Everything Cookbooks

Andrea Nguyen, Molly Stevens, Kate Leahy, Kristin Donnelly
  • 5.0 (118)
  • Books
  • Updated Weekly

A podcast for curious writers, readers, and cooks. Episodes provide behind-the-scenes information and stories about how cookbooks get made.

  1. 13h ago

    101: Pumpkin Spice and Hot Takes [re-release]

    We're back and starting off Season 6 with grab bag of topics with all our hosts. Kristin, Molly, Kate and Andrea discuss the pros and cons of the (potentially overfull) Fall cookbook season and how to emotionally prepare but keep expectations realistic on pub day while prioritizing celebration. We share our insights and experiences on contracts, printed errors, correction pages and wade into some existential territory as we discuss optional ingredients in recipe writing before diving back into one of our favorite topics, platform. Finally, we talk about the the current cookbook trends we're loving, upcoming releases we're looking forward to and court some potential controversy with our thoughts on pumpkin spice. [Originally aired 9/18/2024] Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella   Mentions Monique of Hardcover Cooks The Bojon Gourmet Pumpkin Spice Mix Cookbook Chronicles: The Science and Art and of Recipe Development, by Martin Sorge If Desired, by Joy Manning The Truth About Platform, by Kathleen Schmidt Kristin Donnelly's Newsletter   52: Matt Sartwell of Kitchen Arts and Letters 100: Advice from Our Listeners and Season 5 Wrap-Up 42: How to Write Recipe Titles 93: The Secret of Cooking with Bee Wilson 69: Writing a Menu Cookbook with Amy Thielen Subscribe to our weekly Substack newsletter for more information about each episode and a peek at what's coming up.   Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show Hungry Authors: The Indispensable Guide to Planning, Writing, and Publishing a Nonfiction Book by Liz Morrow and Ariel Curry Banjan: 60 Korean American Recipes for Delicious, Shareable Sides by Caroline Choe The Chinese Way by Betty Liu

  2. Aug 12

    89: Insights From Cookbook Editor Sarah Kwak of Harvest [re-release]

    Molly and Kristin speak with Sarah Kwak, a senior editor at Harvest an imprint of Harper Collins, to find out what the editing process is like. Sarah shares how she ended up at her current role, the focus Harvest has for cookbooks and what authors should keep mind regarding their proposal assembly before submission. She discusses her thoughts on comp titles, overcoming past book sales, multifaceted ways to grow a platform and what compels her to spend over two years working on a specific project. Finally, she talks about trends in the food world, the changes in the economy of publishing and her advice along with the books she is excited to release this year. [Originally aired 5/8/2024] Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella   Mentions Sarah Kwak Harvest an imprint of Harper Collins Episode 09: Cookbook Editing Tips from Jennifer Sit Episode 48: Abi Balingit on Learning as You Go Subscribe to our weekly Substack newsletter for more information about each episode and a peek at what's coming up   Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show Mayumu by Abi Balingit The Book on Pie by Erin McDowell Jacques Pépin Art of the Chicken by Jacques Pépin Hot Sheet by Olga Massov and Sanaë Lemoine

  3. Aug 5

    75: Food Trends: Do They Matter When You Write a Cookbook? [re-release]

    In our last episode of 2023, Kate, Kristin and Molly discuss food trends and how they apply to the cookbook world. Whether it's butter boards, nacho tables, "girl dinner" or baked potato bars these stunt foods can loom large yet die quickly in the public consciousness. They discuss ideas on identifying trends, how to capitalize on them and the importance of keeping a variety of demographics in mind when working on "trendy" topics. Finally, we list some things we're looking forward to in 2024. [Originally aired 12/27/2023] Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella   Mentions Kristin Donnelly's Cookbook Proposal Class Subscribe to our weekly Substack newsletter for more information about each episode and a peek at what's coming up   Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show Beautiful Boards by Maegan Brown Everyday Snack Board by Largeman-Roth Rdn Frances Koreatown by Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard

  4. Jul 29

    179: Answering Your Cookbook Questions

    The whole team, Kate, Kristin, Molly and Andrea, recap a few of their favorite episodes from this past season and answer listener questions. They chat about their mixed feelings for copy editors, the discussions they had about a recent Instagram story about recipe writing rigor and call out what they learned from a few recent interviews. The hosts then open up the mail bag and give their answers on recipe adaption and attribution, the idea of 'picking brains', including previously published dishes in a book and share how they add some flourish to their own book signings. Before signing off they shout-out an upcoming virtual event and share a note about what listeners can expect during our summer hiatus. See you in September for Season 10! Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella   Mentions Subscribe to our weekly Substack newsletter for more information about each episode and a peek at what's coming up. 174: On Being a Copyeditor with Melissa Haskin 170: Becoming a Food Photographer While Writing a Debut Cookbook with Saeng Douangdara 121: The Burnout Episode 172: Blurbs: Do They Actually Matter? 177: Collective Book Studio with Angela Engel and Amy Treadwell Ali Slagle Post Sally Ekus IACP Talk with Kate Leahy and Abby Cerquitella on August 19, 2026   Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show The Lost Kitchen by Erin French Ammazza! by Hillary Sterling The Perfect Loaf by Maurizio Leo 100 Cookies by Sarah Keiffer

