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!

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