Behind the Book Deal
happy pub day + a real pitch letter + skill building reminder
Not So Secret Agent is an email newsletter all about the inside scoop on cookbook publishing from senior literary agent, Sally Ekus (that’s me!). Make sure we never miss the chance to connect.
Dear Not So Secret Agent readers,
Today I have the HUGE honor of celebrating the launch of a debut cookbook that I am VERY excited about! As part of that, and because this newsletter has to be more than just check out this special book, I’m going to give you a glimpse Behind the Book Deal that brought this incredible project to life. Hopefully a few of these insights will offer a window into the many ways books come to fruition.
Without further ado:
The Lao Kitchen: Lao Flavors and Stories Told Through Family Recipes, by Saeng Douangdara
Author: @saengdouangdara
Publisher: @tenspeedpress
Editor: Zoey Brandt
Literary agent: @sallyekus
Literary Agency: @jvnlainc
Photographer, food and prop stylist: @saengdouangdara
Book designer: Emma Campion
Writing assistant: Roy Sherwood Lee
Lao Script designer: RDK Group
Throughout the entire book-making process, Saeng’s professionalism, preparedness, collaboration, and gratitude made working with him a true pleasure.
Behind the Book Deal: The Lao Kitchen:
In the fall of 2022, Kelly Snowden, the editorial director of food, beverage, and wellness at Ten Speed Press reached out to see if she could introduce me to Zoey Brandt. Recently promoted to assistant editor, Zoey was starting to scout and acquire her own projects.
Would I be open to this intro? Yes!
Would I be open to exploring a scouted project Zoey is interested in? Double Yes! Any time I can work with the next generation of publishing colleagues, count me in!
Zoey had already talked with the potential client and even seen a rough draft of an unfinished proposal. Knowing my thorough proposal guidelines and my taste in projects, Zoey thought I might be a good fit as the agent. The goal was for me to step in and help get the proposal over the finish line (tested recipes, marketing details, comps, etc.).
***Not So Secret Agent side note: If you’re wondering how often I find new clients through intros like this, check out this post, How many clients does a literary agent actually have? TLDR: Often!***
Organized, driven, and *ready*, Saeng Douangdara was a client I immediately knew I would love to work with from our very first call.
Saeng came with in with an open mind, eager to understand the role of a literary agent. Plus, he had a sizeable platform, a passionate expertise, and a dedication to bringing Lao cuisine and culture to the forefront.
Fun fact: In looking back through my emails from this time, I discovered that on April 21st, 2023 – exactly three years ago TO THE DAY! – I emailed Zoey an update stating that the proposal was coming along wonderfully and we should have it ready to submit soon.
Here is the pitch that went out, exclusively, to Zoey during the summer of 2023.
Dear Zoey,
Thank you again for your patience and for sending Saeng my way. I am honored to be presenting you with his incredible proposal.
You may not know everything about Lao cooking, but I am sure that you know someone who has found their favorite spot for laab, the national dish of Laos (and that’s right its laab and definitely not “larb”). Saengthong Douangdara, the “Funky Kid,” is a personal chef, Lao food instructor, and creator of a line of seasoning blends called Lao Spices, which sold out overnight after release. Whether it is padaek Lao unfiltered fish sauce, sticky rice, Lao spice levels, or fresh herbs, Saeng sees room for Lao style cooking in every home kitchen.
Funky Kid: Diaspora of Laos Cookbook speaks to inquisitive food lovers who seek out deep cultural and personal context as well as the Lao home cook who has been craving the preservation of the food of their families. Readers will hear about the difference between “Lao” cuisine and “Laotian”, why it’s definitely “laab” and not “larb,” and the dishes that nourish the Lao people. Saeng is an active leader of the Lao Food Movement, a group of chefs and food professionals who seek to elucidate and vindicate Lao cooking as an essential part of American history and the American food tapestry. Lao contributions are being seen more and more as part of the booming interest in Southeast Asian cuisine, but also as unique and different from its counterparts, which have already gained popular familiarity.
Funky Kid conveys the intimacy and personal touch of Saeng’s story. He has a unique position as one of only a handful of publicly recognized advocates for Lao cooking and one of the most accessible to the general audience in his Facebook (322k followers), Tiktok (246K followers), Instagram (104K followers), and his YouTube Saeng’s Kitchen (35k subscribers). His work has been featured on Delish both online and in print, on Buzzfeed, the New York Times, and LA Times. Saeng was a chef and cooking instructor at The Gourmandise School in LA and was a contestant on the TBS show Rat In The Kitchen. He has been featured as a representative of Lao cuisine on a panel at the U.S. Embassy and has a strong social media collaboration network including Jeanelleats (1m YT), Pailin’s Kitchen (1.7m YT), Kim.chi (1.9m Instagram), and Chef Jon Kung (1.7m on TikTok).
