For further insights, read Heather’s article about The Three-Recipe Phenomenon: What Cookbooks Reveal About Why We Actually Buy Books.
Way-Word Writers hosts Heather Cashman, Stephanie Bearce, and Nicki Jacobsmeyer welcome senior literary agent Sally Ekus of the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency’s Ekus Group to discuss the current cookbook market and how cookbooks remain viable alongside online recipes. Ekus explains how food culture has expanded opportunities for niche, concept- and technique-driven cookbooks, and why success still depends on exceptional, tested, clearly written recipes plus voice, concept, and platform. She addresses myths such as “everyone loves my family recipes” and “it will be easy,” emphasizes choosing the right medium, and suggests beginners study bookstore shelves, acknowledgments, and agents’ query preferences. Ekus outlines a portfolio approach to platform building and shares resources from her free Substack, including proposal guidelines and where-to-begin posts, plus advice on “coffee table cookbook” positioning.
00:00 Welcome to Way-Word
00:32 Why Cookbooks Now
01:08 Meet Agent Sally Ekus
03:07 Cookbook Market Snapshot
05:07 Online Recipes vs Books
06:22 Why We Buy Cookbooks
07:15 Only Three Recipes
09:28 What Makes Success
11:11 Cookbook Myths Busted
12:56 Should You Write One
14:16 Getting Started Research
15:29 Self Publishing Options
16:27 Platform and Pitch Strategy
19:11 Publishing Is A Long Game
19:28 Fiction Platforms And Publisher Risk
20:17 AI Disruption And Human Trust
21:32 Why She Built The Newsletter
23:02 Hyper Mentorship And Skill Sessions
26:12 Cookbook Structure As Story Craft
27:49 Proposal Guidelines And Where To Begin
29:38 Coffee Table Cookbook Myth
31:39 Books That Changed Her Cooking
34:12 Lightning Round And Farewell
Find Sally at JVNLA HERE and on Substack at Not So Secret Agent!
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