  5. Jul 22

    178: Comic Book Cookbooks with Sarah Becan

    Molly and Kate speak with Sarah Becan about her illustrator origin story. She explains her early love for sequential storytelling, the book that inspired her to create her own work and what drew her to food as a topic. She shares her love for the medium, how she got into the cookbook sphere by first partnering with a local restaurant and why she eventually decided to work solo. An avid lover and participant in the comic community, Sarah takes us step by step through her creative process; selecting the right recipes to illustrate and all of the considerations involved, the decision to drawing digitally or by hand along with all of the specs, editing, timeline, tools and workflow that happen behind the scenes. She discusses the pros and cons of writing solo or with a partner, why she developed her own typeface and leaves us with some advice for aspiring illustrators and comic artists. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella   Mentions Sara Becan Website I Think You're Saucesome Instagram Toronto Comic Art Festival Studio Ghibli Food A Brief History of Graphic Cookbooks, by Charlotte Druckman in the Washington Post   Subscribe to our weekly Substack newsletter for more information about each episode and a peek at what's coming up.   Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show The Adventures of Fat Rice by Abraham Conlon and Adrienne Lo Let's Make Ramen! by Hugh Amano and Sarah Becan Let's Make Dumplings! by Hugh Amano and Sarah Becan Let's Make Bread! by Ken Forkish and Sarah Becan Let's Make Cocktails! by Sarah Becan Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat Dirt Candy by Amanda Cohen Cook Korean! by Robin Ha The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

  6. Jul 15

    177: Collective Book Studio with Angela Engel and Amy Treadwell

    Molly and Kate go behind the scenes of a partnership publishing house as they speak about the Cookbook Collective with its founder, Angela Engel, and its editorial director, Amy Treadwell. Angela shares a bit of her background and her impetus for creating a more collaborative publishing model before walking us through some industry terms as she banishes stigma and describes the differences in her approach. Amy tells us how she got involved with the collective, what she tackles on the editorial side and how this changes her working relationship with authors. They both speak about the partnership and custom avenues, how they differ from traditional publishing and give us a broad overview of the process of expenses, distribution, submissions, acquisitions, design and drive before leaving us with a thought on the special, unique story that a physical cookbook can communicate. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella   Mentions The Collective Book Studio   Episode 02: Do You Need a Cookbook Agent? Episode 148: Heartland Masala with Jyoti Mukharji & Auyon Mukharji Episode 56: Hybrid Publishing with Vasudha Viswanath   Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show Heartland Masala, by Joyti and Auyon Muhkarji Vegetarian Reset, by Vasudha Viswanath 52 Shabbats, by Faith Kramer 20 Amici, 40 Ricette, by John Bersani Modern Hippie, by Lauren Thomas Nosh, by Micah Siva Aebleskiver, by Pim Pauline Overgaard

  7. Jul 8

    176: The Author-Editor Relationship with Alana Kysar and Kelly Snowden

    Kate and Molly speak with author Alana Kysar and her editor Kelly Snowden about their professional relationship after working on two cookbooks together. Alana shares why she initially didn't think she had a second book in her and what she hopes this new vegetable focused book adds to the Hawaiian food conversation. Kelly talks about first connecting with Alana's proposal, the elements she brought to the project and the timeline of the process. Both of them discuss the lessons learned from book one and how they helped in the sequel's creation, how they worked together and some best practices for a strong, continuing working relationship. Alana talks about the recipe selection and testing, the design and structural decisions and the approachability of her photography while Kelly explains her thoughts on option clauses, comp titles and what she sees as her mission while working on a book. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella   Mentions Alana Kysar Website Instagram   Ten Speed Press 4 Color Books   Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show Aloha Veggies, by Alana Kysar Aloha Kitchen, by Alana Kysar Kimi's Kitchen, by Kimi Werner Whole Food Cooking Every Day, by Amy Chaplin

  8. Jul 1

    175: Inside Ella Quittner’s Obsession with the Best

    Kristin and Molly speak with writer Ella Quittner about her new book, Obsessed with the Best, and the work and intent behind it. They get right into the nitty gritty details of the book; its origins, proposal, the research and testing involved and its unorthodox release date and promotional experience. Ella talks about blending personal stories and journalistic research, the vast testing process and how it was organized and a peek at her cookbook collection and its own organization. She takes listeners through the photography and design choices, the editing and formatting decisions and finally leaves us with how the experience of commodifying herself has led her to a more thoughtful, intentional approach to future projects. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella   Mentions Ella Quittner Website Instagram   Taste podcast interview with Ella Quittner Cherry Bombe Radio interview with Ella Quittner Milk Street Radio interview with Ella Quittner   Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show Obsessed with the Best, by Ella Quittner More than Cake by Natasha Pickowicz

See All (202)

Trailer

5
out of 5
118 Ratings

About

A podcast for curious writers, readers, and cooks. Episodes provide behind-the-scenes information and stories about how cookbooks get made.

Information

  • Creator
    Andrea Nguyen, Molly Stevens, Kate Leahy, Kristin Donnelly
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    202
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2022 Everything Cookbooks
  • Show Website
    Everything Cookbooks