The Edit: Dianne Jacob
Guest Editor Series for IACP on Substack, Member Spotlights + More
When we joined Substack, we joined an already flourishing community of culinary professional colleagues — many of whom are IACP members. Each of us brings our point of view to food and to Substack. Introducing The Edit, a newsletter guest edited by contributors from the food world. To start things off, we invited longtime IACP member and food writing instructor, Dianne Jacob to take us into her newsletter. Dianne is an award-winning author of Will Write for Food, now in its fourth edition. She has co-authored two cookbooks and is an essayist with a background in journalism and magazine editing. See below for a glimpse at her most popular posts (paywall-removed for a limited time), see who’s on her Substack reading list and her recommendations. Interested in guest editing a future IACP newsletter? Email us at rsvp@iacp.com.
DIGEST
The Edit with Dianne Jacob
IACP Member Spotlight: Jimmy Proffitt & Carly Hackbarth
IACP Member Section Meeting Reminders
Americans are more obsessed with food than ever. Writers harness that interest, sometimes for big bucks and sometimes as an outlet for their own food journeys.
My Substack is for them: cookbook authors, recipe writers, freelance writers, bloggers, Substack writers, editors, literary agents and those who aspire to write about food. I write a free monthly newsletter, beginning with an essay about such topics as AI scams for writers, journalism techniques to try and how to find the hottest new cookbooks. Then comes a round-up of stories such as how to write clear, impactful personal essays, how an author got sued because of a trademarked title, and how an influencer liked to dine at restaurants and photograph food, but not pay for it.
Paid subscribers get a second monthly newsletter. It’s usually an interview with an editor, agent, or writer. Emily Weinstein surprised me when she said, “recipes need a light bulb moment,” and Dorie Greenspan delighted me and my readers as she explained how to “find the work you love doing.” These are locked posts for paid subscribers, but I have unlocked them until the morning of 02/23 so you can read them.
I also offer paid subscribers a monthly Office Hour through Substack, where readers can pitch me about a book or story idea, or discuss how to get published. And I give shoutouts to clients when their articles and new cookbooks appear. (Hi Mia Castro!)
More than four years ago, I moved to Substack from Wordpress. I combined my blog and newsletter readers and decided to be a relatively early adopter for once. Substack is easier to use and has an internal promotion system. I have tripled my audience!
Otherwise, I teach food writing and consult with people who want to get published. My multiple award-winning book is Will Write for Food, now in its fourth edition. I also co-wrote two cookbooks with a chef. My background is in journalism and magazine editing.
What I’m Reading:
David Lebovitz Newsletter. His writing is a master class on voice, humor and how to write about obsessions.
Kate McDermott’s Newsletter. Kate started out writing about pie and now covers joy, walks, music, gardening and more.
Beyond Babylon | Jewish Food Stories from Southeast Asia. Beautiful writing and recipes about Jewish life and foods mostly unknown in the U.S.
Substack Roll Call:
I subscribe to these professional Substacks:
Cookbookery Collective, by super-fan Jenna Helwig, a published cookbook author. She’s enthusiastic about trends and why cookbooks succeed
Not So Secret Agent, by Sally Ekus, a literary agent specializing in cookbooks. Sally’s writing on author tours, recipe testing and more is helpful to my clients and anyone who wants to write cookbooks
Everything Cookbooks, by four thoughtful cookbook authors who interview people in our business, including other authors, editors, agents and publicists
Headnotes, dedicated to the design and production of cookbooks, with gorgeous visuals and insights on what makes cookbooks beautiful.
How You Can Subscribe to Dianne Jacob on Substack:
This week only, for IACP members: Get a 20 percent annual discount to Dianne Jacob’s newsletter!
IACP’s pillars include access, education, and networking. Meet IACP members, Jimmy Proffitt and Carly Hackbarth. Jimmy is a digital media marketer by day and cookbook author and food blogger based in Tennessee. Carly is a San Francisco Bay Area-based food photographer. Learn more about Jimmy and Carly.
February IACP Section Meetings (& a Sneak Peek for One in March)
Each month our IACP members meet and learn from one another and others in the food community in our section meetings. Not a member yet? Consider joining us!
Thank you to our IACP Awards & Summit Sponsors
Thanks for the shout out!! Great to see so many IACP members here