Submitting to Edible Crafts

I thought I’d pause for just a bit and address how to get featured here on Edible Crafts. While about 80 percent of my finds I come across while mining the internet, about 20 percent are from submissions, usually from sources I’d have not found otherwise.  I (and all of Craft Gossip) love to feature new and upcoming bloggers and crafters, and encourage all who wish to be featured here to submit.

That being said, we aren’t able to feature every submission, and given time constraints, can’t respond to every submitter. If I feature you, I’ll let you know. If not, read below to learn more about why you might not be featured.

Your first step should be to visit HERE. This is the page to submit your idea, but you’ll also find essential tips.  I highly encourage you to read those tips first. Below are the top reasons I don’t feature submissions.

1. Hard-to-See Photography. I know the angst of trying to take amazing photos, so my standards aren’t as rigid as many photo sharing sites. BUT, you can have the best idea, but if your photos are poorly lit, blurry or so small the project is hard to discern, I can’t feature it. This is the number one reason I won’t feature your submission. Because I can’t see the craft you are submitting.

2. Not fitting the category. This is the number two reason. I realize I make things tough with my vague and broad definition of Edible Crafts (I feature not only crafty foods, but also feature parties, kitchenware, packaging ideas, baking basics, etc.). BUT THIS ISN’T A RECIPE SITE!!!!! I can’t emphasize that enough. Sure, I sometimes break this rule, but I rarely post on straight recipes without that crafty, clever element. So I won’t post on your favorite mac n’ cheese or bread recipe, no matter how good it sounds, but I will post on mac n’ cheese baked in cupcake tins or bread that looks like a Panda bear. For example, I recently posted on pine syrup, though it’s a “straight” recipe, but I posted on it because how cool. Syrup from pine needles.  Given the fluidity of my definition and the understandable confusion, your best bet is to become a reader and familiarize yourself with the types of posts I feature. If your submission isn’t featured, it may simply be because it doesn’t fit my category, even if it sounds yummy.

3. No substance. If you send me a link to your blog where you made something crafty with food, and I only find a picture with a little note about what it is without any further explanation, I probably won’t feature it unless I’m totally blown away by it’s uniqueness. I’ve been doing this job for a couple years and I’ve seen a lot lot lot of edible crafts. Almost nothing is new to me, so I won’t merely link to a site that has something I’ve seen a thousand times already. I don’t require a tutorial (though that helps), but at least some substance, explanation, a story or tips on how the reader may recreate the craft would be a big boost.

4. Too much of a good thing. If you send me one or two submissions daily, I won’t post on all of them. I write five to ten posts a day total, and there are so many great food crafters out there, I don’t think it’s fair to give one blogger a significant percentage of my posts. Certain crafters really do blow me away enough that I post frequently on their work (I’m sure you’ve noticed my regulars) but if you send me fifteen posts in a week, I’ll select only one.

To sum… Hopefully the above gives you a guideline for submission and better understanding why your work might not be featured. If you aren’t featured, it’s probably because your photo doesn’t show the craft well enough or simply because it is a recipe and not a crafty recipe.  After spending years submitting my own work elsewhere and years submitting manuscripts to publishers, believe me, I KNOW the difficulty of waiting for a reply and especially of rejection (I have a nice, fat folder of rejection letters). And I promise I take the time to consider every single submission and wish I could feature everyone!! However, these guidelines help to ensure consistency and quality in my blog. But again, I encourage you to submit submit submit! Unlike the major food photo sharing sites, I feature the majority of my submissions. And if you have any questions or concerns, you are welcome to email me directly or comment here or contact me however you prefer. Thank you everyone!!!