/Interview/ The brains behind : Cake Wrecks
02/02/2010 | Filed under Discover > Interview
Award-winning photoblog Cake Wrecks has just released its first book. We talk to its creator, Jen Yates about the site, the book deal, and the bakers’ reactions
.net: What made you launch a blog about professional cakes going wrong?
JY: I started it just for fun, really; and just for myself. I never intended to attract an audience, or have anyone other than a few close friends read it! The inspiration was the famous ‘Under Neat That’ cake, which became my very first post. A friend emailed it to me, and the idea for Cake Wrecks just hit me. Now that cake is on the cover of the book, which I think is super cool.
.net: What inspired the style of the blog and your writing?
JY: I write the blog the way I write everything, to be honest. That’s just me. I’ve always tried to write in a very conversational, easy-to-follow manner. That means it’s not always as technically correct as it could be, but I like the casual approach. And written-out sound effects. Heh.
.net: What kind of feedback are you getting from people? Have you had complaints from bakers whose cakes you posted?
JY: The feedback on CW has been overwhelmingly, fantastically positive. Every day I get emails from folks telling me about how CW brightened their day, got them through a rough patch, or helped them cope with everything from cancer to the death of loved ones. These stories routinely make me cry, and are a huge encouragement on the hard days. It’s truly amazing.
Even more surprising is how the professional baking community has embraced CW. Sure, in the early days we had a few profanity-laced emails, but I think that was before people ‘got’ the blog – before they realised I’m not out to bash bakers or shame anyone. I’m out to make folks laugh a little more, plain and simple. Everyone, no matter how talented, goofs up sometimes – and the real pros know it’s okay to laugh at those goof-ups from time to time.
.net: How many submissions do you get every week? And how many hits does the site get?
JY: We get about 50 submissions a day, and about 85,000 unique visitors a day.
.net: Why are people on the web so obsessed with cakes?
JY: It’s not just the web: have you seen how many cake shows there are on TV now? (And yes, I watch ALL of them.) I’m not really sure why; maybe to counteract all the weight-loss reality shows? Really, though, America as a whole is obsessed with food – you could say unhealthily so – and cakes today are also works of art. So, combine something that tastes good with something that also looks good, and you’ve got the makings of an obsession on your hands. A tasty, tasty obsession.
.net: You won three awards at the 2009 Bloggie Awards and have amassed more than 1.1m Twitter followers. What does this popularity mean to you?
JY: At the time when I won all the awards it was a huge affirmation and encouragement: there’s nothing like thousands of folks voting for you to make you feel worthwhile! Later, I stopped chasing the awards, though. Winning them once was enough – and besides, my readers are amazing, and they tell me if I’m doing a good job and what needs work. With that kind of feedback, I don’t need to beg and cajole them into voting for the site again. I know they like Cake Wrecks because they read it!
And as for Twitter... sure, it’s fun to have so many followers, but I certainly don’t take that as any meaningful indicator of popularity. I look at it much the same way as I do the blog: as long as I provide at least moderately amusing content, folks will continue to follow me. The day I stop being interesting and/or funny, though, is the day everyone goes away.
.net: What’s the secret of running such a successful blog?
JY: Hm. Good question. My three best guesses/tips:
- Don’t do it for the money. Love it enough to keep writing even when no one’s reading, ’cos takes time.
- Constantly ask yourself: would I read this? Why, or why not?
- The occasional poo joke can go a long way.
.net: How did your book deal come about?
JY: A few months after I started the blog, I had a couple agents contact me. Then a small publisher. Then a larger publisher. I didn’t think Cake Wrecks would work as a book, but eventually I figured, hey, I’ve always wanted to be a writer – who am I to turn down a dream-come-true? So I signed on with my agent, and within a few months we had a deal with Andrews McMeel.
.net: What’s your day job, and how much time do you spend on the blog?
JY: Right now CW IS my day job. That’s another thing I’ve learned: blogging can quickly consume your every waking moment, and quite a few of the sleeping ones! I’m lucky, though; the specialty painting company I own with John, my husband, took a major hit when the economy hit the fan. So these days, John works for me. [evil grin] Believe me, we count our blessings every day that the blog produces enough income for us to live on.
.net: What’s planned next for Cake Wrecks?
JY: Well, we recently wrapped up the book tour, which was a blast, so now we’re back to giving the site our full attention. In fact, a couple of months ago we launched something I’ve been wanting to do for a looong time: the Charity Countdown. In a nutshell, I challenged the readers to donate $1 to a different charity every day until Christmas. And to put our money where our mouths are, John and I were donating $200 a day. We were doing this instead of buying gifts or holiday decorations, and it was WAY more fun than any mall shopping spree. The reader response was amazing, too; just over $10K raised 10 days before Christmas for our first featured charity, and hundreds and hundreds of suggestions have been pouring in for our next picks. It’s exciting stuff!
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