Write Fearlessly, Edit Mercilessly.
Words of writing wisdom applicable to many things. That said, a couple things happened last week to further my publishing quest. One was reading at an authors event which was a nice evening in a beautiful room filled with about 70 people. Surprised by the turnout, people listened and watched intently and by and large asked thoughtful questions.
But they were also interested in what I thought of The Bear as opposed to what I’d just read, so a bit disappointing. Its a question I’ve gotten 100 times being a chef in Chicago. Another question was why do we write? I replied “Has anyone here ever worked 60-90 hrs a week for decades?”
“Ask any mom here” a woman replied.
Touché.
The organizers were happy and mentioned doing it again at another property of theirs. We’ll see.
The problem is I have content not product, with nothing physical to monetize.
The other authors were able to sell their books, but no trees have died on my behalf. Everything I’ve written has been pretty much for online publications or Kindle, where I have my Garlic Manifesto-10,000 years on the history of garlic filled with facts, fiction, folklore, myths and legends starting in Neolithic caves traveling to the pyramids, Roman legions, Black Death and vampires. The very Ebook I failed miserably at promoting giving the idea of self publishing Home Cookin’- The Stories Behind The Food a bad taste in my forever munching yap.
Gun shy is another way to put it but as Danny Meyer says in “Setting The Table” his brilliant book on hospitality “The path to success is paved with mistakes well handled” so can’t rule out cautiously reconsidering.
This time, if I choose to move forward I may actually apply myself.
The second thing was lunch with a savvy business growth specialist I’d met years ago. It’s been over a decade but seeing his posts on Linkedin I reached out. A good guy with lots of well meaning ideas for my benefit, some excellent, some a bit harder to digest (the lamb carnitas may also be to blame).
Considering I write non-fiction, I’m not certain I need a humorous TikTok presence on top of what lanes I’m already precipitously driving in (Linkedin, Substack) but he gave me lots of solid info to consider.
He’s all about the brand and feels any product is secondary. I’m not so sure and feel while it may help get exposure it won’t necessarily translate to whatever I touch- particularly when what I’m touching is pretty serious and far removed from lite cooking bon mots from a dinosaur/chef. To me it’s vain but then it’s not like I know what works.
And to answer the question why I like The Bear? The same reason I like Tony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential- they both are accurate portrayals of restaurant life.
I’ve seen, done or had happen so much of it, they both resonate with me as results of the advice above.
Alan Lake
Chef/percussionist/writer/
Because I don’t invest much time in watching the TV very often and am aghast at pop trends, I decidedly avoid the large touchstones of pop culture. This is not some posturing its just at this stage of the game where time is everything it mostly seems like a bucket to pour time into. I want different uses for what I have left. I enjoy your substack writings Chef please continue to share. I have no advice on marketing as it also feels almost poisonous to creativity.
“poisonous to creativity” – different pov and skillset entirely. same with avoiding most pop culture, couldn’t agree more but a necessary evil if you want to have your product somewhere besides under your bed or on your computer monitor.
The author event sounds like it was a great experience! Glad it was well attended!
surprised the hell out of me. i couldn’t get 10 pp to a gig on my own.
Alan, I thoroughly enjoyed sharing the stage with you and never tire of the stories you share about what others share with you about their journeys. I’m convinced that the stories you share include a broad range of lessons we can learn from–whether it’s about music, food, or the human condition.
the pleasure was mine. thank you.
We should talk!
Love watching your author journey. Content is the path to product, so keep writing and sharing!