What's Happening This Week
Monday, July 27, 2026
Hello everyone,
In last week’s Mastermind Meeting, I announced that I was restructuring The Food Writers Business Lab as a paid subscription tier for Mastermind For Food Writers. I feel really good about this change because it makes the classes more accessible while ensuring fair compensation for the instructors.
We also talked about a bunch of other interesting things including the best strategies for using Substack Recipe Cards, the new Audience Specific Content Block, and more. As usual, it was an interesting discussion with lots of shared ideas. The replay is available here…
Monthly Mastermind Meetings are free for all to join and will continue to be free for all to join.
Liza Debevec, the facilitator for the Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific Meeting, is taking a much deserved break in August, so there will only be one meeting next month.
Here are the details for the August meeting:
*Meetings are free to join but registration is required.
Wednesday, August 12: 11:00am, New York (Eastern Standard Time)
Meeting hosted by Rebecca Blackwell
Follow this link to register for this meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/o9ceFG9dSUCkkPKOWWMRTg
After you register for the meeting, you will receive an email that will allow you to add the meeting to your calendar in your time zone.
Big changes for the Food Writers Business Lab
I launched the Food Writers Business Lab earlier this year in partnership with Write Up. If you’re not familiar with Write Up, it’s a community of writers, authors, and industry professionals offering support in navigating the world of traditional publishing. I LOVE the Write Up community. I am a member and one of their Advisors in Residence. Partnering with them to launch The Food Writers Business Lab made a lot of sense.
The idea behind The Food Writers Business Lab is simple: Practical, hands-on workshops designed to help you make meaningful progress in your business. Workshops are for food writers and taught by fellow food writers.
The problem with housing the workshops within the Write Up community is that they weren’t as accessible as I wanted them to be and I couldn’t guarantee fair compensation for the instructors.
The mismatch was that I was trying to build a co-op within a membership community. Both excellent models, but not the same thing.
Once I realized my mistake, I moved quickly to move The Food Writers Business Lab here and establish it as a self-funded co-op. 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.
I’ve created a section within Mastermind For Food Writers that’s dedicated to The Food Writers Business Lab. Here’s where you’ll find it:
The Food Writers Business Lab is built on collaboration and full transparency. I’ve included a FAQ section in the Start Here page with a complete breakdown of how paid subscription dollars are put to work funding new classes.
Many of you have already stepped up and upgraded to a paid subscription. You have successfully funded the first three classes under this new model. Thank you. ❤️
Substack LIVE Cookbook Proposal Q&A
Watch the replay from this LIVE Q&A whereI asked Kelsey Erin Shipman about the most important considerations when writing a cookbook proposal. A few of the things we talked about:
The most important things to consider when deciding to write a cookbook proposal.
The importance of having a clear concept, and what “clear concept” even means.
What it means to build a platform and how to think about building your platform as a passion project not a chore.
Realistic timelines for writing a cookbook proposal.
When is the right time to reach out to an agent?
And, most importantly, where to start if you are feeling overwhelmed.
Having worked on dozens of proposals in her career, Kelsey is one of the most insightful and knowledgeable people you’ll meet on this topic, and in this LIVE Q&A she offers the kind of inside information that can be difficult to find.
DIY Cookbook Proposals
Starts on August 7!
Writing a cookbook proposal is different from writing a cookbook. It requires a different set of skills. But, they’re skills anyone can learn. Whether you’re a chef, recipe developer, food writer, content creator, or culinary professional, you can write a compelling cookbook proposal yourself. You just need to know what agents and editors are looking for and have a roadmap for getting there.
In this two-part Food Writers Business Lab workshop, cookbook collaborator and book proposal consultant Kelsey Erin Shipman will walk you through every section of a cookbook proposal, using a her proprietary Book Proposal Checklist, developed after years of writing and consulting on dozens of book proposals. Together, we’ll cover everything from your hook and audience to recipe organization, competitive titles, marketing strategy, and visual direction, with a focus on what makes cookbook proposals different from other nonfiction proposals.
The Food Readers Book Club!
This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with other members over good books!
Personally, I can’t think of a more enjoyable way to spend my time than with fellow food writers talking about books about food. The Food Readers Book Club is organized by Liza Debevec and Linda Naylor, who have volunteered their time to make this book club happen. ❤️
The first book we read was Around the Table by Diana Henry.
Now we are reading Apricots on the Nile by Collete Rossant.
The next meeting will be on September 30, 4:00pm UK, 8:00am PST.
Mark your calendars and watch for registration information in early August.
Remember that the Mastermind for Food Writers chat is a great place to ask questions, get feedback, share ideas, and connect with other food writers on Substack.
Have a wonderful week!