life is hard but getting a book published is harder

want to get published? start here with tips from a best-selling cookbook author

ANNOUNCEMENT!

my dear friend, my next cookbook, 108 Asian Cookies, is coming this October, and if you preorder now, you will receive a year-long subscription to my premium substack (worth $70) and access to new recipes all year long! Preorders mean so, so much to underrepresented authors like me and show publishers and retailers that voices like mine deserve prominent spaces on the bookshelves!

Thank you!

END OF ANNOUNCEMENT

Photo by Brent Gorwin on Unsplash

dear friend,

i’ve always wanted to be a full-time writer and author, but I never thought I’d author a cookbook, let alone three! Here is my cookbook publishing journey, with all the bumps and blocks I’ve encountered. It seems like a blur to me now, but vividly, it all started with one email that looked like spam (LOL)…

In May 2020, when I launched Subtle Asian Baking (SAB), I did not expect my private Facebook group to take off and become a viral global community. After Eater featured SAB in December 2020, Jonathan, a Quarto editor, emailed me and asked if I was working on a book. Usually, I’d ignore the email (it appeared spammy), but I did a little research and realized the editor and his publisher, Quarry Books, were legit! (Quarry Books is now Harvard Common Press.)

Book Proposal

After several back-and-forth emails with the editor, I went to work and fleshed out a comprehensive and killer book proposal for the publisher. Note: Just because an editor reaches out to you doesn’t mean you’ll automatically have a book deal. You still need a good book proposal. I spent so much time on my project and made it using Google Slides.

Many years ago, I learned that people get promoted and deals when they present outstanding proposals, so I did not skimp on mine.

The editor presented my proposal to his team. Shortly afterward, he came back to me with great news. His team loved the proposal, and I had a book contract and deal! Here’s a sample of my killer book proposal…