In today’s episode, we’re unpacking a concept I teach inside the Get Paid to Get Published program about defining Your Cookbook Concept. Using a powerful metaphor —the Dinner Party Analogy—we’ll explore how to define what your book is really about, who it’s for, what’s on the “menu,” and why it matters in today’s publishing landscape. Today you’ll learn why you, the author, are the host of your book’s journey, how to identify and describe your ideal reader, and different cookbook concept types—from ingredients to holidays, what makes your book stand out in the market, and what is a competition study.

Things We Mention in This Episode:

How to Get Paid to Write a Cookbook Free Training
Join the waitlist for Cookbooks on KDP for September 2025

Welcome to another episode of the show. Today, I’m excited to welcome Cristina Carolan. Cristina is a plant-based personal chef and author of Plant-Based Pacific, a cookbook that reflects a vibrant fusion of culinary cultures from Japan, Hawaii, and the Philippines. She’s the owner of Chef Veggie, a plant-based personal chef and holistic lifestyle service. A lifelong traveler, Cristina’s experiences living in Japan, visiting her mother’s homeland of the Philippines, and calling three Hawaiian islands home inform every dish and story in her book.

In today’s episode, we talk about:

• The inspiration behind Plant-Based Pacific

• How Cristina's multicultural upbringing shaped the concept

• Cristina's cookbook publishing journey

• Recipes and stories for local meals like Hawaiian Plate Lunch and Filipino Kamayan, all with a plant-based twist

• Advice for aspiring cookbook authors

Whether you’re a plant-based cook, a cultural food enthusiast, or dreaming of writing a cookbook, Cristina’s story offers warmth, insight, and plenty of practical wisdom for your journey in the kitchen and at your keyboard.

Things We Mention in This Episode:

Join the waitlist for Cookbooks on KDP for September 2025

Connect with Cristina Carolan

Order a personalized copy of Plant-Based Pacific

Welcome to another episode of the podcast! Several times a year, outlets like Eater, Food Network, Epicurious, Publishers Weekly, and others publish their roundup features: What’s hot in cookbooks this season? They’re the pulse checks of the cookbook world and offer a lens into what's resonating now. Today on the show, we’ll dive into trends in cookbooks published this spring, each tied to what cookbook buyers are craving and what publishers are publishing in Spring 2025.

Things We Mention in This Episode:

Join the waitlist for Cookbooks on KDP for September 2025

🎧 Episode 348 – Being a Cookbook Author: Umma: A Korean Mom’s Kitchen Wisdom

🎧 Cookbook Love Episode 347 – Being a Cookbook Author: Discover Your Authentic Voice & Indian Comfort Food

🎧 Episode 334 - Eat Better Sleep Better with Marie-Pierre St. Onge

Over the years, I’ve coached hundreds of cookbook writers. And as a cookbook writer myself, I’ve noticed something: the way we write shifts with the seasons. So does the energy you all bring to your projects. Without a doubt, January and September are your power months. Something about the clean slate of the new year—or the back-to-school feeling of fall—makes it easy to say yes. The urgency feels good for a while. But urgency doesn’t last. Pressure wears you out. And cookbook writing—at its best—is built on bringing the full you to the page, year-round. So today I want to offer another way. A way of writing that moves with the rhythm of summer. With more daylight. With more warmth. With more time to reflect, to gather, to savor, and to create. Summer isn’t about pushing. It’s about presence. And that’s exactly what Cookbook Camp is built for. So, whether you’re poolside with a notebook or cooking with the windows open, let’s explore how this season can support your most nourishing work yet.

Things We Mention In This Episode:

Registration for Cookbook Camp, a guided summer experience to help you shape your concept, choose your publishing path, and start building the habits that lead to a finished book.

Welcome to another episode of the show. If you have gathered recipes for years, hosted holiday parties and meals, preserved family traditions, or become the go-to source for meals in your family, then you may want to turn your recipes into something more: a cookbook. In this episode, I’m sharing 7 tips to help you move from recipe keeper to cookbook writer, everything from why calling yourself a writer matters to how your kitchen and keyboard habits create momentum for your project. If you’re sitting on a goldmine of recipes, this episode will give you some food for thought to help you start your cookbook.

