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The fall semester has started everywhere, and it’s no different here at Leite’s Culinaria. Three of publishing’s best teachers in the fields of new media, magazines, and books have joined us and are offering five must-take classes if you’re serious about becoming a food writer or want to hone your food writing skills.

Renee Schettler, former deputy editor at Martha Stewart Living and previous food editor at Real Simple, offers three classes: How to Write the Perfect Recipe and How to Write a Winning Pitch Letter. They’re both ideal classes for students wishing to start the process of pitching articles—with or without recipes—to editors. She’s also teaching anew class titled “Turning Your Culinary Skills into Stunning Gifts” (check back soon for details). From the outside this hardly looks like a writing class, but in it you’ll learn how to write, organize, and package your recipes, food writings, and musing into gifts for friends and family for the holidays.

Shauna Ahern, aka Gluten-Free Girl, is the author of Gluten-Free Girl: How I Found the Food That Loves Me Back…And How You Can Too as well as a second book, a cookbook titled In the Kitchen with the Chef, due out in 2010. Shauna is teaching Finding Your Voice, a class many writers struggling to find their own style of writing will find useful.

Dianne Jacob, a long-time editor and writer for both print publications and books, is the author of Will Write for Food: The Complete Guide to Writing Cookbooks, Restaurant Reviews, Articles, Memoir, Fiction, and More. Her most recent book is Grilled Pizzas & Piadinas, a cookbook she co-authored with Chicago chef Craig Priebe. A very popular teacher both online and in classrooms in northern California, Dianne will be sharing her knowledge in two eye-opening classes: How to Get Happily Published and How to Write a Killer Cookbook Proposal. The former will give you a great overview of the business and the latter will give your the building block to surmount the seemingly insurmountable task of getting your work bought.

The classes are already filling up, so if you’re interested, or want to give the classes as a gift, sign up soon.

This class is closed. It will be offered again in winter 2010.

If you’re thinking of writing a food memoir, cookbook, guidebook or reference book and hope to have it published, you’ll be more successful and far ahead of the competition if you understand how the publishing industry works and what editors and agents want. This class’s insider information will increase your chances of staying out of the rejection pile, where a shocking 97 percent of all writers’ work land.

What this class will do for you Producing a beautifully written book on a killer subject is filled with excitement and fraught with problems. In this interactive class, you’ll learn all about the publishing world, how to handle yourself professionally, what to expect from yourself, your agents and edits. Topics covered include:

• Why so many books are rejected
• How to get a platform—your ability to attract an audience that will buy the book—if you don’t have one now
• How to know if you have a good, commercial idea for a book
• How and when to submit your manuscript, and to whom
• Is it best to find an agent, or can you submit directly to editors
• How to send your manuscript: snail mail or e-mail
• Whether a literary attorney does just as good a job as an agent in reviewing a contract
• How publishers decide to buy your book
• How much can you expect to be paid
• Who pays for the photography and illustration
• And, once your book is ready to launch, how much publicity to expect.

This class will consist of a lecture and an extensive Q&A. Handouts include “Ten Great Ideas for a Non-Fiction book,” a guide to writing book proposals, plus resources to consult for additional guidance.

Why this class is right for you If you’ve contemplated writing a non-fiction book, you probably know that it’ll be a lot of work, but you might not understand what it takes to intrigue and impress an editor or agent, regardless of the subject of the book. During this class you may even pick up a tip or two that will help you tweak your book to make it even more irresistible.

How this class works You don’t even have to leave home. On Tuesday, October 27th at 8:45 p.m. EST/5:45 p.m. PST, we’ll convene by telephone for a 2 1/2 hour conference call comprising both lecture and discussion. A private podcast of this class, available only to participants, will be posted online for one month at no additional cost.

Who the instructor is Dianne Jacob is the author of  Will Write for Food: The Complete Guide to Writing Cookbooks, Restaurant Reviews, Articles, Memoir, Fiction, and More (Da Capo Press, 2005). Now in its fourth printing, the book won the 2005 Cordon D’Or International award for Best Literary Food Reference Book. Her most recent book is Grilled Pizzas & Piadinas (Dorling-Kindersley, 2008), a cookbook she co-authored with Chicago chef Craig Priebe.

Dianne was a top editor and writer of a book publishing company, international magazines, and newspapers for decades before starting her own business as a food writing coach, author, editor, and teacher. She coaches writers across the US, Canada, and Europe on how to become published authors, and she regularly receives referrals from literary agents and editors whose clients’ proposals and manuscripts need sharpening. Clarkson Potter; Penguin Putnam; St. Martin’s Press; Stewart, Tabori & Chang; Ten Speed Press; Wiley & Sons; and William Morrow are some of the companies who have published books by authors who worked with Dianne. She has also worked as a freelance book editor for Weldon Owen and Andrews & McMeel. For several years, Dianne has judged cookbooks for the James Beard Foundation and for the International Association of Culinary Professionals annual cookbook awards.

For more about Dianne, visit her Web site and blog. Read this interview with Dianne on Seattle Tall Poppy.

