How to Write a Cookbook Proposal and Land a Book Deal with Sally Ekus

Writing a compelling book proposal, demystifying the financial reality of cookbook publishing, and sharing what publishers are looking for in a cookbook author with Sally Ekus from The Ekus Group. ----- Welcome to episode 567 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Sally Ekus. How to Write a Cookbook Proposal and Land a Book Deal with Sally Ekus Have you ever wondered what it actually takes to get a cookbook deal — and whether your platform is big enough to make it happen? Sally Ekus, a literary agent specializing in the cookbook space, is here to pull back the curtain on the entire process. In this episode, Sally shares exactly what she looks for when evaluating potential cookbook authors, how to build a proposal that stands out, and what a realistic book deal might look like depending on the size of your audience. Whether you're dreaming of a cookbook or just starting to explore the idea, this episode will give you a clear and honest roadmap for what the path forward actually looks like. Three episode takeaways: What publishers are really looking for in a cookbook author — Sally breaks down the four pillars she evaluates in every potential author: platform, concept, voice, and personality. She explains why your social media following matters (and which platforms publishers care most about), why a consistent email newsletter can set you apart, and how to demonstrate that you can actually convert your audience into book buyers. How to write a compelling cookbook proposal — A great proposal goes far beyond a list of recipes. Sally walks through what to include, how to articulate your unique concept, and why aligning your book idea with the stories you already tell in your content is so important. She also shares how a standout proposal can help offset a smaller following — because showing how you reach your audience is just as important as how many people you reach. The financial reality of cookbook publishing — From the structure of a book advance to earning it out, royalties, and what a deal might realistically look like based on your platform size, Sally demystifies the money side of cookbook publishing. She also makes the case for why many creators write cookbooks even knowing most won't earn beyond the advance — brand extension, legacy, and sharing a meaningful message are all powerful reasons to pursue it. Resources: The Ekus Group Not So Secret Agent 391: Behind the Scenes of the Cookbook Publishing Process with Sally Ekus JVNLA Lat14 Karyn Tomlinson Theo of Golden Pinch of Yum Follow Sally on Instagram Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Yoast. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected]. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership

Navigating the AI Search landscape and advocating for fair traffic for food bloggers with Adam Gallagher from Inspired Taste. ----- Welcome to episode 566 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Adam Gallagher from Inspired Taste. What Food Bloggers Need to Know About AI Search and the Fight for Fair Traffic Adam and Joanne Gallagher have been running Inspired Taste since 2009 — long enough to have lived through every major shift in how Google works, from early SEO best practices to AI Overviews. But what's happening right now feels different, and Adam isn't staying quiet about it. In this episode, Adam and Bjork dig into the current state of search from the perspective of a creator who has spent 15+ years playing by Google's rules — only to watch those rules change in ways that feel fundamentally unfair to creators. This is also a conversation about what comes next — equal parts anxiety and optimism — and what creators can actually do right now to advocate for a more fair and sustainable version of AI-powered search. Three episode takeaways: What AI Overviews are doing to your traffic — Adam breaks down what position zero actually means and how AI Overviews are affecting the gap between impressions and click-through rates. He and Bjork also unpack the strange irony at the heart of the current moment: Google spent years penalizing creators for scaled content, and is now surfacing AI-generated recipes — essentially the definition of scaled content — at the top of search results. Why Adam chose to block AI crawlers from Inspired Taste — Adam shares the reasoning behind his decision to block ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude from crawling his site, and why he believes creators have both the right and the responsibility to push back on how their content is being used. What you can do now to improve the future of search for food creators — Adam shares what he believes needs to change in how Google handles AI Mode and AI search results to make them more fair for creators, and why he thinks advocacy could actually move the needle. He also talks about the importance of communicating directly with your audience about what's happening to help them understand why supporting independent creators and seeking out real, tested recipes matters (watch the two Reels linked in the Resources section to see how Adam and Joanne are doing this at Inspired Taste). Resources: Inspired Taste AI Slop Recipes Are Taking Over the Internet — And Thanksgiving Dinner Raptive Pinch of Yum Cloudflare NerdPress The Last Invention Robby Stein Rajan Patel First Instagram Reel about AI Recipes Second Instagram Reel about AI Recipes NBC News: Why AI holiday recipes can't handle the heat Follow Inspired Taste on Instagram and Adam on LinkedIn Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected]. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

