic on social media. If your kitchen looks instagram ready 24 hours a day, you aren't using it.