819: Confessions of a Cookbook Literary Agent with Sally Ekus

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**Sally Ekus** (1:08)
In every project, there's gonna be a pass. There's not a case in 17 years of agenting where every single house that I submitted to was interested. And so that first pass comes in, I send a congratulation notes to my client and I say, here's the pass, congratulations, you're on the way to being published.

**Matt Rodbard** (1:25)
This is TASTE, I'm your host, Matt Rodbard.
Sally Ekus has been inside the cookbook business since before she could walk, literally stuffing Prescott's for her mother's culinary PR firm as a kid. Now a senior literary agent at JVNLA leading the Ekus Group, she brokered hundreds of book deals and became one of publishing's most transparent voices on how cookbooks actually get made. She's behind the terrific Substack Not So Secret Agent, and I speak with her about what agents really do for authors day to day, and we go over some favorite books from years past. Also on the show, I have a great conversation with Rebecca Eisenberg, author of Small-Batch Breads. I hope you enjoy this episode. Sally Ekus, welcome to This Is TASTE. How are you?

**Sally Ekus** (2:22)
I'm good. I'm so happy to be in this beautiful studio.

**Matt Rodbard** (2:25)
I'm thrilled to have you here. It's a treat. 800 plus episodes. You're the first literary agent here.

**Sally Ekus** (2:31)
I'm honored. I am truly honored because what you do is so book specific, and this is a treat to give a little taste into the literary side.

**Matt Rodbard** (2:39)
We love the world of books, obviously. I have to say my agent, Angela Miller, will be the next agent, hopefully. I think she's a little media shy, but I love her.

**Sally Ekus** (2:48)
I will say I am an agent that steps out into the media, which I understand is not as common. But there's so many amazing literary agents behind the scenes.

**Matt Rodbard** (2:56)
Absolutely. And no secret agent is your substack. It's a must-read. I'm linking to the show notes. Subscribe if you have any interest in the cookbook industry, or perhaps writing your own cookbook, you should subscribe. We're going to talk all about that. And I just want to know, you're in New York, you don't live here, and where are you going to eat? What's on the list?

**Sally Ekus** (3:14)
I don't live here, but I have a lot of family here, so I'm kind of spoiled that I get home cooked meals when I come to New York too.
Last night, I ate at Dolores in Edstey, which was really nice. I love Mexican food, and so usually when I come to New York, I just try to find tacos immediately. Like, that's my goal. I come in on the train, load up on some tacos, and then go do my meetings.

**Matt Rodbard** (3:38)
Amazing. So you are actively taking meetings right now in the city?

**Sally Ekus** (3:42)
Yeah. Yeah. Take meetings, see family, pop around. I always have places that I want to try that go on the list, and I try to hit them up as much as I can.
So there's always a pending list.

**Matt Rodbard** (3:55)
When I started writing cookbooks about 13 years ago, we didn't have Zoom, and the agent-author relationship was super IRL. I remember coming to Penguin Random House in 2014 to pitch the book with Angela, and meeting with Doris Cooper and Francis.