I have been fielding emails from many of you since Memorial Day regarding the status of The Daily Dish. I know it’s been confusing, my having kept the same page up from May 26th until this very morning. The lack of daily updates has been a source of anxiety for some of you, and for this, I apologize. I do recognize (and am indeed honored) that many people have come to depend on my website, and I do not mean to disappoint. But for the time being, I am on hiatus.
This post as well as this one provide much more detail as to why I am (at least for the time being) suspending work on The Daily Dish. Without being crass, I simply am being underpaid. I have spent HOURS AND HOURS each week for months working on recipes for the site, shopping for ingredients, cooking, cleaning, photographing, programming, and more. Running, writing and creating The Daily Dish is like working a full time 40 hr a week job for free. In addition to the time involved, it has also been a financial drain, with all of the food, gas and other expenses coming purely out of pocket.
I have thought long & hard about how to support this venture, whether it be through advertising on the site, publishing and selling a physical cookbook, asking for donations. I have up until now foregone ads for the sheer fact that I loathe them. I do not want to clutter my site w/ a bunch of google click-throughs intended to deceive & lure readers away from real content. I despise flashing banner ads – which frankly no one should have to deal with, but especially not those suffering from Meniere’s.
I am still quite wedded to the idea of publishing my own cookbook, but have been unable to make further strides b/c of the burden of updating the website. I simply can’t do both. It took me over 2 years of writing and research before I could even get the site up & running. Maintaining it has been a chore and a half. Now that I am on break, I have more time at my disposal for working on an actual book. Many people have responded favorably to the idea, and I very much welcome your comments regarding one. Would readers be interested in buying my book were I able to get it published? It may be easier for people to work from a book in the kitchen. It is for me. And so, I am exploring it as a viable option.
Just this morning, my dear friend Tracey emailed me another possible solution to my dilemma. A man engaged in a different-but-similar niche website has successfully campaigned the past two years for donations, along the lines of a PBS pledge drive. He has set periodic financial goals to cover his time & expenses, then asked readers to contribute whatever they can. This seems like a plausible solution, but again, I am not sure how readers would react. Would people be willing to pay for a service they have already come to expect and enjoy for free?
Please, if you value the website and the work that I have done, give me your feedback. It is essential for the continuation of The Daily Dish.
Ok, I have to say that I have not read through your recipe postings on a daily basis, but from what I have seen I can completely and totally TASTE the talent and passion. What you are doing with cooking is a good thing for people who must absolutely watch their sodium for their livelihood, but also for people who are looking for good food.
Two things:
You should definitely put together a book of recipes and pictures, you have enough material and you deserve to be recognized. Your pictures that go with the food are awesome. When I shop for a cookbook I look to see if the recipes are interesting and/or appealing, easy to follow, and if there are lots of pictures. You have those things already!
I hear what you are saying about ads, but if it’s your site then you get to say what you will and won’t accept for advertising. I have seen it where the ads are distracting and unruly, and then I have seen sites where it’s not distracting from the content at all. Have you ever read Dooce? She’s on my blog roll, or just go here http://www.dooce.com. She’s been around for some time, excellent writing, great pictures, and she was one of the first to use ads as blogging is her full time job. I think the consensus around the blogosphere is that taking ads is selling out, but it doesn’t have to be at all.
It’s not wrong to want or ask for income with regards to something that you put a lot of effort into. Whichever way you choose to go- cookbook or ads or both I think you deserve the recognition and I wish you lots of luck.
PS- Thank you for the sweet words of encouragement. It’s a little crazy here right now, and I’m working on a few things, but I’ll be back posting shortly 🙂
Girlfriend, why didn’t you have a ‘donate’ button??
your site is wonderful and it has encouraged me to cook and bake with great results and good reviews. My son has CHF and it has been a challenge to serve him food that has some taste. I have found that in your recipes. I would definitely give a donation each time I used your recipes, I would also buy a cookbook if you chose to write on….whatever it would take to keep your website open. I miss it.
