Cookbook Love Podcast

Welcome back to another episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast.

Have you ever looked at the food you make every week and thought, there's a book in here somewhere? Here's what most people don't know: in traditional publishing, the publisher pays you to write your book, and a whole team comes with it. Editors, designers, a photographer, the people who put your book on shelves. If you've dreamed of your own cookbook, this is the perfect time to join my free masterclass, From Kitchen to Book Deal. In this three-part class, you will learn three insider truths about traditional publishing, so you can say yes to your dream without saying goodbye to your savings. You'll see why the book you're meant to write may already be on your stove, just as you are, right now. Register for the From Kitchen to Book Deal Masterclass

Today I'm excited to have Maegan Brown, The Baker Mama, on the show. Maegan has run TheBakerMama.com for 14 years, and she's the author of four cookbooks, all with the same publisher. Her newest, Celebration Boards: 50 Creative Boards to Turn Any Occasion into a Celebration, came out September 15th. Today we discuss:

1. Maegan's story. How a love for boards began in 2009 in a 500-square-foot Boston apartment, with wooden boards her dad made by hand, and grew into a business and four cookbooks.

2. Her new book, Celebration Boards. Her six-step BOARDS Method, her favorite boards for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hanukkah, and how to turn a board into a gift that means more than a candle or a bottle of wine.

3. What it takes to write a cookbook. How her publisher found her on Instagram, how she narrows hundreds of ideas to 50, how her team grew book by book, and the breakfast-table tradition that shows her four kids what their mom's work means.

Mentioned in This Episode:

From Kitchen to Book Deal Masterclass

Celebration Boards Maegan Brown

If your dream is a publisher's yes, with a team behind you and a publisher who pays you to write, I'd love for you to join me for my free From Kitchen to Book Deal Masterclass, starting Tuesday, October 20. You'll learn 3 insider truths about traditional publishing so you can say yes to your dream without saying goodbye to your savings. Sign up here. This week I'm joined by Ellyn Caruso, and the timing couldn't be more fitting. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Ellyn wrote her book for women who have walked through breast cancer and want to live their most vibrant life on the other side. Ellyn and I first met in a recipe writing course I taught back in 2022, so this conversation felt like a reunion and a celebration.

Forkfuls of Flavor: Mediterranean-Inspired Dishes for Breast Cancer Thrivership holds 90 recipes built on the Mediterranean way of life: eat well, move more, and connect with others. Think Salmon and Spinach Lasagna, Three-Flavored Eggplant Pizzettas, and a cod with lemon blueberry sauce made to win over fish skeptics. This is food for the whole family table, not a diet of restriction, and many dishes come together in under 30 minutes.

Ellyn has spent 40 years in public relations and leads Caruso PR, an award-winning Chicago firm. She is a breast cancer thriver who lost two close friends to the disease and stood beside her younger sister through a diagnosis at age 36. When her oncology team asked her to share what was working for her, this book became her answer.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why Ellyn chooses "thriver" over "survivor," and what thrivership looks like day to day

• The "three W's" that carried her through treatment

• What it takes to serve as your own creative director, from recipe testers to two photography teams

• Her owned, earned, and paid media framework, plus her "crescendo moments" strategy

• Why old-fashioned word of mouth still sells books

Ellyn's book began with a simple request from her medical team: share what's working. That's how so many cookbooks start. Someone sees that your food, your story, and your experience can help people you'll never meet. Mentioned in This Episode:

From Kitchen to Book Deal Masterclass

Forkfuls of Flavor website

Caruso PR

The Classic Italian Cookbook by Marcella Hazan

Simply Sensational Desserts by Sharon Tyler Herbst

Welcome to another episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast. If you have a cookbook idea but find yourself wondering how you're ever going to write, edit, photograph, design, publish, and market an entire book, today's episode is for you.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why you don't need to become an expert in every part of cookbook production to become a cookbook author.

