Episode 207: Let Your Unique Perspective Shine

Hello and welcome to another episode of the podcast - I recently had the opportunity to visit an HMart. I walked up and down each aisle taking in the sights and smells offered from the produce department to the aisles filled with Kewpie mayonnaise and multiple brands of gochujang any number of noodles and cuts and preparations of sliced beef. To me, there's nothing quite like a new food or ingredient shopping experience to offer a different perspective on baking or cooking.

Our job as cookbook writers is to offer our perspective to our readers - a perspective we believe and are invested in. I’ve had many students in my program who had similar concepts, but none of them are the same, because of their perspectives.

That’s what I want to talk about today and that’s our perspective and why it matters. Our perspective on food and cooking is dictated by how we each perceive meals, cooking, cooks, eating, food, shopping for ingredients, preparing food for others, etc.  And perspective varies widely from person to person. How perspective varies from person-to-person is dependent on a multitude of factors that create perspective differences including your previous experiences, values, beliefs, and morals.

When we each write a cookery book, we bring our own perspective. While many of us may barbecue, saute spinach, or eat and prepare chickpeas, shortbread cookies, or trout filets, what matters for our book projects is the perspective we bring to the foods and meals we prepare. This is why people buy cookbooks - to learn more about food, cooking, or baking from your perspective.

Take for example cookie cookbooks, and books about Italian, French, or Creole cooking. Cookbooks about Kentucky, Appalachia, or Vermont. What’s in the book is based on perspective. 

So this begs the question:

What is your perspective? 

What makes your perspective unique? 

How has your perspective made a difference to you and the people you cook for? 

How will your perspective make a difference to the cooks or bakers who will engage with your book?

Will it heal them? Will it make them smile? Will it help them feel more luxurious in their life? Will it help them be a more accomplished baker? Will it help them save money at the supermarket? Will it introduce them to a fun twist on a common ingredient? Will it allow them to armchair travel?

Only you can think about and decide on your perspective. It's important to remember that the courage and commitment it takes to decide, develop, and write about your perspective is what sets your book apart from all the other cookbooks. You are unique and so is your perspective. Let your perspective shine!

Things We Mention In This Episode:

Free Masterclass: How to Get Paid to Write a Cookbook and Get it Published