SiteMonica Bhide Talks About Food Writing
Monica Bhide is the author of two Indian cookbooks, and has also written about food for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Bon Appetit, Town and Country Travel, Food & Wine, Cooking Light, and more. We’re thrilled that Monica will be teaching Introduction to Food Writing through the Renegade Writer site. We asked Monica for her tips on breaking in. If you want to earn income writing about food, please sign up for her course!
Q. How did you break into food magazines, and what has your experience been like?
A. I had been doing free writing on-line for a few months when a very famous cookbook author read my work. She recommended me to Food & Wine and the editor there was kind enough to read my query. My experience has been very positive. It is a lot of hard work but the results are so worth it!
Q. What are the types of food writing? I know there are restaurant reviews and recipe development. What else can writers do?
A. This is discussed at length in my course. There are several types of food-writing — writing press releases for restaurants, products, authors; writing cookbooks; writing service articles on food/nutrition; writing food essays; and so much more.
Q. What skills do you need to write about food?
A. I think a love of food really helps - and I don’t say that lightly! A friend of mine used to say that food writing carries the “perils of being a hired belly.” You have to love to try new things, to eat even when you don’t want to and to be very inquisitive about everything.
Q. Do any magazines buy food writing besides the usual suspects like Saveur and Gourmet?
A. Absolutely - custom pubs, several trades, parenting magazines, mags like Prevention, Health etc. — all have food needs.
Q. What do food magazines typically pay?
A. Most nationals typically start at $1 a word and go up from there.
Q. What’s your top tip for people looking to break into food magazines?
A. It is a very competitive market and you have to be very focused and persistent.
Q. What’s the most common mistake writers make when targeting food mags?
A. “Dear Editor - I went to Paris and ate at this amazing restaurant. Can I tell your readers about it?” I cannot tell you how many editors complain that food writers are not specific enough in their queries. Also, readers don’t just want to hear about a great meal you had, they want a story to go with it, they want you to entice them to fly to Paris to experience what you did. Be specific with your ideas, target your query astutely and you will, eventually, taste sweet success!
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