So, You Want to Publish a Wine Book?

Sommelier Cha McCoy was cycling through the plains of vineyards in Mendoza. As she took in the stunning foothills of the Andes all around her, she could have no clue that five years later this exact moment would be one of many to give her first book texture and movement.

When McCoy eventually sat down to write, she knew she wanted her book to reflect her personality, love of travel, and passion for championing lesser-known food and wine pairings. The Communion: Wine Pairing for the People, which came out in November 2025, moves beyond reinforcing rigid stereotypes, encouraging readers to approach wine much like McCoy has throughout her career. 

For wine professionals who have built a platform and are passionate about reading a book that they feel doesn’t yet exist, publishing a wine book is an exciting and perhaps daunting next step. Even for those who have mastered the floor or built a loyal social media presence, entering the publishing world comes with a steep learning curve. SevenFifty Daily spoke to sommeliers and wine educators about what they learned from making the leap into publishing. 

Why Write a Wine Book?

While there are no precise figures on how many food and beverage books are published each year, Bryan Imelli, the managing director of publishing house Board & Bench, a specialist wine book publisher, points out a telling comparison: “The wine book market has always been tough. The bestselling book on smoothies outsold all of the wine books released in 2024. All of that said, book formats can still be an important form of communicating authority—possibly still the most trusted form.”

While becoming a published wine author is rarely the secret to financial success, it can help wine professionals assert their expertise and shape their career trajectory. For many, that credibility is the true reward of authorship. For Kelli White, the sommelier-turned-author of Napa Valley Then and Now and Wine Confident: There’s No Wrong Way to Enjoy Wine, it furthered her career by cementing her authority as a Napa Valley expert. “This led to speaking opportunities, job opportunities, and eventually my second book,” she says. “It’s a lot of work, but I believe writing a book offers lots of career advantages.” 

Others, like Marie Cheslik, the creator of wine education platform Slik Wines, approached publishing to fill an educational gap she had observed through her work. After five years of teaching wine, Cheslik was still passionate about her material and felt like a book on the topic of wine label education would fill a gap in the industry. She already had the material for a 45-minute course on wine labels and thought it might reach different readers in book format. 

“The book seemed like the best option because I also saw it living on the shelves of wine shops and grocery stores,” she says. “It was a combination of a good, fresh idea plus the marketability which drew me to write it.” Cheslik’s How to Read a Wine Label was released in November 2025. 

How To Land an Agent and a Publisher

Once an author has refined an idea, the conventional route is to secure an agent, the gateway to large publishing houses. In some cases an agent makes the first move; McCoy was approached by an agent after speaking at a conference and Cheslik met hers at an industry party. In other instances, you can send cold pitches by researching a list of agents and sending them personalized queries. It’s about finding someone who’s the right fit and shares the same vision for your book.  

For those who want to pursue smaller publishers, self-publishing, or international publishers, an agent isn’t always required. White chose to self-publish her first book, a decision that was a no-brainer after securing a loan to bring her project to life. She took on a greater level of responsibility by overseeing the printing and publicity, but ultimately her decision paid off and her book sold out of all 7,700 copies.

Writing the Book Proposal—and the Book   

When querying agents or approaching publishers, you’ll be expected to put together a proposal, which usually includes a clear sample chapter, defined structure, and an understanding of the market niche you aim to fill. An agent will also help you refine your proposal before sending it to publishers. McCoy’s own process began with a sample chapter written at the request of her agent—one that she was able to include in her book proposal, and that carried through to the final drafts. 

Before any proposal lands with a publisher, it has to answer one key question: why you? Having a substantial Instagram following helped McCoy understand what she brought to the table as an author and understand her value proposition. “What makes you unique will set you apart from everybody else that’s pitching books,” she says.

Tyler Balliet, the author of the James Beard-nominated Rebel School of Wine, stresses testing your concept with a real audience. “Social media doesn’t equal sales, so you need to start testing your stories,” she says. “Publishers don’t buy stories; they buy sales vehicles.” This feedback can also inform your book proposal. 

Jane Lopes, the author of Vignette: Stories of Life & Wine in 100 Bottles and How to Drink Australian: An Essential Modern Wine Book, had a clear vision from the start—a blend of personal narrative and wine education told in a bottle-by-bottle format. “There wasn’t really a comparative set,” she says. “And my impression is that big publishers wanted to see that you’re writing something similar to a book that has already had a lot of success. They thought, ‘It can be the Kitchen Confidential of the wine industry,’ but I didn’t want to write that book.” Lopes, an American who spent several years working in Australia, ultimately found the right home for her project with an Australian publisher.

With an accepted proposal, the real challenge begins—writing a compelling book. Authors agree that writing the book is as much about self-discovery as it is about storytelling.

McCoy had a specific layout in mind—a blend of recipes, drinks, and stories from her travels—but knew she’d benefit from outside expertise. She enlisted experienced food and wine journalist and editor Layla Schlack to co-author the book and help shape the text and provide accountability.

Marketing Your Wine Book

Writers who have completed their book may expect to celebrate its release with publisher-hosted launch parties and a string of tour dates. The reality, Lopes explains, is that publishing houses have focused their efforts more on digital marketing. They often target “podcasts [and] some earned media, rather than events,” she says. “They have data to back that up and that’s where their money is better spent.” 

While every publishing contract is different, publishers usually reserve travel budgets and large-scale promotional events for celebrity authors. That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t organize your own events to celebrate the book and get the word out there. Most authors should be prepared to undertake ongoing social media promotion and self-funded promotional events to drive book sales.

Wine professionals today understand that writing a book is not just about prestige and personal payoff; the opportunity to expand the conversation and invite more people into the world of wine is a worthwhile reward. McCoy is optimistic about the medium’s opportunity to expand wine’s reach. “At a time when wine sales are down, books from different perspectives may help bring more people to wine.

Lauren Johnson-Wünscher is a wine and food writer based in Berlin, Germany. She holds an MBA in International Wine Business and WSET Level 3 Certification.