How to Pitch Your Cookbook Idea To Publishers (and Land That Elusive Contract)

Every chef, cook and home cook that I know has an idea for a cookbook. Sometimes it’s a theme or a narrative that guides the recipes they will later develop. Sometimes it starts with the recipes, and the narrative is woven in later.

For me, it was a little of both. Working at restaurants over the years, I would often think up with menu ideas when I got home late at night. Occasionally, I chronicled those ideas, writing a narrative paragraph about each idea or or adding them to the growing list of dishes I hoped to later write recipes for.

I always had a theme in mind for my cookbook, but I didn’t know how to begin the process of writing and publishing it.

After about 13 years in restaurants, I began attending industry events. I was no longer focused solely on working and catching up on the sleep and laundry that had fallen behind on my one day off each week. I started meeting other professionals that I didn’t work directly with — writers, agents, lawyers, entrepreneurs, food and prop stylists, public relations professionals, and others representing pillars in the food industry outside of the restaurant kitchen.

It was while attending the annual Cherry Bombe Jubilee conference that I met a well-established writer who asked me if I ever thought of writing a cookbook. This led to working with her as a co-author. That led to an agent, and we began putting together the pieces of what would become a pitch to present to publishers. 

Some of the well-known chefs in our industry don’t have to go through the same pitch process. Instead, they are courted by large publishing houses who know their books will sell, and they often get contracts for multiple books with the same house. For me and many other chefs, it’s different: you have to get publishers excited about your your voice, your point of view, and your recipes.

The process begins with a formal pitch, which introduces you and defines what you have to say (and why it’s important). Be as detailed as possible. You want to be clear about what your book is about so the publisher and editor know how to guide and develop that idea instead of molding and shaping it into something different than what you intended. 

You’ll write up an outline of chapters indicating how the book is to be organized, and you’ll list dishes that aim to get the publishers’ attention. Write 10 of your most exciting dishes into full (tested) recipes that the people reading your pitch will want to try at home as part of their due diligence.

This is one of the many reasons my co-author was so important to me. I had a loose idea and concepts for a few recipes, but I needed someone who could listen to my stories, make sense of them, and weave a consistent narrative through the chapters and headnotes. 

I also still cook professionally full-time, and I knew there was no way I could focus my frazzled brain and devote the necessary time to thoughtfully write everything out. Outlining, reviewing and editing was better for me instead of the actual draft writing; it would have taken me forever, and you want to keep momentum on your side.

During the pitch writing, your agent will be drumming up interest in your project with contacts at publishing houses. You may even have a few meetings to get to know some editors whose interest has been piqued. Then, when you, your co-author (if you have one) and your agent are happy with the pitch, your agent starts to send it out. 

At this point, you will have already researched the publishers and editors of your favorite cookbooks, and the list of houses you pitch will be guided by that diligence. While some publishers may occasionally try a new cookbook/chef that’s different from their traditional style, it's important to ensure their lane suits you and your cookbook. You should also see if you know at least one person you can reach out to, even through a direct message, to see what their experience was like there.

Your agent will be your advocate and close friend throughout this process. They will push to get you seen and heard, and scream from the rooftops why everyone should see the value in publishing your book. It will be like an interview, but you should feel comfortable. You’re getting to know each other and what working together would be like. 

The editors you meet with will also fight for your book if they believe in it. They will tell their bosses, the publishers at the imprint, why they need to make an offer and pay to acquire this project. 

Hopefully, you'll get offers from several of the editors you meet with. For some, it may not be a good fit. Some might want a broad, commercially appealing book while you want a tightly focused book with a more niche audience. Some might support you taking years of research to create a thick tome as an authority in your arena, while you want to introduce the reader to the broad strokes and get your project on shelves within two years. 

Don’t take any of it personally, and don’t feel pressured to mold or change your vision to align with an offer. 

Pick an editor you want to work with for the books they’ve done and their belief in you. The money is important, of course. It shows how much they want you on their roster and how much they believe in your book and its ability to sell. But the money is not everything. Pick an imprint and editor whose vision aligns with yours and who will help you make your book the absolute best it can be.

Having one offer is something to be proud of. With luck, you will have multiple offers and multiple editors/publishers you could see yourself working with. That means that your pitch really resonated, and these editors can see your vision and believe in it. All you have to do next is make the tough decision about who will be the one for you. And then the real work begins!

Before you're developing recipes and pitching your cookbook, attain the fundamentals in Culinary Arts.