A writer's sugary dream: Book meets cake!

by Sally Poyton


There are few dead certs when writing a book. There is no definitive way to get published; some people win competitions, other meet agents and click, and some get picked off the slush pile. There is no one way to write, either – some see where the writing takes them, others plot and plan meticoulsy before writing a word. No agent or editor can tell you the one thing that makes a good book, as they are all looking for something slightly different. It’s all so... subjective.


There is only one thing that is a constant, an un-disputed fact within the world of writing and publishing – THE LOVE OF CAKE. Many writers are fuelled by cakes (partly because of that pesky Candy Gourlay), and I suspect this is true of agents and editors too – it’s the publishing industry's staple diet.

SO what could be better than books and cakes? BOOK-CAKES!

I was lucky enough to be helping out the book store at the Oxfordshire Book Awards a few week ago. The authors and illustrators were so busy signing that I couldn’t get close to them, but I did manage to see these fantastic cakes - edible replicas of the winning book covers created by the Catering Manager of the host school Abingdon Boys…

Seeing these fabulous cakes got me wondering about book launch cakes - do people get their books turned into cakes for their Launch Parties? Well, writers love cake so what better excuse? Bestselling author of the ‘Joshua Files’, MG Harris, makes her own book-cover cakes for her launch parties - and she signs each one!

So how about the inside of books – do they get changed into edible form too? Well, cake creator Liz Mergel has created this fantastic, amazingly detailed double page spread of the J-Team Graphic Novel. How brilliant is that?!

So is it only authors who make book-inspired cakes? No, fans do too! Just look at this Harry Potter cake by Heather Coates for her daughter’s birthday:

And here are a few of my efforts!

With appetites wetted, go write!