Molly leads the conversation about the design process, one of the more mystifying stops on a cookbook's journey to publication. With Andrea, Kate and Kristin's expertise, the discussion covers elements like trim size, typeface, bindings and paper stock as well as what to look out for in regards to form and function before revealing some personal experiences, regrets and advice. Finally, Andrea shares one of the books she refers to most often when writing.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Andrea Nguyen + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

• Grammarly
• Pocket Style Manual
• Omnivore Books

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook by Dorie Greenspan
• Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat
• Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child
• Pho by Andrea Nguyen
• La Buvette by Camille Fourmont and Kate Leahy
• 100 Cookies by Sarah Kieffer
• Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi
• Flavor by Yotam Ottolenghi

Andrea dives further into the editing process during her interview with Jennifer Sit, Executive Editor at Clarkson Potter which is an imprint of Penguin Random House. With over 12 years of experience working with both new authors and household names, Jennifer shares her insights into the author/editor/publisher dynamic and how she approaches these relationships to ensure a successful book. She tells us her favorite part of her job as well the best way to start out a project.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Andrea Nguyen + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Jennifer Sit

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

Andrea leads today's deep dive into the editing stage of cookbook creation. Molly, Kate and Kristin each share their rituals, processes and insights as they discuss the different kinds of editing, how much leeway authors have and how to cope when tensions rise. We hear some personal editing woes and saves as well as learn all the final small yet essential elements that go into a polished end product. Finally, Kristin shares her recent favorite cookbook.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Andrea Nguyen + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions:

• Saltie: A Cookbook by Caroline Fidanza and Anna Dunn, is sadly unavailable through our shop at Bookshop.org but you may find it at other retailers.
• More on binaural beats here.

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

Andrea learns more about the visual side of recipe writing as she talks with Nom Nom Paleo's Michelle Tam. Michelle shares how her work is a family affair, the process of designing the unique format of her recipes and how her previous career influences her current one. She explains her thoughts about unique content creation for her various platforms and how the pandemic shaped the latest project.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Andrea Nguyen + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

• Stanford Continuing Education occasionally offers a food writing class

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Let's Go
• Ready or Not
• Food for Humans

Kristin gets into the fundamentals of recipe writing as she chats with Tina Ujlaki, her mentor and the former executive editor at Food & Wine magazine. Tina explains her recipe writing philosophy, how testing can be the antithesis to cooking and the what bothers her about the format's evolution. She shares her thoughts on voice, headnotes, titles and the top 3 things to do before sharing recipes with the world.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Andrea Nguyen + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

• Tina Ujlaki
• Nigella Lawson
• Nigel Slater
• David Lebovitz
• Dorie Greenspan

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

Kate leads today's discussion about the recipe development, curation and testing that go into creating a cookbook. Andrea, Molly and Kristin each share their individual recipe writing processes and the tools used behind the scenes to keep everything organized. They discuss sticking to theme, finding your audience and what can take away from the magic of cooking as well as the juggling act of attribution and importance of recipe testers. Finally, Molly tells us about a recent cookbook that has her inspired.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Andrea Nguyen + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

• Kristin's spreadsheet template
• Bryan Ford
• Short Stacks

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

Colombiana: A Rediscovery of Recipes & Rituals from the Soul of Colombia, by Marian Velásquez

Andrea leads today's chat about selling a cookbook and all the nitty gritty elements that go into it. Kristen, Molly and Kate share some of their own insights and lessons learned about advances, royalties, contract negotiation, and how to keep the right amount of tension there. They discuss how to gauge the value of your idea, morality clauses and what to look out for when looking over a contract. Finally, they answer a listener SOS and Kate gets the lowdown on the angst of butter measurement.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Andrea Nguyen + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

• An Agent Answers: “What Should I Expect for a Cookbook Advance?”
• Would You Write a Cookbook for Next to Nothing? by Priya Krishna
• The Trouble with Big Deals, by Brooke Warner
• “9 Questions For When A Book Publisher Calls”
• How to Make Sure Your Cookbook Deal Is Worth It, by Sonya Chopra
• The Hidden Risks of Writing a Cookbook  by Sierra Tishgart
   

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

Kristin leads today's discussion all about the cookbook proposal, sharing her own first experience with the process. Molly, Kate and Andrea each describe their own firsts as well as how they format their more recent versions. They review all of the elements that go into a proposal, the three vital things to highlight, how long the process can take and how a project can morph as it leads into its first draft. Finally, a listener's salt based SOS leads to many strong opinions and some helpful tips.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Andrea Nguyen + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly

Editor: Abby Cerquitella
 

Mentions

• Heidi Swanson’s blog post on her cookbook proposal process 
• Kate Leahy’s blog post on the elements of a cookbook proposal
• Katie Parla’s blog post on how to write (and sell) a cookbook proposal
• Diane Jacob’s website is also a great resources
• "Recipe into Type" book (not avail on Bookshop.org)

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

Molly starts out today's episode with an interview with Rica Allannic, a literary agent with editing experience. Then, Kristin and Kate share how they've navigated their own agent relationships while Andrea explains how she works without one. We get into the many roles of an agent, how to find one and the things to look out for as one moves along in their career. Finally, Andrea shares a recipe writing tip and Kate lets us know her recent favorite cookbook.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Andrea Nguyen + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

• Rica Allannic
• Rica Allannic on IG
• David Black Literary Agency
• Publisher Marketplace - “Quick Pass” link for $10 day pass
• IACP membership for networking
• The Lisa Ekus Group
• Equity at the Table

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Ruffage by Abra Berens

Kate leads today's discussion on the most important question to ask before you sit down to write your cookbook: Should you write a cookbook? Molly, Andrea and Kristin share their individual journeys as authors and provide some insights into what goes on behind the decision to move forward with a project. They chat about the importance of hustle, platform and studying the elements in your favorite cookbook as well as some of the books they decided against creating. Finally, Molly shares a Tip of the Week and Andrea lets us know which cookbook has captured her attention lately.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Andrea Nguyen + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

• Jane Friedman.com
• Heidi Swanson's 101 Cookbooks website
• Susan Chang's Podcast: The Level Teaspoon
• The New York Times Magazine article about why dictionaries are valuable

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Taste & Technique  by Naomi Pomeroy
• Mister Jiu's in Chinatown: Recipes and Stories from the Birthplace of Chinese American Food by Brandon Jew