Prioritizing joy-led content creation, leaning into email, and building a sustainable business as a food creator with Ashlea Carver from All the Healthy Things. ----- Welcome to episode 565 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Ashlea Carver from All the Healthy Things. How to Keep Creating Without Burning Out Ashlea Carver has been creating food content for ten years, and in that time she's built a well-rounded and financially diversified businesses. But longevity in this industry isn't just about strategy — it's about learning how to navigate the harder parts of being a creator online. In this episode, Ashlea and Bjork dig into the mindset shifts that have kept her going — how she handles comparison and how she's made a deliberate choice to lead with joy in her business decisions to avoid burnout. They also get into the practical side of her business — why her blog is still her most valuable platform and biggest revenue driver, why she's prioritizing email, and how she thinks about Instagram in an era where personality-forward content is so important. It's an honest conversation about building a business that lasts — one that doesn't burn you out, doesn't make you dependent on any single platform, and actually feels good to run. Three episode takeaways: Why slowing down is one of the most important things you can do for your business — Ashlea shares why she carves out intentional time a few times a year for an "owner's retreat" — a dedicated window to step back, assess what's working and what isn't, and make decisions from a place of clarity rather than reaction. She and Bjork talk about the difference between being driven by purpose versus being driven by numbers, and why leaning into joy is a legitimate business strategy. Why your blog and email list are still your most valuable assets — Ashlea shares why her blog remains her biggest revenue driver and why owning your platform matters now more than ever. She also explains how she's built an email strategy around three weekly broadcasts, what she's experimenting with on the paid subscriber side, and why email is the best buffer she has against algorithm changes. How Ashlea is thinking about AI, Instagram, and the future of her brand — From her decision to bring more personality into her content as a direct response to the rise of AI, to her thoughtful reluctance to lean too heavily into AI tools in her own workflow, Ashlea shares a refreshingly intentional approach to showing up online. She also breaks down what her monetization mix actually looks like — ad revenue, sponsored content, affiliate — and why she hired an agency to help manage brand partnerships. Resources: All the Healthy Things Fit Foodie Finds Grow Your Email List and Connect with Your Audience with Allea Grummert Duett 398: The Importance of Surveying Your Audience with Email with Allea Grummert 288: Email for Bloggers – Maximizing the Value of Your Email List with Allea Grummert 229: Email Marketing – Strategies for Bloggers with Allea Grummert Kit Grocers List Mediavine Raptive Turning Followers into Revenue with Ben Jabbawy from Grocers List How Molly Thompson Grew Her Email List from 15K to 100K Using AI to Eliminate Busywork and Unlock Creative Time with Jason Glaspey CookIt Media Sally McKenney from Sally's Baking Addiction on Creating Success Follow Ashlea on Instagram Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Yoast. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected]. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

