In the world of food blogging, culinary creativity is essential, but so is a sound business strategy. Whether you’re a seasoned food blogger or just starting your blogging journey, the right business know-how can transform your passion into a thriving venture. The Grace & Vine team curated a selection of must-read business books explicitly tailored for food bloggers that will lay the groundwork to help you find the recipe for success.

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The new year is around the corner this always puts me in cozy bookworm mode. As soon as the holidays are over, I will be under a blanket with a book as often as I can.
Since starting my design business, I’ve loved reading non-fiction books that sharpen my business acumen and help me be a better leader.
Below are some of my team’s and my favorite books that can help you start to feel and think like the CEO of your food blog.
1. “Essentialism” by Greg McKeown
“Essentialism” advocates for simplifying your life and focusing on the most important tasks to achieve meaningful goals. McKeown provides insights on how to prioritize, eliminate non-essential tasks and make the best use of your time and energy. This book has been essential — pun intended — to helping me better manage my time and I think it could help you with your time management skills too.
2. “Building a StoryBrand” by Donald Miller
If re-branding is on your radar, you’ve got to read this one. In this book, Miller guides individuals and businesses in crafting compelling and effective brand narratives. It emphasizes the power of storytelling in marketing and demonstrates how a well-defined brand story can connect with customers on a deeper level.
3. “The Complete Recipe Writing Guide” by Raeanne Sarazen
It wouldn’t be a list of books for food bloggers without a food book! This handbook is a comprehensive guide for recipe writers to help you write better recipes. This book covers various aspects of recipe writing, from ingredient lists to preparation and instructions to formatting.
It provides insights into how to organize and structure recipes effectively, along with tips on incorporating storytelling and culinary expertise to make recipes more appealing to readers. This handbook is a valuable resource for any food blogger, as it gives you best practices and guidelines for crafting recipes that are easy for your readers to follow and enjoy.

4. “Drop the Ball” by Tiffany Dufu
If you’re wearing too many hats, juggling too many balls and over-filling your plate, this book is for you. Dufu shares her experiences and advice on managing a successful career, family and personal life. The book encourages readers to let go of perfectionism and delegate tasks to team members, enabling them to find balance and excel in both their professional and personal lives.
5. “R.E.S.E.T Your Mindset” by Natalie Eckdahl
With all the ups and downs in blogging, a good mindset is tantamount. In this book, Natalie Eckdahl offers insights on resetting your mindset to overcome challenges and achieve personal and professional growth. She shares practical strategies and tools to help individuals navigate change, reach their goals and silence their inner mean girl.
6. “The 4-Hour Workweek” by Timothy Ferriss
Working a whole week in 4 hours? Sounds nuts, I know, but Ferriss did it. In this book, he advocates for a lifestyle design emphasizing automating and outsourcing tasks to gain more freedom and pursue your passions. The book provides tips on how to work less and live more by optimizing your time and income. This book definitely offers some great inspiration for food bloggers.

7. “How to Get Paid for What You Know” by Graham Cochrane
With its recent updates, Google has us focusing on helpful content, expertise and EEAT — being experts in our fields has never been more critical. This book is a guide to turning your expertise into income. It explores various ways to monetize your knowledge, such as consulting, coaching, writing and speaking, offering practical advice for individuals looking to profit from what they know.
8. “Profit First” by Mike Michalowicz
This one is a must for every small business owner. Michalowicz introduces a financial system that helps businesses prioritize profit and financial stability. The book provides a step-by-step method for managing your finances and ensuring profitability in your business.
9. “Atomic Habits” by James Clear
In “Atomic Habits,” Clear delves into the science of habit formation and offers practical techniques for building good habits and breaking bad ones. It emphasizes small, incremental changes and the power of consistency in personal and professional development. This one is a must-read if you are looking to put some better practices in place in your business. Don’t miss this podcast episode about good habits for food bloggers.

10. “Food Styling: The Art of Preparing Food for the Camera” by Delores Custer
Food photography is a skill I know almost every food blogger is working on perfecting, but styling is a whole other matter. This book is all about presenting food for photography. Written by an expert in the field, Custer explores the nuanced techniques of food styling, from selecting and arranging ingredients to manipulating lighting for optimal visual impact to editing images to keep them on brand.
Though this book is a little hard to find, if you can get your hands on a copy, it’s an invaluable resource for transforming ordinary dishes into visually stunning culinary creations suitable for the camera lens.
11. “Time Management Essentials” by Anna Dearmon Kornick
With ever-changing technology and new-fangled apps, it’s easy to lose focus. In “Time Management Essentials,” Kornick delivers a practical guide that equips you with the necessary tools to enhance your attention and harness energy. I love listening to her podcast, It’s About Time, and this book offers a lot of great advice. She delves into effective time management strategies, providing insights into prioritization, goal-setting and maintaining focus.
12. “The Flavor Bible” by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg
This book is an indispensable guide for any food blogger. Unlike traditional cookbooks, this thick volume is more of a comprehensive encyclopedia of flavor pairings. For example, you can look up any ingredient, like “raspberries” or “shrimp,” and find a long list of flavor pairings that go perfectly with them. Each page is brimming with insights from renowned chefs who offer their own experiences. “The Flavor Bible” is an essential companion for you to unlock the full potential of your recipes by mastering the art of flavor harmony and innovation.
Any or all of these 12 tomes would be an excellent addition to your bookshelves and reading list. What would you add to the list?
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