Things We Mention In This Episode:

Registration opens Monday, June 16, 2025, for Cookbook Camp, a laid-back summertime experience to help you shape your concept, choose your publishing path, and start building the habits that lead to a finished book.

Welcome to today’s episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast! I’m thrilled to bring you a conversation with Kasey Lobb—a self-professed food nerd, registered dietitian nutritionist, and plant-based chef. Kasey is the author of The Gluten-Free Sourdough Cookbook, a flavorful new release that brings together her personal passion and professional expertise. Her new book marks a stirring new chapter for Kasey’s personal and professional journey.

Most days, you’ll find her experimenting in the kitchen or tending to “Mother”—her well-loved gluten-free sourdough starter. For over 20 years, Kasey has helped clients transform their health through food, with a focus on food sensitivities and autoimmune conditions. With this cookbook, she’s on a mission to help home bakers ditch dry, dense gluten-free breads and bake with confidence using accessible, nourishing ingredients the whole family will love.

Kasey and her book designer Rae are both students inside my cookbook coaching programs—Cookbooks on KDP and Get Paid to Get Published—and it’s been a joy to watch this cookbook come to life.

Things We Mention In This Episode:

Appetite to Travel

The Gluten-free Sourdough Cookbook by Kasey Lobb

Join the waitlist for the next cohort of Cookbooks on KDP

Today, I’m thrilled to share a conversation with none other than Meathead—one of only 40 living inductees in the Barbecue Hall of Fame and the founder of AmazingRibs.com, the world’s largest barbecue and grilling website. Meathead is the author of the best-selling Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling, and he’s back with a brand-new book: The Meathead Method. In this episode, we dig into what makes this book different—and how his method will change the way you cook outdoors. We also bust some big-time barbecue myths, including:

• Why beer can chicken doesn’t do what you think it does

• The truth about basting with butter

• Whether wet brining really helps your Thanksgiving turkey

• And why soaking wood chips might be a waste of time

Meathead also shares:

• How to cook chicken that’s juicy and flavorful every single time

• Tips for taking stir-frying and deep-frying outdoors

• His secret weapon for perfect steaks: the Sous Vide Que method

• Essential gear for grilling and barbecue competitions—including digital thermometers

• And a surprising favorite cookbook that celebrates... vegetables!

It’s a sizzling, myth-busting episode full of practical tips, surprising insights, and a whole lot of flavor. So buckle in for this longer-than-normal episode as we take a stroll to cook outdoors with the most important discovery of all time: fire.

Things We Mention In This Episode:

Amazingribs.com

The Meathead Method by Meathead

Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen

Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Welcome to today’s episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast! I’m thrilled to bring you a conversation with a true baking powerhouse: Bobbie Lloyd, CEO and Chief Baking Officer of the iconic Magnolia Bakery @bakewithbobbie. You might know Magnolia for its world-famous banana pudding and charming New York City roots, but under Bobbie’s leadership, it’s grown into a global dessert destination with over forty locations worldwide.

And just in time for the unofficial start of summer, Bobbie joins me to chat about her brand-new book: The Magnolia Bakery Handbook Volume 2: Icebox Desserts. In this episode, she gives us the inside scoop on what makes icebox desserts so beloved—think no-bake layers, cool textures, and nostalgic flavors—and shares tips for mastering them at home. We talk roasted strawberries, Frozen Key Lime Pie, and, of course, the dessert that started it all: Magnolia’s famous banana pudding. With an entire chapter devoted to 13 irresistible variations, this book is a celebration of cool, creamy, crowd-pleasing treats. Whether you're a longtime Magnolia fan or a home baker looking for summer dessert inspiration, you’ll love what Bobbie has to share.

Things We Mention In This Episode:

Register for the Build Your Author Platform workshop

Magnolia Bakery Handbook of Icebox Desserts

Magnolia Bakery

Bobbie Lloyd @bakewithbobbie