What happens when SEO stops working, rebuilding after a major traffic drop, and navigating AI and the future of blogging with Carrie Forrest from Clean Eating Kitchen. ----- Welcome to episode 564 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Carrie Forrest from Clean Eating Kitchen. Reinventing a Food Blog After an 80% Traffic Drop Carrie Forrest has been blogging since 2009 and has experienced the full range of highs and lows that come with building an online business. When Bjork first interviewed her in 2018, she was already growing Clean Eating Kitchen with simple, healthy recipes and a strong foundation in SEO and keyword research. Between 2022 and 2024, that strategy paid off in a big way — Carrie grew her site from a few hundred thousand monthly pageviews to nearly one million. But with the rollout of AI Overviews, many of the keyword-driven and how-to posts she relied on were hit hard, leading to an 80% traffic drop almost overnight. In this episode, Carrie shares how she's navigating this rebuild season — from leaning into her email list and YouTube to focusing on what AI can't replicate: human connection, empathy, and transformation. It's an honest conversation about the shifting landscape for online creators and what reinvention can look like after years of success. Three episode takeaways: Why it can be difficult to diversify when one strategy is working extremely well — We talk all the time about the importance of diversifying your revenue and traffic streams, but that can be hard to do in reality! Carrie talks about why she struggled to listen to that advice and how hard it is to focus energy on diversifying when your current strategy is doing so well. How Carrie is approaching a rebuild season after an 80% drop in traffic — Bjork and Carrie discuss the ebbs and flows of running an online business, how Carrie recovers from big traffic dips, and how a beginner mindset is helping her feel more creative than ever before. Why focusing on human connection, creativity, and audience relationships matters more than ever — Carrie shares her current outlook for her blog and explains why she is leaning into her humanity and connection with her audience instead of information and transaction. Resources: Clean Eating Kitchen 152: 6 Blogging Mistakes Made By a Veteran Food Blogger with Carrie Forrest 278: Lessons from a Veteran Food Blogger – How to Overcome a 60% Dip in Traffic with Carrie Forrest Media Wyse TopHatRank The Money Café with Alan Kohler NerdPress February Blogging Newsletter — debunking the myth that search is dying, AI Frankenstein recipes, Pinterest, and more! The Gap and The Gain Follow Carrie on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Yoast and Clariti. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected]. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

How to use AI to manage information overload, simple ways to start using AI tools in your business, and what OpenClaw is and how it works with Jason Glaspey. ----- Welcome to episode 563 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Jason Glaspey. Using AI to Eliminate Busywork and Unlock Creative Time AI is everywhere right now — and for creators, it can feel equal parts exciting and overwhelming. Between shifting algorithms, constant platform changes, and an increasingly noisy internet, many creators feel like they're stuck in "defense mode" just trying to keep up. In this episode, Jason Glaspey shares his journey from internet entrepreneur to AI builder and explains how creators can start using AI tools in practical ways to simplify their workflows. Bjork and Jason talk about the current state of the internet, why creators often feel stuck reacting instead of exploring new opportunities, and how AI can help shift that mindset. Jason also introduces OpenClaw, an AI-powered tool designed to proactively help with tasks and projects. They discuss how it works, how they're using it in their own workflows, and how tools like OpenClaw can automate repetitive tasks — like grammar checks, link audits, and SEO reviews — so creators can focus on what really matters: making compelling, human-centered content. If you've been curious about how to use AI in your business without losing the human element, this episode will give you a helpful starting point. Three episode takeaways: How AI can help you manage information overload and stay in discover mode — The internet has never been more engaging — or more overwhelming. With constant updates, endless content streams, and shifting algorithms, creators often feel like they're reacting instead of exploring new ideas. Jason explains why the internet today can feel addictive but less satisfying, and how tools like AI can help filter out the noise so you get out of defense mode can focus on meaningful creative work. Simple ways to start using AI tools in your business — A huge portion of running an online business involves repetitive, administrative tasks — things like proofreading posts, checking links, auditing content for SEO best practices, and cleaning up older posts. Jason shares how AI tools can take over this "grunt work," freeing up your time and energy. What OpenClaw is and how it works — Unlike many AI tools that simply respond to prompts, OpenClaw is designed to be proactive. Jason and Bjork discuss how they're using it to manage projects, monitor tasks, and automate parts of their workflow. Resources: JasonGlaspey.com Fleet of Geniuses Non-Traditional Success – Optimizing for Happiness with Jason Glaspey OpenClaw Telegram Slack Discord Github Claude Notion CopyClub.ai Email Jason Follow Jason on Twitter Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Member Kitchens. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected]. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

