So You Want to Write About Food
"Dianne Jacob is the food writer all other food writers turn to for help." -Christian Science Monitor
For those of us obsessed with discovering new foods, cooking, and culinary travel, food writing is the most satisfying and exciting way to express ourselves. I work with both exeperienced and beginning writers in three areas: cookbooks, freelance writing, and blogging.
Cookbooks: "Cookbooks are the history of an epoch. They show how people prepared and ate the ingredients available to them. Cookbooks provide answers to social, political, and economic quesitons about the society for which they were written. They are an essential ingredient to preserving our past and enhancing our future." -- Julia Child.
There’s a sensory edge to cookbooks too,
and curiosity about culture, social context, and place that goes along with developing recipes. Competition is intense, however, and you need an irresistible book proposal that convinces agents and editors they must have your book. I specialize in book proposals and have contacts with agents and editors. I also edit manuscripts and am a detailed and knowledgeable recipe editor.
Freelance writing: In this economy of reduced pages, shorter assignments and lowered budgets, it's a tough market for writers. I'll help you identify new publications to pitch, come up with winning story ideas, and draft a query letter. I've even helped writers with their assignments, coaching on the final story. I know many top editors and can make introductions.
Blogging: I've coached both new and experienced writers start blogs and reposition them. It's a rewarding, easy and fast way to get your writing out into the world. I've shown writers how to make the most of Twitter and Facebook to drive traffic to their blogs.
"Dianne Jacob is a world-class word chef, a food writer's best friend." -Oakland magazine
Authors and publishers
I have worked with
Food writing
background
Sample
articles
Free Quarterly Newsletter
Authors and publishers I have worked with include:
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Robin Asbell,Big Vegan: More than 350 Recipes, No Meat/No Dairy All Delicious, Andrews-McMeel, 2011: Hired by publisher for developmental edit |
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Rebecca Lang,Quick-Fix Southern:Homemade Hospitality in 30 Minutes or Less, Andrews-McMeel, 2011: Coached author on book proposal |
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Mimi Shotland Fix, Home Baking For Profit, CreateSpace 2011: Edited manuscript |
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Molly O'Neill, One Big Table: 600 Recipes from the Nation's Best Home Cooks, Farmers, Fishermen, Pit-masters, and Chefs, Simon & Shuster, 2010: Edited soup chapter; contributed recipes |
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Roseta Cosentino and Janet Fletcher, My Calabria: Rustic Family Cooking from Italy's Undiscovered South, W.W. Norton & Company, 2010. Worked on early book proposal |
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Janet Fletcher, Eating Local: The Cookbook Inspired by America's Farmers, Andrews-McMeel, 2010. Hired by Sur La Table to contribute to content |
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Foodista Best of the Blogs Cookbook, Andrews-McMeel, 2010. Hired by publisher to edit recipes |
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Sur La Table, Simple Comforts: 50 Heartwarming Recipes, Andrews-McMeel, 2010. Hired by publisher to edit recipes |
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Romney Steele, My Nepenthe: Bohemian Tales of Food, Family
and Big Sur, Andrews-McMeel, 2009. Coached author on proposal, helped her find agent, edited book |
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Deborah Schneider, Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta:
Recipes from the World-Famous Spa, Stewart, Tabori & Chang,
2008. Coached author on book proposal |
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Judy Barnes Baker, Carb Wars, 2007. Coached author on book proposal, helped author find agent |
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Kurt Dammeier, Pure Flavor, Clarkson Potter, 2007. Wrote early proposal, helped author find agent |
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Jackie Mallorca, The Wheat-Free Cook, William Morrow, 2007. Coached author on proposal |
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Jairemarie Pomo, The Hog Island Oyster Lover's Cookbook,
Ten Speed Press, 2007. Coached author on proposal |
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Linda Furiya, Bento Box in the Heartland, Seal Press,
2007. Edited manuscript before submission; coached author on proposal |
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Melissa Guerra, Dishes From the Wild Horse Desert, Wiley,
2006. Coached author on proposal; helped her find agent |
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Akasha Richmond, Hollywood Dish, Penguin Putnam/ Avery,
2006. Coached author on proposal |
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Terri Wuerthner, In a Cajun Kitchen, St. Martin's Press,
2006. Coached author on proposal |
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Patricia Sinclair, Baking Basics and Beyond,
Surrey Books, 2006. Winner of the 2006 Cordon D'Or Award for
Best Baking Cookbook. Coached author on proposal |
"I was very pleased with both Dianne's comments
and edits. She read my proposal and recipes carefully,
and was both thoughtful and thorough in her editing.
Dianne knows what editors look for and what they
want to read, in addition to what they dislike being
faced with. She grasped what my book was about and
what I was trying to achieve, and she kept both
in mind as she edited. Her editing was to-the-point,
relevant, and gave my work the professionalism and
polish it needed.
I would recommend her anytime."
- Terri Wuerthner,
Food and Travel Writer, Corte Madera, CA
"While I have been a published recipe developer
for many years, Dianne's editing taught me how to
improve both quality and tone. Overall, she showed
me how to make my style much friendlier and how
to lead readers into the recipe.
With Dianne's help, directions flowed better, particularly
when phrasing a technique. Her attention to recipe
details was very helpful.
I sent out my proposal and two New York agents wanted to represent
me. I enjoyed having to choose."
- Patricia Sinclair, Edina, Minnesota
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Food
writing background
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I started writing about food in
1978, when I became the editor of a city restaurant magazine. Since
then I have written freelance restaurant reviews, essays, profiles,
how to pieces, recipe columns, and co-authored a cookbook, Grilled Pizzas & Piadinas.
Today I edit cookbooks for publishers and individuals, I teach classes on food writing in the San
Francisco Bay area and online, and continue my culinary
education. I have been a speaker at conferences, including IACP and BlogHer Food.
I judge
books for the James Beard Foundation and the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ annual
cookbook awards. I've also judged the Bert Greene Award for Food Journalism and was a finalist in 2007. |
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Sample
articles
(Please
note that some of these are large PDF files and may take
some
time to download to your system):
Feeding
the Hungry, Gastronomica magazine
Mum's
Comfort Food
Uncork
Your Wine Knowledge
There's
Something about Mary's Kitchen
The
Mango Slurp Fest
The
Right Way To Buffet
Restaurant reviews:
Reviews
in San Francisco Weekly
Brass
Door, San Ramon
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