If You Write, You Should Be Here

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It goes something like this: you and your closest girlfriends are sitting around at a table. You’ve brought your signature dish. They’re busily and hungrily diving into the delectable treasure, eating like greedy, starved pirates. Between bites, one entrepreneurial friend declares that you should publish the recipe. Not be left out, your other friend announces that you should publish a cookbook! You three laugh and agree. I mean, how hard could it be to write a cookbook? You’ve already got the recipes written, right? Just retype them, send ’em to a publisher, get some photos taken, print up 5,000 copies, sell, sell, sell, and make a couple thousand dollars. Easy as pie.

Not.

I spent this last year as a freelance writer. My husband nobly agreed that I could spend the summer of 2010 writing articles for different websites, such as Examiner and Livestrong. I searched out titles, wrote as furiously as my stamina would allow and my attention would focus. I think I made less than $5,000. Okay, I wasn’t getting into the mainstream publishing world, but that sort of wasn’t the point. I wanted to see if this were a gig for me. I know of some professional writers who do make a living writing. But not so much me.

But this isn’t to discourage you from writing or publishing your cookbook. The point of this post is that you should get into writing your cookbook with your eyes wide open. In fact, if you dive into writing and seeking a publisher for your cookbook or food book, then you should be equipped with a snorkel and flippers, too. And I know of just the event and workshop that you have got to attend before you start.

The event is called “From Pitch to Publish,” and it’s a Foodportunity Expression Workshop designed to provide you with insider tips on how to solidify your great idea into a pitch and how to get that pitch picked up by publishers. It’s on Monday, April 25th at 6:30pm in the Hyatt in Bellevue.

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Don’t worry, I’m not the guest speaker. Nay, the guest speaker is none other than Amy Treadwell, a publisher and editor for Chronicle Books. Pause for dramatic effect.

While I’m pausing, rush over to your cookbook stack and check out the side spine of your book. Among the publishers of your various cookbooks, you’ll probably find Chronicle Books. It’s a pretty hefty publishing company, responsible for books like Bakerella’s Cake Pops, Flour, Kathy Casey’s Northwest Table and Edible School Yard and publishing authors like Chefs Michael Chiarello and Alice Waters. So, now you know that this guest speaker comes with some impressive qualifications.

In addition to the workshop style presentation that she’ll be giving, Treadwell will be available to answer questions. This is a great time to take the pitch you’ve been working on to see if it has some legs to stand on. You’ll also have a chance to network with other potential writers, current published writers, and others.

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Although I’m probably not planning to write a cookbook within the next 6 months, I’m attending because I am in the “sponge mode.” I want to learn from writers that I meet, and I want to see what it takes to write a cookbook. Way back in the day, at an American Dietetic Association Conference in Riverside, CA, I attended a cookbook writing session. I’m just storing up knowledge for the day that I do decide to write or help a friend who is writing. I also know that it will help me as a food blogger and recipe writer.

I’m also attending because I want to see who the up-and-coming authors are. What are the good ideas coming from Seattle’s community of writers? Who is getting published soon? What books should I add to my ever-growing-but-never-shrinking (Insert Holiday here) Wish List? Who are the well-to-do published authors who got their starts with Chronicle Books? What tips could they provide?

I’m really excited about the event, too, because it’s unusual. I haven’t been swimming in the writers pond for very long, but I haven’t heard of publishers meeting with a room full of writing hopefuls to tell them how to convince the publishers that their books are the next great best sellers. I’m really grateful to Keren Brown and those involved for developing the workshop and providing the opportunity for us.

The event costs $25, and it is worth every penny. First, it’s being hosted in a nice location (Hyatt Bellevue) with food and beverage provided. Second, you’re getting a chance to chat with and learn from one of the editors who would be reviewing your pitched idea. This is like attending a study session when the professor tells you what’s going to be on the exam! Finally, as one wise Vice Chancellor of my Alma Mater told me recently: If you really want it and really want to achieve it, then no admission ticket cost is going to prevent you from going. So go.

In case you want the more official, detailed information, here’s the PSA for it. I hope you can attend. See you there. Then I’ll look for your book in about nine months. And speaking of books to look forward to, I’m waiting for The Food Lover’s Guide to Seattle.

To borrow and change the signature phrase of Cornichon, “What are you reading right now?”

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