How To Write a Cookbook: 7 Tips From a Veteran Author (and ICE Alum)

As a cookbook author myself, I know how daunting that writing process can be. 

I authored “The Official Netflix Cookbook,” penned the cookbook text for an appliance company, and provided recipe testing and development, project management, and general cookbook doula / life coaching for numerous others. I have seen this work from a host of different angles and starting points — and thus know that it is simultaneously challenging and deeply rewarding.

For the sake of the cookbook writing advice I’ll share below, let’s say you’ve already built your brand, honed your writing (in a blog or Substack), and written a well-researched book proposal. Let’s also say that you have an agent and a book publisher. (Congratulations!)

These 7 tips are meant to help you navigate the next “how to write a cookbook” bit — a phase that is both wonderful and exhausting, and that can last several months. 

Cookbook Writing Tip #1: Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

This is a truth and a permission slip all in one. Even if you’re a professional chef and/or a seasoned food writer, a cookbook is a massive undertaking. It is not uncommon — and is very much okay — to ask for help.  

As you start organizing yourself, think about where you might need support. 

Do you need someone to help test recipes or do the dishes after testing? Do you need a writer to help you craft the book’s non-recipe stories? Maybe you need a project manager to keep things moving, or a trusted friend who can talk you off the ledge when you’re stuck or overwhelmed? Needs vary from author to author, project to project. 

If you want to write a cookbook someday but don’t feel ready, co-authoring alongside another cookbook writer is a great way to learn the ropes. I love helping cookbook authors get their dream projects across the finish line — and this is a whole line of work within itself. 

Cookbook Writing Tip #2: Set realistic mini deadlines.

When I start a cookbook project, I make a list of smaller, “mini” deadlines (that are each a part of the “due-to-my-editor” deadline). This helps keep the work on track. 

You can make each chapter a mini deadline; each set of 10 recipes a mini deadline; each group of pages (e.g., index, TOC, glossary) a mini deadline; etc. — and celebrate your success when you hit each of them, which will help keep you motivated and on schedule. 

Additionally, build in deadline buffers so that your writing timeline isn’t derailed when unplanned obstacles arise — because they will. 

During my last collaboration project, we had three major interruptions: a broken oven; extreme flu season; and holidays (because the preceding two interruptions pushed our production back). However, thanks to our built-in deadline buffers, we still turned the manuscript in on time. 

Good preplanning goes a long way. 

Cookbook Writing Tip #3: Buy these 4 essentials — in bulk!

You can’t buy your way out of deadlines, but there are a few things that have made my cookbook writing experience easier and more efficient:

• Stress mat: thick rubber mats, widely available online, can make being on your feet all day more comfortable.
• Big box store-sized soap, sponges, and paper towels: You will do a lot of dishes every day. (I recommend getting some good hand lotion or dishwashing gloves, too.)
• Precut parchment sheets: Not needed for every project, but when parchment is called for, splurging on precut is worth it, IMO. I used half a package during a recent project, and every flat, no-cut piece was a delight.
• Screen wipes for your computer and phone: Cooking is messy, and our electronics are not always spared.

Cooking Tip #4: Make a plan for using all the food you make.

Sure, you can and will eat some of the recipes you test. But both your fridge and your stomach have limits, and when you make something for the third or fourth time, it’s sometimes preferable to give it away. 

My strategy? I live in a cooperative apartment building (aka co-op) in New York City that has more than 60 units. When I have food to share, I send a photo and a brief description to the building’s email list, and neighbors come to my door with their plates. The benefit is two-fold: I get to know my neighbors, and very little food goes to waste. 

If your living situation is less communal, consider buying Tupperware and building your own list of friends, family, and neighbors — then put out a call when you have extras. 

Cookbook Writing Tip #5: Get ready for things to change.

Even the best planned, most meticulously organized cookbooks can evolve during development. 

Sometimes you drive the change: a beloved recipe concept falls flat when you cook it, or you have a new recipe concept that absolutely must be incorporated into the book. (Check with your editor before going all in on the latter.)

Conversely, sometimes the change comes from someone else. Midway through writing the Netflix cookbook, I was told that the streaming service didn’t have the rights to reference the episode of “Street Food” that inspired a recipe I’d already researched, written and tested. I had to scrap the recipe — and chalk it up to a learning experience. 

Cookbook Writing Tip #6: At some point, this may feel like a bad idea.

It’s likely that, at some point during the cookbook writing process, you’ll have a crisis of confidence. There will be a recipe that just won’t work or that you will start to resent. Even if you really love your subject, you will probably wonder at least once: “Am I totally out of my mind? Is this the worst idea anyone has ever had? Will anyone buy this cookbook?” 

This is where the helpers I referenced earlier make all the difference. Check in with your agent or editor; ask a trusted colleague to help you with a recipe that is keeping you up at night; and know that it’s going to be okay.  

Why? Because someone gave you a contract and an advance, and they didn’t do it to be nice. 

They did it because you have a great idea for an excellent cookbook. You’ve got this!

Cookbook Writing Tip #7: Think about what comes after the book.

Looking back, Culinary Arts program alum and eight-time cookbook author Jody Eddy wishes she had captured more video when she was traveling with photographer Kristin Teig for her book, “Elysian Kitchens: Recipes Inspired by the Traditions and Tastes of the World’s Sacred Spaces.” 

She told me that she would have used the video for “book-related events, promotion, and other marketing.” 

Learning comes from living, of course, which is why, for her latest project, she added a videographer as part of the cookbook’s marketing proposal. 

Cookbook Writing Tip #8: Picking a cover is hard.

This is a sneaky one. 

Why? Because you’ve done all the cooking and writing; the photo shoot is wrapped up; and the book is being designed. The heavy lifting is over. And the cover is just one page with one picture, right? 

Right. And also, wrong. 

Your book’s cover is its elevator pitch, its first impression. 

Deb Perelman, creator of Smitten Kitchen and author of three New York Times best-selling cookbooks puts it this way: “If there’s a picture of cake, it looks like a baking book; and if there’s a steak, it’s going to alienate people who don’t want steak; and if it’s a salad, it can (but not always!) put people to sleep; and pancakes make it look like a breakfast book.”

Overthinking things? “Always,” says Deb. 

But she’s also right. Deciding on your cookbook cover's style, image and layout is a big deal. 

It’s also one of the last hurdles in the cookbook writing process — and if you've made it this far, you’re nearly done. 

So go forth, grab your knives, and get started on that cookbook you’ve been thinking of for ages. Half of doing is the starting.