• What you really need to focus on before you have a book deal: your cookbook concept and your connection with readers.

• What happens after a traditional publisher says yes—and the team of editors, designers, photographers, food stylists, marketers, and others who help bring your book to life.

• Why spending your time designing pages, taking photos, or creating a finished-looking cookbook may not be the best next step.

If you've been holding yourself back because you think you need to have everything figured out before you can pursue your cookbook, I hope this episode permits you to think about the process differently. You don't have to do it all. You need to bring your expertise, your ideas, your recipes, your stories, and your unique perspective—and start building the right foundation for your book.

Ready to start shaping your cookbook idea?

Download The Food & Nutrition Pro's Cookbook Concept Map and use it to start turning the idea in your head into a cookbook concept you can build on.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Cookbook Concept Map

When I started this show 8 years ago, podcasting was still something people had to explain to their friends. Today it's mainstream. The global audience for podcasts has grown, and in the U.S. alone, more than half the population, roughly 158 million people, tune in every month.

The number of shows has exploded too. There are now over 4.5 million podcasts worldwide. But here's the number that matters most for today's episode: only about 10 to 15% of those shows are still actively publishing. Nearly half of all podcasts stop at 3 episodes or fewer, and industry researchers cite a "90/90 rule." Ninety percent of shows don't make it past episode 3. Of the ones that do, 90% don't make it past episode 20.

I'm at episode 421. Today I want to cover the mechanics and the meaning of podcasting, so that you can decide for yourself if this is a path worth starting or staying on.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The mechanics of starting a podcast so that you can choose the right tech

• The meaning of hosting a podcast so that you can reflect on why you want to start a podcast

• Trends in podcasting over the past 8 years so that you can see how podcasting has changed over the years

• Takeaways from my time as a podcaster so that you can learn from my experience hosting a podcast

Mentioned in This Episode:

Download the Cookbook Author Platform Checklist

Today I welcome David Murray and Leslie Jonath. David and Leslie are here to honor the life and work of Debbie Berne, a cookbook and book designer who passed away in December, and to share news of her recently published book, Cookbooking: A Fan's Guide, which all listeners of this show are going to love. Cookbooking is a visually stunning pop-history that traces cookbooks from their earliest days to their most iconic and downright wackiest moments, told through photographs, listicles, graphics, and Debbie's writing. At its heart, Cookbooking celebrates the genre, explores what makes it so engaging, and argues for cookbooks as cultural documents and design artifacts, not just recipe collections.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Debbie went from wanting to be a writer to becoming one of the most sought-after cookbook designers in the industry

• The moment everything changed: selling the book proposal for Cookbooking the same week she was diagnosed

• Why Debbie chose to write, design, and photograph the book all at once and while going through chemotherapy and radiation instead of waiting

This conversation stayed with me long after we stopped recording. Debbie's story is a reminder that the work you do with passion and love for your topic is important. Let's not wait for the perfect moment to share our passion and love with the world.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Cookbooking: A Fan's Guide

Episode 299: Cookbook Layout and Design with Book Designer Debbie Berne

Madhur Jaffrey Indian Vegetarian Cooking

Welcome back to the Cookbook Love Podcast! This week I sit down with Justin Ellen, the baker and content creator behind Everything Just Baked, whose fun, chaotic, personality-filled approach to baking has captured the attention of millions of people across social media. We talk all about his beautiful new cookbook, Better Than Grandma's: Comfort Desserts We Grew Up Loving, his path from posting cake photos on Instagram at sixteen to building a following in the millions, and the leap from social media into an independently published book, including the vulnerability of showing up on camera, the real math behind traditional advances versus going independent, and how he decided which recipes made the cut.

