Cookbook Love Podcast

Welcome back to the Cookbook Love Podcast! Every time I teach a class, I ask my email list what's holding them back from writing their cookbook, and this time two emails stopped me: "I'm not a natural writer" and "I'm hesitant because of the words or correct grammar." If you've ever felt that way, this episode is for you. I share how I went from a D on a Scarlet Letter test to a career as a paid writer, and why the recipes and stories in your head belong on the page in your own words, not AI's. In this episode, I discuss: What "I'm not a natural writer" really means, and why grammar is a publishing worry, not a writing worry Four kinds of private writing that built my voice, including the diary that became the foundation of my first cookbook proposal, and what Joan Didion kept in her notebook Why Claude can give you a list of ingredients but can't tell your story of making them, and why publishers and ideal readers can tell the difference Your point of view is what makes your cookbook yours. So this week, pick up a notebook and a pen and start practicing your writing. The natural writer you want to be unfolds from there. Mentioned in This Episode: The Making of a Story by Alice LaPlante (includes Joan Didion's "On Keeping a Notebook") The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron Write for Life by Julia Cameron Kentucky Fresh Cookbook  

Welcome back to the Cookbook Love Podcast! Quick note before we begin: enrollment for Get Paid to Get Published closes very soon. If you dream of a publisher who pays you to write your cookbook, join us at the From Kitchen to Book Deal Masterclass.  Steph Pixley is back! Last time, on Episode 345, we talked about ATK's Baking for Two. Today we head inside America's Test Kitchen for a brand-new story: ATK's latest book, The New Cookie: Creative Takes on the Classics You Love. ATK's promise is simple: they make the mistakes so you don't have to. Steph takes us behind the scenes of how that happens, batch after batch, test after test. The New Cookie with 150 recipes, and it breaks the mold: the chapters are organized by texture, not flavor or occasion. Craving cakey? Chewy and gooey? Light and crisp? Flip straight to it. Think ice cream shop flavors, classic desserts reborn as cookies, and bakery-style beauties straight off your Instagram feed, all made doable in your own kitchen. Just in time for holiday cookie boxes! Steph Pixley is the executive food editor at America's Test Kitchen, where she works with a team of test cooks every day to develop recipes for cookbooks, the ATK website and app, and TV. She trained in culinary school but keeps her home cook hat on at all times, and her favorite part of the job is tasting food with her colleagues and brainstorming creative solutions to the everyday problems home cooks face. In this episode, we discuss: How a team of eight test cooks pushes a recipe to its breaking point, so your cookies turn out right the first time Why the salted malted chocolate chunk cookie took more than 60 tests, and the surprise chocolate choice behind it How long to rest cookie dough, and the point where rest time starts to hurt the texture Steph's secrets for a holiday cookie box that stays fresh, plus the one cookie that needs its own container Baking books were the top-selling cookbook segment in 2025, and The New Cookie shows why: a beloved classic, seen through a fresh lens, gives cooks a reason to buy another beloved cookie book.  Mentioned in This Episode: Get Paid to Get Published The New Cookie: Creative Takes on the Classics You Love by America's Test Kitchen Episode 345: Scaling Baking Recipes and Baking for Two with Steph Pixley of America's Test Kitchen Steph Pixley on Instagram, @pixleypics America's Test Kitchen on Instagram, @testkitchen Food Is a Feeling: Recipes & Stories, with Love by Carla Lalli Smitten Kitchen Keepers: New Classics for Your Forever Files by Deb Perelman          

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: 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. 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. 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