EPISODE 110: Inside Today’s Cookbook Market with Agent Sally Ekus

Way-Word Writers cohosts (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! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit waywordwriters.substack.com