Nobody Said This Was Going to Be Easy
I am deep into the first round of edits for my next cookbook, Faces, Places, and Plates – A South Indian Road Trip, and I’ve taken a little time out to write this because I’m in constant need of little pep talks. I’ve done this before. I can do it again.
I hope these rules, earned through copious amounts of flour-dusted aprons, dishes washed and coffee-stained pages, will help any aspiring cookbook authors out there. You never know; they might even keep you from throwing your laptop out the window one day.
- It’s not going to write itself. It’s up to you, fool.
- You have to make time to write and space to write. Time does not make itself or magically appear. There’s no cozy cabin in the woods that’s yours and yours alone to escape to. It’s the kitchen table, the cold room in the attic, or your laptop in the passenger seat until your battery goes kaput on a road trip. It’s 15 minutes here and an hour there. It’s early morning, Sunday afternoon, Friday evening, or all night before the deadline. Just stick to it.
- A little time is better than no time. A sentence, a paragraph, a page; they’re all better than no words.
- Shitty first drafts are awesome because they’re an actual start. You’ll never finish if you don’t start.
- You’d better love your topic because it’s going to be with you for a long time.
- It might take a long time, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth the effort. Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking took nine years to develop, but since its publication in 1961 (the year I was born), it is reported to have sold over 2.5 million copies.
- Editors are worth their weight in gold, but by gosh, you need to be kind and respectful and hand in something that’s been spell-checked and grammar-checked. God knows, you’ll make enough other mistakes. At least pick off the low-hanging fruit.
- The changes you need to make after edits won’t get done themselves. It’s best to attack them like your life depends on it.
- Unless you’re a Pulitzer or Nobel Prize winner, nobody is going to send you on a paid book tour. Do whatever you can afford to promote your book. Lean into digital audiences. Create a Goodreads account. Build relationships with readers, booksellers, libraries, media and culinary communities. Feed your social media feed.
- The only way out (to a published book) is to go through all the steps in the process. You have to sit through the struggle to find the right words and explanations and continuously strive for clarity and completion. When edits come back with things you’ve not thought of, be grateful. Your book is going to be better because someone slightly removed can see things you, down in the weeds, cannot.
Bear down, think it through, and get it done. Be available for the year of editing, designing and print changes that happen before you hold your beautiful book baby in your hands. I promise it will be worth it.
P.S. I wrote this instead of working on my own cookbook edits. Apparently, even cookbook authors need reminding of Rule #1 and most pressingly #8!
