Afraid Your Culinary Book Idea Won't Sell? Start with a Guest Post

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People keep asking you the question every culinary writer dreads before they put down a single word: So, what’s your book about?

You think to yourself: That’s a brilliant question. I have no freaking idea.

More than that, is your book something readers will want to buy? Whether it’s a cookbook or food memoir, you’ll most likely need to sell it before you write it. Agents and publishers want to see your book proposal (aka business plan) mapped out, so they can see whether or not your idea is worth investing in. 

So, what do you do if you know you want to write a culinary book, but you’re not sure if it’ll ever leave bookshelves? Write a guest post. 

Guest posts are blog articles you write for a media outlet, big or small. The expectation for most guest posts is that your website or social media will be linked in an author bio, so you increase your SEO and your followers and subscribers. Even if you have your own blog, the point of guest posting is to get your ideas in front of different eyeballs, so you can grow your reach. 

When I work with clients on their book proposals, we start with a handful of story pitches about their topic that they’ll send to outlets while we’re working together. It’s one of their favorite parts about working together, and I believe it’s the first piece to unlocking bigger stories and overall confidence with the book they want to write.

If you’re afraid your culinary book idea won’t sell, here’s why you should start with a guest post to find the clarity you need.

Tests Your Idea in Real Time

Most culinary writers sit with an idea for years before it sees the light of a page. You talk about it with friends, family and colleagues, and they all tell you to go for it. 

However, putting your story into a single post, a specific point of view, is hard. You decide what’s important and what can be left behind. It’s also the quickest way to see if you even have enough for an entire book. 

New York Times bestselling author and memoirist Joyce Maynard often tells writing students to start with a personal essay because your story may not be enough for a book. And that’s okay. 

Starting with a guest post allows you to test your idea, where it could be expanded and how it could even be transformed for different mediums. Once it goes live, you may have feedback in the comments or when you share it with your network. Some of the feedback may trickle in or come in like a flood. The important thing to remember is that you’re just in the testing phase, so take what resonates and leave the rest. 

Builds Your Audience and Platform

One thing you’ll need to sell your book idea is a hefty platform. Guest posts allow you to build your audience and platform while testing your idea. If a post gains traction with a site’s audience, that can increase your email subscribers, social media following and overall platform. 

You can use your guest post for additional pitches to the same outlet or even to get additional media. Maybe, you use it to get on a podcast or morning television show. If the idea was a big hit, you’ll want to take advantage of that when pitching to outlets. Maybe, it’s your third or fourth guest post on the idea where you really see your culinary book’s idea taking shape. It takes time to get something just right.

Building authority allows you to have more control over the story you want to sell and tell, so take your time with the process. It’s the slow-growth building that will sustain you and your platform.

Creates Media Connections for the Future

Part of selling your book is coming up with a media plan. Publishers may help with publicity, but they want to see upfront that you’re going to do everything you can to sell your culinary book. Chances are you’ll have to book your own morning show and podcast segments and pitch guest posts to key outlets months in advance. So, why not make it easier on yourself from the beginning?

Creating media connections is just like building your audience and platform. It doesn’t happen overnight. Media folks want to discover new stories in the culinary world and also love having an arsenal of people they can reach out to in a pinch. Guest posting starts that relationship with an editor, and even if they go to another outlet, your pitches could be a good fit for them there. 

If you’re a known entity to an editor or outlet, they’re more likely to want to help you when you’re promoting your book. They may let you do a blog series or be interviewed for their podcast. These are things you can also line up before you sell your book to increase interest in your proposal. 

As a culinary writer, you have a lot of things to consider when selling your book idea. It’s not just a story you’re selling, but you also have to be marketable. Guest posts allow you to hammer out your idea, grow your platform for agents and publishers, and foster media relationships that will help sell your book. Give yourself and your idea this easy gift and get to posting.

And if you want to use this tool and craft your book proposal at the same time, get on the waitlist now for one-on-one coaching.