Across platforms, Saeng presents his personable and unapologetic celebration of Lao food, highlighting those strong and distinctive flavors that are characteristic of Lao cooking. Saeng leans into the notion that giving a platform for the “funky” essence of Lao food engages the audience with flavors that stay true to a Lao palate. His table of recipes spans traditional and modern cooking in a way that has not been covered by a specifically Lao cookbook in the last decade. He also blends historical and social context between chapters, bringing to light the significance of these recipes to Lao culture specifically and painting a picture of the future of the Lao Food Movement.
As you can see from the pitch above, which I have shared with permission, Saeng had the winning combo of culinary concept, platform, and storytelling ability/voice. Saeng’s intentionality and creativity shined throughout the entire process, as did the Ten Speed publishing team’s exceptional level of collaboration.
Here are a few other key book production notes and notables unique to Saeng:
Saeng went on to consult with food photographer Kevin Miyazaki, who helped guide him on the technical side of food photography. This ultimately led to the publisher approving Saeng to shoot his own book, which was a stipulation I negotiated into at the contract.
Saeng was open to learning technical aspects of recipe writing and lifestyle & food photography. He also brought a level of content creation to the table already.
Saeng was able to tap the RDK Group, a Lao-based company specializing in marketing, communications, and translation to bring the Lao language into the book in a meaningful way. Together, they created a Lao script that felt true to the culture and worked beautifully alongside the English text. Their team also helped translate recipe titles and even helped create a custom Lao font named SaengOT!
Saeng’s audience grew from the time of the pitch to today:
104k on IG→212k
35k on YouTube →160k
246k on TikTok →304k
I’m curious, does this rate of growth reflect others’ experiences?
A few key takeaways:
Editors reach out and scout even when a project needs more development.
Editors know what their team needs to see in a proposal before presenting it formally to acquisitions.
Being a hyper-specialized agent (yay me!) served this project/proposal when the editor needed a hands-on cookbook agent.
I was introduced to Saeng towards the end of 2022. I sent Zoey an update saying the proposal was almost ready by April 2023. We had an offer to negotiate by August 2023, and a deal that closed and ran by that September. Three years later, the book is written, tested, photographed (including travel to Laos), delivered, edited, designed, printed, and shipped!
Whether you’re dreaming about publishing your book, deep in edits, or simply standing at the stove, I encourage you to check out Saeng’s upcoming book tour and show your support. Making a book is hard, exciting, and sometimes, a little bit funky.
~Sally~
REMINDER: The next NSSA Skill Building Session is all about: Genre Blending in Cookbooks!
This Skill Building Session will be a community-generated discussion rather than the typical style of me & a guest presenting on a specific topic.
When: April 29th from 2-3:30ET
Where: on Zoom (recording provided after)
Paid readers will get the Zoom info emailed to them by Wednesday (the 29th) in the morning (ET). Check your spam if you don’t see it!
This event is reserved exclusively for paying readers to ensure that those most engaged in professional development are able to engage with each other. I do this in order to gather people ready to commit, in dollars and time, to the community in the room.
Click HERE to upgrade your subscription.
***Not So Secret Agent sidenote: Yesterday I hit a major newsletter milestone, reaching 7,000 subscribers! To celebrate, I am running a 7% off sale on my annual subscriptions which means for $74/year (a price you can lock in indefinitely) you stand out as someone finding value in this newsletter. The code is NotSoSecretSeven, clever, I know.***
As always, if you do not have the means to upgrade your subscription, I do not want the $8/month or $74/year to be a barrier. Please contact me for an equity spot, no questions asked. And yes, people take me up on this all the time. Drop me a line (via replying to this email or a DM on Substack) so you can participate in this community conversation!
Like all Skill Building Sessions, the first 60 mins will be a discussion. The final 30 minutes will then be the facilitated Offer & Ask networking time, which is just an invitation for community members to lean into self-promotion in a way that might make a meaningful difference to someone else in the room.
Want to see genre blending in action via a book tour? Join me on April 25th at the New York Comedy Club UWS, tickets HERE. We will be talking about this at the NSSA Genre Blending Community Conversation on April 29th!
More NSSA in the Wild:
(if you plan to attend any of these, let me know. I love to say hi IRL!)
April 25th: NYC at Jubilee. Tickets HERE
April 30th: VIRTUAL How to Become a Trusted Voice in Food Writing with Dianne Jacob & yours truly! You have to register for the Write Up community (for free) in order to buy a ticket HERE. 50% Off Discount Code: SEKUS50
May 1st: NYC with client Saeng Douangdara. Saeng will be in conversation with Jujubee, a Lao American drag queen, reality television personality, and recording artist! Tickets HERE
May 2nd: Kingston, NY Cookbook Social! Tickets HERE hosted by Jenna Helwig and Rebecca Ffrench
June 12-14th: Chicago for James Beard Media Awards
September 30th: NYC, People of Publishing Tickets HERE
We just started cooking Vietnamese food, but Lao food is clearly next! Buying this book now, and thank you for sharing all the thoughtful details and timelines that go in to a project of this magnitude. It is very rare and valuable to have this kind of access and these insights.
I love a juicy behind-the-scenes look at how a book got made. Thank you, and congratulations to Saeng and the team on a beautiful book!