Win a Signed copy of Ina Garten's Memoir

Everybody's reading it. Why not you?

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I picked up my copy of Be Ready When the Luck Happens in San Francisco at Omnivore Books. I was there as part of a public conversation with Rose Levy Berenbaum and her husband, Woody Wolston, about The Cake Bible, 35th Anniversary Edition. Beforehand, the three of us dined with author Harold McGee so that he, a local San Franciscan, and Rose could geek out about science and cooking together. I felt lucky to be at the table.

After our conversation at Omnivore (Did you know that egg yolks have shrunk since Rose’s first edition came out?), I snagged a copy of Garten’s memoir because I knew from the cookbook store’s Instagram that Garten had been in to sign copies.

I don’t read a lot of celebrity memoirs, but I was curious about Garten’s. I wanted to learn more about her rise to fame, her cookbook writing and how she started a cooking show. (The best memoir I’ve read was tennis great Andre Agassi’s Open. The ghostwriter also wrote Prince Harry’s memoir because Prince Harry had also read Open. The ghostwriter wrote about his experience here in The New Yorker. [Possible paywall])

I wrote up my thoughts about Garten’s memoir on Instagram, and now I’m passing the book on to you, as a thank you for being a subscriber. Would you like to win this signed copy? Just reside in the continental U.S. and leave a comment below. Tell me which of Garten’s books is your favorite, or which recipe, or anything you like.

Otherwise, 2024 has been a satisfying year. Thank you to my paid subscribers, who have rallied recently. I taught two workshops at IACP’s annual conference in Brooklyn. I did two events at Omnivore Cookbooks with authors. (The second was with Pascale Beale for her gorgeous cookbook Flavour.) I worked with writers on book proposals, helped them up the quality and quantity of their freelance work, taught Zoom classes and held consults, and even did a trade with an artist for cookbook marketing tips.

In chats, I talked with you about what you’re working on, and how to get more freelance assignments. I’ve got another chat coming up. See below.

Happy December and end of 2024, friends. Thanks for being part of this community. I hope to meet some of you at an upcoming event.

— Dianne

P.S. I’m on Substack Notes. Are you following me there? Recently Lynn Hill asked her followers: “In the food writing world, who would you recommend and why?”

Sophia Real of Real Simple Food replied:

“Dianne Jacob for all the advice she shares so generously not just through her Substack but also her books - her tips on pitching helped me land my first few recipes and articles even as a complete newbie to foodwriting!”

And Betty Williams of Betty Eats Newsletter replied:

“Dianne Jacob has a wonderfully informative newsletter that encourages and challenges me to be a better food writer. I love that she offers coaching and one day I want to take her up on that. She also links to many free resources for food writers.”

Thank you for the question, Lynn, and to Sophia and Betty for recommending me.

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Let’s Chat about Book Proposals

Hey, paid subscribers. Are you trying to write a book proposal, or maybe it’s on your mind? Tomorrow, tell me about your struggles, your success, etc. Join my free Substack chat on Monday, December 2 at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET. You’ll get notified by email when the chat begins. All you have to do is press the button to attend.

Last month’s chat with paid subscribers about freelance writing was fun and filled with practical advice from me. It generated more than 60 comments and replies that kept the conversation going for an hour.

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What I’m Reading

• It’s time for the Best Cookbooks lists: The Best Cookbooks of 2024, According to Food & Wine Editors; Wired magazine’s The Best Cookbooks of 2024 (So Far); and Books We Love, from NPR.

• The 25 Most Influential Cookbooks from the Last 100 Years. (Unlocked gift article.) A select group from outside The New York Times chose these books. I thought they did a super job. I didn’t know about the Chinese cookbook from 1945. See what you think and let me know in the comments.

• Food Photography: The Tips and Equipment You’ll Need. Meathead has 400 photos in his last cookbook and the upcoming one. Here’s his take on taking photos that are good enough to publish.

