When you pick up a cookbook, do you ever wonder how it all comes together? From the ingredients to the instructions to the tempting photos, a lot more happens behind the scenes than meets the eye. In this episode, we pull back the curtain on the essential yet often-overlooked role of the cookbook editor.

Join us as we chat with seasoned cookbook editor Melissa Haskin, who reveals what it takes to turn a chef’s vision into a polished, reader-friendly masterpiece. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Melissa works on recipes, resumes, and research. Most recently, she edited "The Solo Stove Fire Pit Cookbook." She offers coaching for freelance editors and will be launching her first course, Recipe Editing 101, in March 2025.

In this episode, you'll learn why editing is essential—not just for correcting grammar but for refining recipes, ensuring accuracy, and creating a seamless flow that makes readers feel right at home in their kitchens. Discover the magic of balancing clarity with creativity, making dishes look delicious, and keeping flavors authentic.

Below is a list of resources mentioned in this episode:

The Modern Proper Website: https://themodernproper.com/

The Modern Proper Book: https://themodernproper.com/cookbook

World Central Kitchen: https://wck.org/

Melissa’s website: https://www.melissa-haskin.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissahaskin/

Recipe Class (March 2025): https://www.melissa-haskin.com/courses.html

• Full price: $497 (similar in price to Erin Servais' AI for Editors Course and the Toronto Metropolitan University course)
• Automatic 10% discount for early registration (through February 1)
• Extra $25 off at any time for listeners of your podcast with code Nadia25 (valid for the March 2025 course)
• Currently slotted to be a 6-week course over Zoom/video call at a set time each week. Will be offered as a self-paced course in the future.

Reedsy: https://reedsy.com/melissa-haskin

Recipe Editing class through the Toronto Metropolitan University (no affiliation)

Other Resources:

The Romantasy Cookbook: Epic Recipes Inspired by Great Romantasy Novels and Their Fearless Heroines Hardcover – May 27, 2025by Gabriela Leon (Author)

Sandwiches of History: The Cookbook: All the Best (and Most Surprising) Things People Have Put Between Slices of Bread

Northwest Editors Guild Red Pencil Conferences

Recommended Books:

The Complete Recipe Writing Guide: Mastering Recipe Development, Writing, Testing, Nutrition Analysis and Food Styling, Raeanne Sarazen, MA, RDN, FAND

The Recipe Writer's Handbook, Revised and Updated Paperback – March 30, 2001, by Barbara Gibbs Ostmann (Author), Jane L. Baker (Author)

The Food Lover's Companion 5th Edition/The Deluxe Food Lover's Companion 2nd Edition

In this insightful episode, we dive into the nuanced world of editing for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writers. It’s one thing to edit for grammar and flow, but how do editors balance maintaining a writer’s authentic voice while adapting the language for clarity and readability in English? This episode unpacks what it takes to work effectively with EFL writers, touching on topics like cultural sensitivity, linguistic diversity, and the unique challenges editors face when working with non-native English speakers.

Whether you're an editor, writer, or just curious about the intricacies of language, this episode sheds light on how editors approach the delicate yet crucial task of working with EFL authors. Tune in for expert tips and fascinating stories from Mekiya Outini—an award-winning author and editor with over ten years of experience providing editorial services to EFL writers, authors of literary fiction and creative nonfiction, and international students and scholars. He holds an MFA in fiction from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, where he met his wife and collaborator, Itto Outini. Together, the Outinis have garnered support from the MacDowell Foundation and the Steinbeck Fellowship Program at San Jose State University and co-founded The DateKeepers, a full-service author support platform dedicated to serving artists and creators around the globe.

Website: https://www.thedatekeepers.com

Mekiya’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mekiya-o-1157b9184/

The DateKeepers LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/the-datekeepers-–-a-hub-for-writers-and-creators-372831275/

The DateKeepers LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/names-dates-7147355807444049920/

Isabella Furth shares her insight about emotional labor and how it affects the editing process. Emotional Labor is defined as caring work or relationship work; it’s about managing emotional resources, but it can often become devalued or taken for granted.

Isabella explains the importance of recognizing emotional labor because it isn't something that should be avoided or ignored. As editors, we must find the moments in our work where we are taking the extra steps necessary to make our clients feel comfortable and safe.

In this episode, Isabella shares tips on how to factor emotional labor into your costs, and most importantly, how to recognize and manage it.

For more information about emotional labor, read the blog that covers this topic at www.sdpen.com. Search for "Editing and Emotional Labor."

Isabella's vast editorial experience includes journal articles, scholarly books, doctoral theses, biographies, textbooks, test prep materials, and general interest non-fiction. She also has more than 12 years of experience in policy research, writing, design, and structured dialogue. She is a member of the American Copy Editors Society (ACES), the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA), and the San Diego Professional Editors Network (which she served as co-president from 2018 to 2020).

To learn more about Isabella, please visit her website at http://www.bluefisheditorial.com.