What students are saying about Dianne’s class and her coaching
“I cannot speak more highly of Dianne’s class. I found her teaching style informative and engaging. The format of her classes was perfect, and I learned more than I could imagine from the other students. Dianne had a profound impact on my writing and an appreciation of the skill set needed to succeed in this specialized arena. She is an outstanding teacher. I recommend her class to all.”

“I found Dianne to be an inspiring and down-to-earth teacher. Her class on writing a book proposal was especially enlightening. Despite having worked in journalism and public relations, I would not have known how to “get it right.” I know from after class discussions with other participants that it was especially helpful to them as well. Her class was a life-defining experience. I plan on taking future classes from her and would not hesitate to recommend others to do the same.”

“Dianne’s expert advice regarding my book proposal helped enormously in landing a contract with a major New York publisher. And even though I’m an experienced food writer, I’ve found helpful tips throughout Will Write For Food. She’s an invaluable resource!”

If you have any questions, please contact us at enroll@leitesculinaria.com.

This class is closed. It will be offered again in winter 2010.

You get compliments on your cooking, and people always ask when you’re going to write a cookbook. Perhaps it’s time to document your best recipes and techniques for a larger audience. Maybe you’ve already started putting a book together, deciding on chapters and recipes. But now you’re wondering: What’s the next right next step for me?

If you’d like to be traditionally published, you need to write a cookbook proposal. Essentially a business plan for your cookbook, the proposal tells agents and writers about the book, why it needs to be published, why you are the best one to write it, and who is waiting for it and why. It includes a table of contents for the book and sample recipes. The best part is that writing the proposal helps you refine your cookbook idea, differentiate it from the competition, and flesh out the structure and content.

What this class will do for you In this interactive evening, you’ll learn what’s involved in writing a winning proposal. Topics covered include:

• Why you can’t just write a cookbook and submit it
• The secret to making your proposal irresistible
• The 10 best ideas for a cookbook
• How to focus, organize and structure your idea
• What a platform is and whether yours is sufficient
• Why to promote your book before it’s published
• Choosing the right recipes for your book
• How to approach photography and illustrations.

The class comprises a lecture, including insider insights Dianne has gained from working with agents, cookbook editors and established cookbook authors; and an extensive Q&A. Handouts include a Dianne’s guideline to cookbook proposals, and a resource guide for additional information.

Why this class is right for you If you’re curious about writing and publishing a cookbook, here’s your chance to move forward. Learn what’s involved in creating the kind of proposal that shows off your cookbook idea in the best light, while crystalizing your idea.

How this class works You don’t even have to leave home. On Tuesday, November 10th at 8:45 p.m. EST/5:45 p.m. PST, we’ll convene by telephone for a 2 1/2 hour conference call comprising both lecture and discussion. A private podcast of this class, available only to participants, will be posted online for one month at no additional cost.

Who the instructor is Dianne Jacob is the author of Will Write for Food: The Complete Guide to Writing Cookbooks, Restaurant Reviews, Articles, Memoir, Fiction, and More (Da Capo Press, 2005). Now in its fourth printing, the book won the 2005 Cordon D’Or International award for Best Literary Food Reference Book. Her most recent book is Grilled Pizzas & Piadinas (Dorling-Kindersley, 2008), a cookbook she co-authored with Chicago chef Craig Priebe.

Dianne was a top editor and writer of a book publishing company, international magazines, and newspapers for decades before starting her own business as a food writing coach, author, editor, and teacher. She coaches writers across the US, Canada, and Europe on how to become published authors, and she regularly receives referrals from literary agents and editors whose clients’ proposals and manuscripts need sharpening. Clarkson Potter; Penguin Putnam; St. Martin’s Press; Stewart, Tabori & Chang; Ten Speed Press; Wiley & Sons; and William Morrow are some of the companies who have published books by authors who worked with Dianne. She has also worked as a freelance book editor for Weldon Owen and Andrews & McMeel. For several years, Dianne has judged cookbooks for the James Beard Foundation and for the International Association of Culinary Professionals annual cookbook awards.

For more about Dianne, visit her Web site and blog. Read this interview with Dianne on Seattle Tall Poppy.

What students are saying about Dianne’s class and her coaching
“Dianne sharpened my focus and strengthened my cookbook proposal. Working with her has made a huge difference to me.”

“Dianne’s expert advice regarding my cookbook proposal helped enormously in landing a contract with a major New York publisher. And even though I’m an experienced food writer, I’ve found helpful tips throughout Will Write For Food. She’s an invaluable resource!”

“I sent her my cookbook proposal and chapter and she gave me really useful, supportive feedback. Just what I needed.”

“Dianne turned me from a wanna-be author to a paid published author. I always felt I had a great idea for a book, but knew nothing of how to take that idea and turn it into a book people would actually pay to read. Every time I cash my royalty check, I thank Dianne.”

“I had bought books and attended seminars on how to write a winning cookbook proposal, but it was a different when I finally sat down to actually do it. The greatest benefit I gained from Dianne was her ability to help me put together a compelling, insightful, and concise proposal I now believe an agent would read. I encourage anyone who has ever thought about writing a book proposal to consider Dianne. Working with her was truly the best investment I have made toward my writing career.”

If you have any questions, please contact us at enroll@leitesculinaria.com.