• "I Haven't Seen It Since the Early '90s": 23 Menu Items That Were Popular Decades Ago, But Have Almost Entirely Disappeared from Restaurants Today. Maybe don’t put these recipes in your next cookbook? Or is this a reason to make them from scratch?

• 6 Freezer Myths Food Experts Wish You Would Stop Believing. If you write freezer tips in recipes, you might want to read this.

• The harmful frequency and reach of unhealthy foods on social media. Working with brands can normalize the idea that eating ultra-processed foods is good.

• Why Food Writing Matters. Ruth Reichl offers her classic talk from 33 years ago.

• Cookbook stores are feeding a growing appetite for community hubs. (Possible paywall at The Washington Post.) Around the country, we love supporting our local cookbook store.

• How Judith Jones Changed Cookbooks Forever. Dan Pashman talks with Sara B. Franklin, author of the biography The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America.

• Pinkwashing Julia Child. John Birdsall points out her troubling homophobic side.

• The Best Way to Test a Cookbook? Try It at a Restaurant. Yep. I’ve been recommending this same thing to writers for years, when we work on the promotion plan for their cookbook proposals.

• 50 Mind-Blowing Facts About Food That Sound Like They're Big Huge Lies but Are Actually Completely, Totally, 100% True. Fun to read, and educational.

• Who would want to be a restaurant reviewer? Why it is a horrible gig. I enjoyed my time as a reviewer, but it was too hard to do long-term.

• Agents, Authors Question HarperCollins AI Deal. The first publisher to allow AI to use authors’ work, pending their opt-in.

• What I make as a freelance food writer. Maggie Hennessy spells out “the unprofitable craft of writing and editing.”

• Hold Your Competition Lightly. Publisher Brooke Warner advises on handling similar works, titles and covers.

• Don’t call it a Substack. Tech pioneer Anil Dash states his case about branding and control.

• The 25 Most Important Recipes of the Past 100 Years. From Slate, about braising, baking and imbibing.

• The Search for the Next Restaurant Critic at The New York Times is Finally On. Would you want that job?

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Events and Consults

Next Tuesday: An IACP Zoom

I’ll be talking with literary agent Amy Collins and Jenny Wapner, publisher of Hardie Grant North America, at an IACP Zoom event December 3 at 11 a.m. PT/ 2 p.m. ET. We’ll 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.

Coming up Next Year

• I’ll be at the Oxford Food Symposium in July. Are you going?

• Soon I’ll announce my first in-person writing workshop since 2018. Stay tuned!

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Are you on Instagram?

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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.

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News from Clients and Students

• Jaime Lewis’ essay, My 14-Year-Old Made A Decision That Should Have Delighted Me. Instead, I Found Myself Grieving, ran in the Huffington Post. She also wrote this piece for The Wine Enthusiast. And she has started a Substack newsletter called What I Write…when I should be writing my book ( I worked with her to get essays published and now we are working on a book proposal.)

• Yes, You Really Should Use Room-Temperature Butter If a Recipe Calls for It—Here's Why. Student Charlotte Rutledge explains the science in Eating Well.

• Student Kate Ryan received her Master’s of Arts in Irish Food Culture and Foodways.

• Student Samantha Wood wrote the feature article Chefs in Dubai Are Putting Regional Flavors Back on the Menu for Conde Nast Traveler in USA, UK and Middle East editions.

I like to brag about food writing accomplishments. Send me an email: dj@diannej.com.

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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:

• The United States of Pizza

• Grilled Pizzas & Piadinas.

Disclosures: I am an affiliate of Food Blogger Pro, Amazon and Bookshop.org.

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Thanks for Reading

Like this newsletter? Please forward it to a few people or share it on social media. I would really appreciate that. New subscribers can sign up here. Thank you.

If you enjoyed this post, please click on the little ❤️ below ⬇️.

Dianne Jacob
Editor, Writer and Coach
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

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