In episode 663, Megan chats with Jess Smith to uncover the untold truths of traditional cookbook publishing—from crafting a winning proposal to landing a deal, and whether a large social media following really matters.

Jess is a mom to three girls based in Kansas City, Missouri. While living in Thailand and working at the U.S. Embassy in 2010 she took Thai cooking classes on the weekends and shared everything she learned on her food blog InquiringChef.com. In the years that followed she pursued her dream of making a career in food and became the chief recipe developer for the award-winning meal planning app Cook Smarts. Inquiring Chef has grown to over 6 million page views a year and has been featured in publications like Parade, Hallmark, and HuffPost. In 2024 Jess opened a cooking school for kids in Kansas City called Inquiring Chef Academy where she spends school breaks guiding elementary-aged kids through lessons on everything from baking sourdough to chopping vegetables to setting the table. Her first cookbook, Start with a Vegetable, will be released in January 2025.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to write a compelling proposal, find an agent, work with a publisher and balance the whole process with running a blog and looking after your family.

Key points discussed include:

- A strong proposal is essential: Jess spent 6–8 months crafting a compelling proposal, which played a crucial role in landing her book deal.

- An agent can be a game-changer: Having an agent helped Jess find a publisher and negotiate a significantly better advance.

- A huge social following isn't required: Jess landed a traditional publishing deal without massive social media numbers—her strong concept and blog traffic helped.

- Cookbook writing requires balance: Writing a book took time away from blogging, requiring a shift in priorities.

- The editing process is intense: Working with professional editors improved her writing and recipe development skills.

- Promotion is an ongoing effort: The marketing push doesn’t end at launch—Jess continues to promote her book through various channels.

- Photography can be a major challenge: Jess took all the photos for her book, which was rewarding but also a significant time commitment.

- Investing in support is worth it: Hiring help for styling, editing, and even dishwashing made the process smoother and more manageable.

Connect with Jess Smith

Website | Instagram