Book Whisperer

I’ve been called a Book Whisperer and a Storytelling Doula because I help first-time writers, chefs, and busy entrepreneurs shape, write, and sell their cookbooks and nonfiction titles. I provide publishing know-how, writing and project management, and radical empathy.

As an in-house editor, collaborator, and in-demand co-author, I have over two decades of experience helping authors realize their dream of producing a cookbook or prescriptive nonfiction title by providing publishing know-how, writing support, and radical empathy.

From ideation to publication, I can help you clarify your goals, hone your concept, craft a compelling proposal that publishers will want to buy, and support you through every stage of the book-writing process.

I’ve worked with dozens of authors and written my own cookbooks and other prescriptive nonfiction titles, so I’ve encountered and overcome every obstacle a book author will face. I also received my training as a Facilitating Stories for Impact facilitator from Real Food Real Stories. I promise to help you navigate this process smoothly so you can focus on what you do best: creating content and building an engaged community.

I was the local editor of Zagat Survey Restaurant Guide for 16 years and, before that, a restaurant reviewer for a regional online city guide, so I know how to find the best places to eat out. (Also, I’m very good at wearing wigs, making reservations under a fake name, and taking notes under the table to stay incognito). During my years at Zagat (rhymes with “the cat”), I wrote and edited 18 editions of the annual restaurant guide. I’ve also contributed to regional and national travel guides, including America’s Top Restaurants, Michelin Green Guide to SF, and Zagat U.S. Family Travel Guide.

I wrote my first two cookbooks by the age of 30 before switching teams and going to work as an acquisitions editor at Collins Publishers, an illustrative cookbook imprint of Harper Collins, where I racked up dozens of IACP and James Beard Awards for titles in The Beautiful Cookbooks and Country Garden Cookbook series. I nurtured dozens of first-time authors and seasoned chefs such as Joachim Splichal of Patina, sustainable food pioneer Jesse Ziff Cool, and TV during my tenure. personality and gastronaut Bob Blumer, aka The Surreal Gourmet, all of whom went on to write other books and launch successful writing careers. In addition, I collaborated closely with kitchen retailers such as Williams-Sonoma and Crate & Barrel to develop high-performing custom titles such as The Balsamic Cookbook, The International Garlic Cookbook, and The Best Of Claypot Cooking. 

My last two cookbook collaborations, Sous Vide at Home and Sous Vide Made Simple broke through the kitchen gadget niche publishing market. Both titles outperformed comparable titles by Thomas Keller and America’s Top Kitchens. Most recently, I worked closely with Gayle Pirie on The Foreign Cinema Cookbook.

I customize my services to the individual needs of my clients, but here are a few ways that I have supported my clients:

  • Publishing 101, an overview
  • Cookbook proposal writing
  • Project management
  • Recipe testing
  • Ghostwriting
  • Developing a voice
  • Identifying your reader
  • How to find an agent
  • Honing your story
  • Writing accountability
  • Liaising with the publisher
  • Developmental editing and copyediting
  • Live writing circles for unearthing your true story
  • Crafting your narrative for live storytelling events
  • Lending a shoulder to cry on

Do you have a cookbook that you’re yearning to write? Let’s do it together. I offer 1:1 coaching sessions. Approximately an hour in length, these sessions allow us to dive deeply into whatever questions you have to help you get started. DM me for details.

Here’s what my clients say about me…

“If you plan to publish a book but don’t know where to start, Meesha is your gal! She was able to provide me with clear, tangible steps on how to publish a book. Most importantly, she gave me inside tips, suggested people to reach out to, and explained industry nuances that I wouldn’t have been able to access elsewhere. I highly recommend her!”

Karen Rogers, executive director and founder of Sprouts Cooking Club

“Meesha Halm brings a refreshing depth, aptitude, and knowledge to all her ventures. Meesha’s point of view, steeped in multicultural wisdom, delivers a wealth of resources to all of her professional endeavors; whether they are conceptual, editorial, or pure journalism, her skills add breadth and dimension, layering on astute ability in all acute areas needed to get a project complete. She’s a project whisperer, of sorts, in all the ways you’ll need her to be.”

Gayle Pirie, restaurateur and co-author of The Foreign Cinema Cookbook

“For some, like me, writing a book, even a cookbook is brutally hard. One person who can make or break the angst is your editor. Voicing and putting to pen my passion for the politics of food and farming only blossomed when Meesha nurtured, coached and mentored me through the angst of writing of my first two cookbooks. As a cook, it is much easier to stir up a pot of deliciousness than to learn how to put it on paper. Meesha taught me lifelong lessons that remain decades years later on how to format and translate creativity to inviting storytelling and recipes that are reliable for the home cook in an enticing and consistent format. As a technically proficient editor, she took my voice and guided me to author my first two books and many articles in magazines such as Shape, Men’s Fitness and Living Fit. If ever, I am to write another book, there is no question that Meesha would be the person I would work with because I trust her talent and care for me as a person and writer both personally and professionally.”

Jesse Cool, restauratuer and author of seven cookbooks

I was introduced to Meesha as the cowriter and project manager for a cookbook I was editing. It became immediately clear that she was quick, conscientious, and willing to tackle challenges head on. She also knew a great deal about the ins and outs of publishing, and how to push projects through to the finish line. I consider myself lucky to have had her on my team. I recommend Meesha enthusiastically to anyone looking for a highly capable collaborator on a book.

Leigh Saffold, founding editor of Blue Pen Agency