Food Bloggers Are Turning to Digital Cookbooks Instead of Print | Eater

"The creator behind this Instagram account and recipe site produced five e-books since 2018, sold as PDF downloads via PayPal or Venmo to monetize time-consuming recipe development. After ad revenue grew enough that she felt adequately compensated, she removed the books because she prefers not to keep content behind a paywall and intends to migrate the recipes to the public site; however, a viral baked spaghetti recipe triggered a wave of readers demanding access, so she temporarily reinstated sales until the recipes were duplicated online. She is skeptical of aspects of the creator economy—concerned about recipe theft, integrity, and entitlement from audiences—and emphasizes crediting sources while balancing principles with pragmatic income needs." - Nick Mancall-Bitel