BREAK INTO COOKBOOKS: ADVICE FROM A COOKBOOK WRITER AND EDITOR

Interview by Pamela White

Laura S. Wharton is a food writer, cookbook writer and editor, and is currently working on a cookbook of North Carolina waterfront restaurants. She was kind enough to consent to an interview and her answers offer insight into the spirit that drives food writers.

Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed. First, could you share with us about your beginnings as a food writer?

LW: My experience as a freelance writer of magazine articles and CD-ROM’s on historic cities often involves food, restaurant reviews, and travel. I’ve met so many wonderful people in the restaurant business who were excited to share their special dishes with visitors, so writing about food has become a natural part of every trip. Cookbooks evolved from that experience.

FW: We’re interested in how cookbook writing and editing hopefuls can break into this area of food writing?

LW: Getting into print only takes persistence. The easiest way is to start with a small local newspaper. Offer to review a restaurant (do it positively), or suggest a column that includes recipes from local restaurants. Not only is this a good public relations ploy for a newspaper, but restaurants love to get their name in print. When I was a “lifestyles section” editor for a medium-sized newspaper, I started a feature that included a short piece each week on a local eatery. Comments from readers were favorable on this project, and it gave my young freelance writers experience they needed for bigger stories I assigned them later on. From this experience, writing for magazines is a small leap. Do this first to build clips, then head
toward cookbook publishers to show them you can do the work they need done. Building a name in writing is important, but what’s better is to build proof of your abilities. Rather than submitting a traditional resume, create a simple flyer that shows writing accomplishments. It’s a trick that will help writers stand out among competition. The other option is to create a cookbook and publish it yourself, but that’s another story altogether.

I love freelance writing, and truly enjoy working on cookbooks. Typesetting can be tedious, but since someone else does that for me, I get the fun of taste-testing recipes, interviewing chefs who are far better at cooking then me, and the occasional free meal - now that’s a perk not all writers can claim.

FW: Any other advice you have for food writers?

LW: Write about what you love, what you know. If you love to cook, or love to eat, then food writing may be the way to go. If you are considering self-publishing your own cookbook, you need to learn everything you can before you start, so learn from the master: Dan Poynter, Parapublishing. He has an informative website for anyone interested in this route.
© Pamela White, 2006

 About the author: Pamela White published Food Writing, the free ezine for food writers from her website: http://www.food-writing.com/ She teaches food writing classes, and her book, Make Money as a Food Writer in Six Lessons, is available at Amazon.com .