Course Details

Writing a collection of great recipes is one thing; writing a cookbook that will be able to sell in this competitive marketplace is quite another. This three-hour seminar will cover all the steps necessary to transform your favorite recipes into a finished book. And there's no one better to guide you through the cookbook-publishing process than Melissa Clark, who has written more than 14 cookbooks and is the recipient of both the James Beard and Julia Child Cookbook awards.

In this seminar, you can expect to learn about:

• The Idea: Having great recipes is not nearly enough. You also need a strong idea to bind the recipes together. 
• Hiring an Agent: Do you really need one? It depends. We'll go over the options.
• Hiring a Collaborator: If you are a chef, should you hire a writer? And if you are a writer with an idea, is it worthwhile to hire a recipe developer? When should you ask for help?
• From Idea to Proposal: Now that you've got a killer idea, how do you go about selling it to a publisher? Writing a cookbook proposal is a distinct art, different from proposals of other kinds. We will go over the process step-by-step.
• Testing Recipes: If the recipes don't work, your book will flop, and you will cause much pain and confusion at dinner parties around the country. When does it make sense to hire a professional recipe tester? Is it worth the investment?
• Putting Recipes into Style: Strips of bacon or slices? Baking pans or baking dishes? Saute or cook? The details can drive you crazy. We will present you with tips for painlessly putting recipes into "cookbook style."
• The Writing Process: What makes a good headnote? How much do you need to say about that roasted chicken, anyway? Writing headnotes can seem like drudgery, or be a fulfilling and creative process, depending upon your attitude and talents.
• Photography: Great photography can make the difference between a best-selling book and one that sells only moderately well. We will also talk about illustrations.
• Copyediting (or, Why Copy Editors Are Out to Get You): So you think that once you've handed your manuscript in it's over? Think again.
• Publicity: The book is out; now you have to sell it!

We invite you to bring in a cookbook idea which we can workshop during class.

Instructor Bio

Melissa Clark's Courses

Melissa Clark writes about cuisine and other products of appetite. After a brief foray working as a cook in a restaurant kitchen and running a caterering business out of her fifth-floor walk-up, Melissa decided upon a more sedentary path. She earned an M.F.A. in writing from Columbia University and began a freelance food-writing career in 1993. Currently, she writes for The New York Times, Food & Wine, Wine & Spirits, Town & Country, and Martha Stewart Living. Melissa has also written seventeen cookbooks, including Chef, Interrupted, Chef's Recipes You Can Actually Make at Home, The Last Course, a collaboration with former Gramercy Tavern pastry chef Claudia Fleming, and East of Paris with David Bouley. Her collaboration with chef Peter Berley, The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen, received both a James Beard award and a Julia Child Cookbook award in 2000. She is currently working on another cookbook, titled Global Braise with Daniel Boulud. Clark was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.