In this episode, Justin will show you:

• Why the fear of showing up online never fully disappears, even after you've "made it," so that you can stop waiting for the fear to go away before you start

• What a traditional publishing advance would actually cost Justin in time and money, and how he weighed his own publishing options

• How to decide which of your most-loved recipes or content belongs in a book versus staying just for your audience

• What it took to independently publish a book that looks and feels as polished as one from a traditional publisher, so that going independent doesn't mean settling for less

Justin's journey proves your path to build your platform or publish your cookbook doesn't have to look like everyone else's journey. You truly can choose your own adventure.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Everything Just Baked

Join waitlist for next cookbook publishing masterclass

Welcome back to another episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast! Today's episode pulls together the best publicity advice from top cookbook PR agents who've been on this show. These experts have worked with names like Jacques Pepin, Julia Child, and Ina Garten, and have helped first time authors build a following from scratch. When I laid their advice side by side, the overlap was clear, and that's what this episode is built around: what to focus your time and energy on, and what to let go of, and what's working in 2026. After this episode, you will:

• Know where to put your time and energy, without spreading yourself thin

• Have clarity on publicity vs marketing, and choose the right tool for the job

• Release the pressure of one big launch so that you can build something sustainable

• Own your own origin story, so that you are ready for the moment someone asks why your book matters

• Stop chasing what isn't working, and put your energy toward what is

If this episode has you rethinking where to put your energy as you build toward your own book, get on my email list for free training on cookbook writing.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Join waitlist for next cookbook publishing masterclass

Welcome back to another episode of Cookbook Love Podcast. Today I'm tackling a belief I encourage every one of my students to hold: publishers and agents aren't just open to your ideas, they're actively waiting for them.

I share the real story behind my first book deal, including the year I spent sitting on a business card before I found the courage to send my idea, and how that single decision led to four cookbooks with three different publishers over the next ten years and a life built around writing cookbooks and coaching cookbook writers.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The stainless steel bowl analogy: why hiding your ideas keeps you invisible, and what to do instead

• The business card story: a year of silence, and what finally broke it

• What actually got me signed (hint: it wasn't a big Instagram following)

• Two questions to ask yourself about your own kitchen work and its value

There's an abundance of publishers and agents ready for your unique perspective. This episode is my invitation to you to start believing they're waiting for you too.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Join waitlist for next cookbook publishing masterclass

Welcome back to another episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast! Today I'm talking about something I hear all the time, from people who visit my table at events and from readers on my own email list: the belief that there are already too many cookbooks. I went through a season where I believed this myself. I really did not think there was a need for any more cookbooks, mine included. If that thought has ever crossed your mind, I want you to know you are not alone, and I want to tell you why I no longer believe it.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why nobody ever says there are too many romance novels, cozy mysteries, or business books, and what that tells us about the "too many cookbooks" complaint

• The one truth about food that means a cookbook can never stop mattering: every single person alive needs to eat

• Why your perspective on a subject is worth just as much as the hundred other people who wrote about it first

• Why there is not too many cookbooks, but the perfect number, with always room for more

If this episode has you thinking differently about the story you've been telling yourself about why you haven't started, get on my email list for free training on cookbook writing.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Join the waitlist for the next cookbook publishing masterclass

Welcome back to the Cookbook Love Podcast! Before I launched my recent masterclass about how to grow your audience for a cookbook, I sent my email list two questions: what's holding you back from growing your audience, and what do you want answered in the class? In this solo episode, I'm sharing the answers my readers sent in, along with a mindset shift for each one, so you can see whether you're standing in the same gap they are.

In this episode, I discuss:

• Why writing a blog isn't a barrier to your email list, it's one step away from it
• Why consistency isn't a personality trait, it's a weekly decision you keep making
• The difference between engagement and attention, and how to invite more of the first
• Why internet politics doesn't have to touch your dream of writing a cookbook
• What to do when you haven't identified your cookbook topic yet

I close the episode with a reminder that waiting to grow your audience or build your platform isn't neutral. A small shift in how you think about these five "excuses" can be the difference between staying stuck and finally starting to build an audience and get a book deal you dream about.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Cookbook Concept Map (free download)