Growing a 20-year food blog in today's search landscape and building engagement through authenticity with Rachel Kirk from Laughing Spatula. ----- Welcome to episode 562 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Rachel Kirk from Laughing Spatula. The Road to 1 Million Pageviews with Rachel Kirk from Laughing Spatula Rachel's mom, Kathi, started Laughing Spatula 20 years ago, and it has now grown into a full-time business for both women. In this interview, Bjork and Rachel talk through the changing search landscape, the challenges of the last few years as food creators, and what is keeping them going. Rachel is working towards a goal of 1 million monthly pageviews (they're currently around 300,000 - 500,000 pageviews a month) and Bjork provides his advice on what changes he would recommend to move the needle. If you're looking to increase your pageviews or revenue this year (hello, who isn't?) and want to join Rachel in her challenge, don't miss this episode! Three episode takeaways: Solve problems for your audience — Leaning into your humanity and authenticity is more important than ever, and one easy way to do that is to document your life, solve your own problems, and share that with your audience. Rachel shares her goal to share more behind-the-scenes content and problem-solving series on social media to boost engagement and highlight her humanity. The importance of updating old content — Laughing Spatula has almost 1,000 recipes, and Rachel has been focusing on updating old recipes, improving internal linking, and compiling how-to posts to refresh existing content. How to respond to algorithm updates — The increase of AI and constant algorithm updates can without a doubt be demoralizing. Bjork and Rachel discuss how to stay positive and what changes you can make to your business to create more stability and predictability. Resources: Laughing Spatula Giggling Fork Mediavine Clariti NerdPress Raptive Grocers List Kit Applesauce and ADHD Follow Rachel and Kathi on Instagram Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Yoast and Grocers List. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected]. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

Growing to 5 million followers on Facebook and turning social video into traffic and revenue with Alia and Radwa Elkaffas from Food Dolls. ----- Welcome to episode 561 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Alia and Radwa Elkaffas from Food Dolls. How Food Dolls Turned Facebook Into Their Top Traffic Source Alia and Radwa, the sisters behind Food Dolls, join Bjork on the podcast to discuss how they built a thriving food business with a Facebook-first strategy. With over 5 million followers on Facebook, Food Dolls has become a case study in adapting to platforms, navigating algorithm changes, and continuously evolving content formats. In this episode, Alia and Radwa share how they got started, how they divide responsibilities today, and how they think about analytics, monetization, recipe development, and platform-specific strategies in 2026. Whether you're just beginning on Facebook or looking to rethink your traffic mix, this episode is filled with actionable insights and tips to get you started on the right foot. Three episode takeaways: Facebook can still be a primary growth and traffic platform — Food Dolls proves that Facebook is far from "dead" when creators lean into native uploads, frequent posting, and engaging Reels. Strategically scaling content is essential to success (without burnout) on Facebook — By batching content, scheduling posts every two hours, and repurposing one shoot into many Reels, Alia and Radwa focus on scalability without sacrificing consistency or quality. Flexibility is the best defense against algorithm changes — Alia and Radwa continuously test new formats, switch up their content, and adapt their strategies based on analytics — allowing them to weather platform shifts long-term. Resources: Food Dolls Crowded Kitchen Inside Crowded Kitchen's Strategy for Growing to 2.4 Million Followers on Facebook Manychat Facebook for Creators Monarch InShot Dropbox Pretty Delicious Cookbook Follow Alia and Radwa on Instagram and Facebook Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Allspice and Clariti. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected]. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

The time, tech, tools, and strategy behind launching a successful food blog with Jessica Wine from Whisk & Wine. ----- Welcome to episode 560 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Jessica Wine. Strategically Launching a Food Blog with Jessica Wine In this episode, we're chatting with Jessica Wine about what it really takes to launch a food blog from the ground up. Drawing from her background in the tech start-up world, Jessica shares all of the details about her launch process and why she intentionally built in a learning and development phase before ever hitting publish. From branding and backend tech to time management and AI, this conversation is packed with practical insights for anyone preparing to start — or restart — a food blog the right way. Three episode takeaways: Building before launching — Jessica explains why she didn't rush to launch and instead focused on education, systems, and structure first. She shares how this upfront work helped her feel more confident and prepared once her blog went live. Time vs. money decisions — Bjork chat with Jessica about how she evaluated when to invest money instead of time and how she decided what to outsource and what to keep in-house during the setup phase. Tech, tools, and AI — Jessica shares the details behind how she approached the backend setup of her blog — including the tools she invested in from the get go. She also shares how she's incorporating AI into her recipe documentation processes to streamline her workflow. Resources: Whisk & Wine Feast Asana Monday Grace + Vine Studios The Checklist Manifesto OpenClaw Grocers List Follow Jessica on Instagram Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected]. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