I would encourage people to donate. I adore cookbooks and I am sure many others would love to have one of yours. The recipes would be in one location 🙂 I am terrible about printing a recipe only to lose it forever. Either way, you deserve more than just a huge thank you and round of applause (which are great, but don’t pay the bills):)
you could sell your recipes on here…. Donations would work too!
I have google ads in hopes it might help me support my blogging nitch. Not quite working out.
This site is great and it would be good to have a donate button.
Although it would be a fair amount of work, a print cookbook would be great also. I have quite a few low sodium cookbooks, but none of them have photographs.
I think a book would be good, but if you get the website to earn you some spondoolics I think you will feel alot of satisfaction.
*I’m singing the Rolling Stones, Satisfaction now*
Just to let you know the necklace arrived today woooooot! Someone is going to be so pleased! Have a great weekend and thank you soooooo much. xxxxx
Thank you all for the support & suggestions! I will be mulling things over this summer and deciding how to proceed once my lovely daughters start school in the fall. Till then, Happy Cooking!
First of all, yes, I’d buy a cookbook from you…so would all of your other readers. Right now you’re giving away your work for free, and that doesn’t seem fair.
Also, is this a blog or a website? I thought it was a blog, and if so, I can see why and how you’d get so discouraged and a little overhwhelmed. I went to a writing conference a few months ago, and one of the speakers enlightened me on the difference. A website is low maintenance and requires very little upkeep from the author; a blog, on the other hand, is very time consuming and needs almost constant upkeep and work, work, work.
I would buy your book. As I have told you in the past, you do a lot for people who have to be on a low salt diet. A donation button would help you too I think.
Welcome Marlajayne! I appreciate your thoughtful comments. I actually have both a website & a blog. The website though was what was being updated daily and taking up most of my time. Funny to read that blogs are supposed to be the workhorses..
Hi Roy! Thanks so much for stopping by. I will be returning to the Daily Dish in the fall, and a book is a strong possibility. Please keep checking back. Till then, take care!
I would buy a book for sure! It drives me crazy that all my cookbooks don’t have sodium labelling. Even in magazines like Bon Appetit. They sound great, look great but don’t list the sodium.
I’ve already spent hundreds of dollars on cookbooks, at least if I buy yours, I know it’s going to someone who deserves it.
MANY THANKS, Sabina! Wonderful to hear. Tune in this fall for updates – I’ll keep you posted. Take care!
Dish-
I’m sorry I haven’t explored this part of your site much and was unfamiliar with your dilemma. I agree with many of the previous commenters; a Donate button couldn’t hurt in the interim while you’re figuring out which path to take.
Nobody seems to be acknowledging that getting a book published is not the easiest thing in the world to do. And the market is flooded with hundreds, if not thousands, of new cookbook titles each year. I suppose self-publishing is an option, and much easier these days, but you’d have to drum up business basically through word-0f-mouth and word-of-electron. Is your reader base healthy enough (in size, not diet!) to get such an undertaking started?
I’m not involved in the publishing industry, so these comments aren’t exactly authoritative, but more or less commonsensical.
I just StumbledUpon your site and have not yet been able to try any of the reciepes on your site BUT anyone who puts forth good content on the web should at very least have a donate button. It is there for people who want to contribute and the people who don’t just don’t. Also, I would totally buy a cookbook, as before I have not tried anything of yours yet but everyone else seems to give yoyu props so it can’t be bad!
Panny & Mark, Thanks so much for your comments. I am waiting for my daughters to start school at the end of this month – so I’ll finally have time to devote to the site/book/etc. Please do keep checking back. I really appreciate you both taking the time to make suggestions, and a Donation button seems like a great idea. Wish me luck.
My dear!!!! The website is wonderful and only a start, you should write your book!!! From one chef to another, people need different ways to look at food, eating and how it can change thier life!!!! Many thoughts for you and your endevour!!!!
WOWZA LES!!!! What an awesome surprise. Hope you & James had a wonderful anniversary Thursday. Been thinking of you!! As for the site & book — Thanks so much for the encouragement; it really means a lot. I’ll keep you posted. meanwhile, KEEP in TOUCH! Lots of love, Chris