The Food Writers Business Lab is an online community for food writers who want practical, affordable guidance for growing their businesses, expanding their audience, and building sustainable careers.
Here you’ll find classes and workshops taught by experienced food writers who understand the unique challenges and opportunities of this industry. It’s education for food writers taught by food writers.
How the Food Writers Business Lab Works
The idea is simple: practical, hands-on workshops designed to help you make meaningful progress in your business.
Throughout the year, experienced food writers lead workshops on topics like SEO, food photography, cookbook publishing, platform building, creative recipe writing, video, organizational strategies, creating digital products, and other skills essential to building a sustainable food writing business.
Each workshop is divided into two parts.
Part One: Learn
The first session is a 90-minute live Zoom class focused on teaching practical strategies you can put to work immediately. You’ll leave with clear instruction, real-world examples, and homework designed to help you apply what you’ve learned to your own business.
Every Part One session is included with your Food Writers Business Lab membership. For $150 a year you can attend as many live classes as you’d like, or watch the recordings later if you can’t make it in real time.
Part Two: Working Session
One to two weeks later, participants have the opportunity to join a small-group working session.
This is my favorite part.
Bring your homework, your questions, your roadblocks, and your challenges. Together, we’ll review what you’ve implemented, troubleshoot challenges, and exchange ideas. You’ll receive hands-on guidance from the instructor and benefit from the experience of the other food writers in the room.
Rather than simply learning new concepts, you’ll leave with real progress already underway.
Participation in the hands-on working session is optional and costs $50. Every dollar from these sessions goes directly to the instructor leading the workshop as compensation for their time and energy.
Business Strategy Meetings
Once a month, paid members have the opportunity to gather to tackle real business and marketing challenges together. We share ideas, troubleshoot roadblocks, test strategies, and help each other make better decisions about where to invest our time and energy.
Membership
The Food Writers Business Lab is available through the paid subscription tier of Mastermind for Food Writers.
An annual membership costs $150 and includes:
Unlimited access to every Part One instructional workshop throughout the year
Access to recordings of every instructional session
The opportunity to register for optional Part Two working sessions for $50 each
Access to monthly Business Strategy Meetings
In addition, once a week, I host a 30-minute coffee chat with one paid subscriber over Substack LIVE where we talk about who they are, what their work is about, and their thoughts about what it means to be a food writer today.
Paid subscribers are also featured, in revolving groups of 4-5, as recommended publications to new subscribers.
Whether you’re building your audience, improving your photography, writing a cookbook proposal, strengthening your SEO, or creating new income streams, the Food Writers Business Lab is designed to give you practical education you can use immediately and a community of people who understand exactly what you’re building and why you’re building it.
Upcoming Class Topics
The Food Writers Business Lab is self-funded. This means that the income generated through paid subscriptions directly supports the instructors who teach the classes. So, the number of classes scheduled are dependent on the number of paid subscriptions generated. New classes are added as our paid membership grows.
It’s just one more way we can support one another.
Upcoming topics include:
SEO for Food Writers
Food Photography
Brand & Platform Building
Writing a Cookbook Proposal
Cookbook Marketing
Organizational Strategies for Food Writers
Creative Recipe Writing
Self-publishing
Video for Food Writers
Creating Products & eBooks
Teaching Paid Cooking Classes
Check out the class calendar for all scheduled classes. Classes are free for paid subscribers, but registration is required.
FAQs
Q: What does it mean that the Food Writers Business Lab is self-funded?
A: This means that the income generated through paid subscriptions directly supports the instructors who teach the classes. So, the number of classes we can offer depends on the number of paid subscriptions. New classes are added as our paid membership grows.
50% of paid subscription revenue, after Substack and Stripe fees, goes to running the program. This includes compensation for Rebecca’s time.
Instructors are paid $300 to teach Part One of every class.
A new class is added with every 5 new paid subscriptions. Here’s the breakdown:
5 new paid subscriptions at $150 each = $750
Substack’s 10% + Stripe fees = $105 (*This is approximate. Stripe fees vary slightly and include an additional $.30 for recurring transactions.)
Revenue from 5 new paid subscriptions = $645
50% goes to program costs and Rebecca’s compensation = $322.50
The remaining 50% ($322.50) funds a new class. Instructors are paid $300 and the remaining $22.50 is reserved for another future class.
Q: How are class instructors chosen?
A: Instructors are chosen based on their level of demonstrated expertise in topics of interest to members of Mastermind For Food Writers.
For example, I know that food photography, writing a cookbook proposal, building your platform, and growing your readership are all subjects our members want to learn more about. To create classes on these topics, I look for instructors with demonstrated expertise in these areas. Most instructors are already members of Mastermind For Food Writers.
If you are interested in teaching a class, please reach out to me directly. You can send me a direct message through Substack, or send an email to rebecca.blackwell5@gmail.com.
Q: Can I access recordings even if I can’t attend a live class?
A: Yes! All Part One sessions are recorded and made available to everyone who has upgraded to a paid subscription. As classes are added, this library will continue to grow and become an invaluable resource for all of us!
Additionally, if your schedule doesn’t allow you to participate in a live class you can watch the recording and still participate in the second part if you choose. Recordings are generally available for members to watch within a day or two of the live class.
Q: Why does the second part of every class cost an additional $50?
A: After teaching several Food Writers Business Lab classes, I’ve found that the two-part workshop structure works exceptionally well for everyone who wants to not only learn something new but begin applying it within their business right away.
We retain new information by applying it. So Part One of every class ends with a homework assignment that is designed to help you apply what you’ve learned to your own business. The second part is a working session, and it’s honestly my favorite part.
As in every single Mastermind Meeting, I learn something new every time another food writer generously shares their own perspective, ideas, or suggestions. The second session is a chance to ask questions, get feedback, and work through the challenges that inevitably arise as you put new ideas into practice. You’ll receive hands-on guidance from the instructor and benefit from the experience of the other food writers in the room.
However, not everyone wants to participate in the second part. And sometimes their schedules simply won’t allow it. By separating the two parts of the class, I am able to keep the cost of your annual subscription as low as possible and give you the choice of participating in the second part or not. If you choose to participate in the second part of a class, know that every single dollar goes straight to the instructor.
It’s the best way I’ve found to keep the cost of a paid subscription low while fairly compensating instructors for their time and expertise.
Easy upgrade for me, I love what y'all are doing!