The shifting search landscape, AI-generated recipe errors, and leaning into email newsletters with Bjork Ostrom and Emily Walker from Food Blogger Pro. ----- Welcome back to another Food Blogging News Roundtable! In this episode, we're diving into the biggest stories impacting food creators right now. Bjork and Emily discuss everything from the "SEO is dead" panic to AI-generated Frankenstein recipes, smarter email automations, paid newsletters, and what's actually working on Pinterest in 2026. Three episode takeaways: Search isn't dead, but it is shifting — Data from Graphite shows SEO traffic is only down slightly (–2.5%), and overall search traffic has remained relatively stable, even ticking up slightly in 2025. Bjork shares how Pinch of Yum's search traffic has changed in the last year (and what they're doing about it) and we discuss why the recent search changes feel so different than past algorithm updates, how you should change your strategy, and lean into other methods of discovery. Google's Personal Intelligence is sharing bad recipes —Google's new Personal Intelligence feature inside Gemini is generating personalized recipe responses — but sometimes botching the recipes and incorrectly attributing them to food bloggers. These Frankenstein recipes can damage trust when users think a flawed AI-generated recipe came from a favorite blogger and it's a reminder that AI accuracy and attribution still have a long way to go. Owned platforms like email and paid newsletters matter more than ever — With traffic fluctuations across search and Pinterest, now is a great time to consider starting a paid newsletter. Bjork and Emily discuss the opportunity for paid newsletters to create recurring income, reignite the creative spark, and deepen audience relationships. Resources: Subscribe to the Food Blogger Pro newsletter! Pinch of Yum Debunking The Myth That Search Is Dying Google Personal Intelligence Creates AI Frankenstein Recipes 10 email automation templates that save creators 20+ hours a week The Top 5 Reasons Food Bloggers Should Consider a Paid Newsletter (And Who Probably Shouldn't) How to win with the Pinterest algorithm in 2026 Thinking, Fast and Slow Inside Crowded Kitchen's Strategy for Growing to 2.4 Million Followers on Facebook Inspired Taste Food Dolls — interview airing March 10! Simple Pin Media Email Emily Best Served Hot Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Member Kitchens and Clariti. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected]. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

Building a food content business by creating what comes naturally, growing to 1 million followers on TikTok, and monetizing Substack with Claire Dinhut from Condiment Claire. ----- Welcome to episode 558 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Claire Dinhut from Condiment Claire. Trusting Your Creative Instincts to Build a Million Follower Food Brand Claire Dinhut first started sharing food content on TikTok when she lost her job working on a food and travel docuseries during the pandemic. Since then, she has grown to over 1 million followers on TikTok, published a cookbook, and started a Substack blending food, travel, and history into a cohesive content brand. Claire's journey is a good reminder that you don't need to follow a rigid formula to succeed online. By leaning into what felt natural — documenting her interests, telling stories she genuinely cared about, and creating without overthinking — she built a business that feels aligned, sustainable, and creatively fulfilling. Whether you're curious about Substack, growing on TikTok, or finding your own creative rhythm, this episode is packed with insight and encouragement to trust the way you create best. Three episode takeaways: Monetization works best when it's intentional — By waiting to monetize her Substack account and being thoughtful about what goes behind her Substack paywall, Claire built a smaller but deeply invested paid community alongside her massive free audience on social media. She also shares more about how she uses audience response to inform paid content and her content strategy overall. Find the path of least resistance — Claire's success comes from leaning into how she naturally creates, posting often, and treating each platform differently. How Claire grew to over 1 million followers on TikTok without consuming social media herself — Claire explains how posting consistently on TikTok and Instagram helped her find her voice and shares the tools she uses to write, film, and edit her content (you might be surprised!). Resources: Condiment Claire The Condiment Book JSTOR CapCut Follow Claire on Instagram and TikTok Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Grocers List and Clariti. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected]. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.