Tue., July 20: Unfortunately, this event has been canceled.

If your love for cooking has ever evoked daydreams of having a self-penned cookbook published, now is the time to quit dreaming and do something about it!

I often receive emails from P.R. companies and marketing departments that think I would be interested in their organization’s events and promotions. Since I’m pretty straightforward with my interests, I usually am. While I have only just begun experimenting more in my own kitchen, I know quite a few talented home chefs. When I was contacted about Cookbook Publishing 101, an educational course being held at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, I knew I had to help spread the word. Check out the details below:

Join experienced literary agent Lisa Ekus-Saffer and cookbook author Virginia Willis for their COOKBOOK PUBLISHING 101 course to be held at The Southern Food and Beverage Museum, Tuesday July 20, 2010 from 6 pm to 9 pm at 1 Poydras Street, New Orleans, LA 70130.

In COOKBOOK PUBLISHING 101, Lisa Ekus-Saffer, literary agent since the year 2000 with over 200 successful book deals and cookbook publicist for award-winning titles including The Splendid Table, The Cake Bible, The Union Square Café Cookbook, and The Country Cooking of France, and Virginia Willis, chef, food writer, and author of the critically acclaimed Bon Appétit, Y’all, Recipes and Stories of Three Generations of Southern Cooking, help aspiring authors navigate through the exciting, yet challenging world of publishing. Offered in a classroom setting, COOKBOOK PUBLISHING 101 seeks to educate and inspire those who dream of writing a cookbook and examines the publishing process from all angles and perspectives. Topics to be covered during this program include:

• Helpful resources for locating and working with a literary agent
• Pros and Cons of Working with an literary agent
• What exactly is a proposal and how do I create one
• Building marketing, platform, and brand
• Recipe research, writing, and testing
• Proposals and cover letters
• Crafting your Unique Selling Point
• Nuts and bolts — practical finances and what to expect
• Agent as advocate during the publishing process
• Getting to know the players in the culinary publishing world
• Organizations to network through and join
• Self Publishing options and possibilities

For more information or to register: please visit the Southern Food & Beverage Museum website.

Course details: COOKBOOK PUBLISHING 101 – Tuesday, July 20, 2010 from 6 pm to 9 pm at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, 1 Poydras Street, New Orleans, LA 70130. Limited to 25 participants. Tuition: $199. Registration and payment available online at the Southern Food & Beverage Museum website.