ASLU 064: Creative Canadian Women - Author & Writing Coach Dianne Jacob

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Editor’s Note: Some links in this article may be affiliate links. Full disclosure is located at the end of the article.

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This week’s episode features Vancouver born and raised author and writing coach, Dianne Jacob. Melissa and Dianne sit down to talk about her writing career, the launch of the latest edition of her most well-known book as well as the challenges that face so many writers in today’s publishing world: finding your voice, writing for SEO while showcasing your personality, deciding on the right publishing path and the winding path that most professional writers find their careers on.

Now living in California, Dianne is a sought after writing coach who specializes in cookbook proposals but she is also the author of the award-winning book, Will Write for Food: Pursue Your Passion and Bring Home the Dough Writing Recipes, Cookbooks, Blogs and More. She has also co-authored two cookbooks with chef Craig Priebe and has judged cookbooks for the James Beard Foundation and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Previously a newspaper, magazine and publishing company editor-in-chief, she has a blog and free newsletter aimed at food writers and bloggers.

With the launch of the 4th edition of this complete compendium on how to write about food (and get paid!) Dianne has added an entire chapter on creating a strong voice for your writing (and that includes photography!), tips on self-publishing a cookbook, and a collection of diverse voices on the changing landscape of food writing. Like the last edition, the book also includes an extensive list of ways to earn money writing about food as well as tips on growing a following, a walk through the traditional publishing process and engaging writing exercises to help you hone your craft.

She also writes the Will Write For Food blog, which is packed with writing resources for anyone writing about food, with contributing articles from working food writers all over the globe. And Dianne publishes a regular newsletter on food writing (you can sign up for free here and it truly is a fantastic newsletter - each issue contains an exceptionally well-curated list of links on the craft of food writing.)

If you’re interested in Dianne’s coaching services visit her website for more information (mention the And She Looked Up Podcast for a 10% discount)

If you just want the links to the resources mentioned in this episode, scroll down to the bottom.

Listen To the Episode

Here’s a direct link to Episode 644 . You can also listen via the player below or on your favourite podcast app (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, and more). Just search for And She Looked Up!

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find your voice…

and use it.

In this episode we cover…

In this episode :

  • Dianne shares stories of growing up in Vancouver in the 1960s as the daughter of an Iraqi Jewish couple who had immigrated to Vancouver from their birthplace in Shanghai(to parents who had immigrated to Shanghai from India) and how that shaped her appreciation of food (read her multi-award winning short piece The Meaning of Mangoes for a vivid food memoir of her parents)

  • the start of her career as a journalist working for newspapers all over metro Vancouver and BC’s Fraser Valley and her first foray into writing restaurant reviews

  • how she found herself in California, first working temp jobs and later working for a home and garden magazine, becoming the editor international off-roading magazine (and later an ebook publishing editor in the how-to niche)

  • sexism and gatekeepers in the publishing industry

  • her path to self-employment and figuring out what her niche would be

  • how food writing has dramatically shifted in the last 15 years with the rise of food blogging (and how professional, polished and lucrative food blogging can be)

  • how Dianne saw a niche she could fill by helping and coaching food writers and bloggers - particularly bloggers and chefs who had the platform to write and sell a cookbook but didn’t know how to go about getting publishing contract.

  • How Will Write For Food was born and how the book has evolved over the last 15 years in response to the changing landscape of food writing

  • why it was so important to focus on Voice in this edition particularly as the field of food writing has become so saturated as well as so focused on appealing to SEO

  • why voice and storytelling are not the same and why a strong voice and writing for SEO are not mutually exclusive

  • how you can figure out what your voice is and how to develop it

  • why you need to invest in improving your writing when your business revolves around your ability to write

  • the importance of reading in developing your writing

  • some of the more unique ways food writers are earning income from their words

  • the need for diversity in food writing and how the food writing wold has come under fire recently for lack of diversity, white-washing and appropriation

  • finding ways to bring more diverse voices to the forefront

  • newsletter and meal plan subscription services

  • self-publishing - particularly in the cookbook sphere where production has typically been very expensive and new hybrid models of publishing

Mentioned In This Episode

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Podcast Episode, Inspiring WomenMelissa HartfielY2S2, creative enterpreneurshp, writing, food writingComment