Services for Cookbook and Recipe Authors
Your cooking is miles beyond the average home chef, to the point where you’ve now written a cookbook or collection of recipes. Cookbooks deserve the same attention to detail that all published works do. In fact, with recipes it can be even more important to have a new set of eyes on them to ensure they are clear, consistent, easy to follow, and ready to publish.
Over the years, I’ve developed my cooking skills from knowing how to prepare only a few simple dishes to cooking whole-foods plant-based recipes for most of my family’s meals, including using special techniques for oil-free cooking. Along the way I’ve dabbled in lots of different cuisines and techniques and used cookbooks and recipes from many different sources. So I know from experience how important it is for recipes to include all the right information and to present it clearly. Without editing, your culinary masterpieces won’t translate from the page to your reader’s table.
My Services for Cookbook and Recipe Writers
I work with recipes found in cookbooks, blogs, newsletters, meal kit cards, and more. (Don’t worry; I’ve got the non-recipe parts of your writing covered too.) The authors I help include indie authors looking to self-publish books or blogs, corporations and organizations who need regular recipe editing, and publishers of cookbooks and other food writing. My cookbook editing services include copyediting and proofreading, which have similarities but should be performed separately.
Copyediting
Copyediting for cookbooks and recipe blogs ensures all the parts of a recipe work well together and are clear to home cooks. After all, your recipe testers might be more advanced than your general readers. During my work, I identify whether each recipe contains all the information your target audience will need to be successful, whether they are complete beginners, experienced home cooks, or something in between. I will then either make adjustments myself or ask you for additional information—such as oven temperature, stovetop heat level, whether to stir while cooking, size of bowl, or doneness cues—to bridge the gap when needed.
Questions I ask during recipe editing include: Are all listed ingredients actually used in the recipe? Does the can or package size listed exist? Are measurements consistently either abbreviated or spelled out? Did you capitalize Parmesan? How about cheddar? Does your recipe call for zucchini or courgettes, eggplant or aubergine? Which one will your intended readers expect? And much more.
I use Microsoft Word’s Track Changes feature so you can see exactly what changes I’ve made and decide if there are any you don’t want to implement. I also use comments to explain why certain changes were made, make additional suggestions, present multiple options, and ask for clarification when needed.
In addition to the standard resources I use for any nonfiction editing project, when editing recipes I often refer to The Deluxe Food Lover’s Companion, The New Food Lover’s Companion, and The Complete Recipe Writing Guide.
How long it takes to edit a particular cookbook or recipe collection depends on several factors, including length, complexity, and the level of intervention wanted or needed. In general, a copyedit for a cookbook includes two to four weeks for the first round of editing, but may take only one to two weeks for a smaller collection of recipes. You will then have one week for your author review. Finally, it will return to me for one week for a second round of editing or the final cleanup.
I will provide a custom proposal with a flat fee for your cookbook or recipe copyediting project. My pricing aligns closely with the median rates documented by the Editorial Freelancers Association.
Proofreading
Proofreading a cookbook involves many of the same aspects as cookbook copyediting, but now there are photos and layout involved too. Once your edited manuscript has been laid out for print and possibly formatted as an ebook, it’s time for the final check for errors and inconsistencies before the book or collection of recipes is published. This ensures readers don’t get hung up while making their dish because of a punctuation error, misspelling, typo, or photo inconsistency (e.g., is there a garnish in the photo that isn’t in the ingredient list?).
Cookbook proofreading includes a careful, thorough review of your print-ready PDF or ebook file (produced by your cookbook designer or using a do-it-yourself layout tool). I’ll use markup to indicate where changes need to be made, then either you or your book designer will need to make the changes in the source file and generate the PDF again.
Recipe and cookbook proofreading addresses some of the same issues as copyediting, but it also involves checking elements that are not present until after the manuscript is typeset, such as photos of each dish, page numbers, ingredient list formatting, word stacks, and end-of-line hyphenation. While additions and deletions should be minimal at this stage, proofreading a cookbook or recipe blog often produces more changes than the average proofread of a novel or nonfiction book.
The timeline needed for proofreading a cookbook varies by the length and complexity of the book. In general, cookbook authors and recipe bloggers can expect two to four weeks for proofreading a full cookbook and one to two weeks for a smaller collection of recipes.
I will provide a custom proposal with a flat fee for your cookbook or recipe proofreading project. My pricing aligns closely with the median rates documented by the Editorial Freelancers Association.
Along with practical experience with actual client projects, I have trained as a recipe editor via Recipe Editing 101 (a 6-week course from Melissa Haskin), webinars from CEIP and Editors Canada, and books like The Recipe Writer’s Handbook, The Complete Recipe Writing Guide, and How to Edit Cookery Books.
My Clients Say
“[Angie] is a true professional. She communicates clearly, meets every deadline, and does impeccable editing. . . . I especially love having her cookbook expertise on my team.”
—Laura Kaiser, Word Haven Editorial
Ready for Cookbook and Recipe Editing?
I would love to hear about your cookbook project and your goals for publication. When you inquire, I can help determine the right service to get you into print. Use one of the buttons below to get started—or just to ask for more information. I can’t wait to read what you’ve written and help you get it ready for home cooks!
