Terhune well understood the literary market and how to write to appeal to her audience. She shifted to non-fiction in the 1870s after the end of the Civil War, when the demand for women's fiction began to decline. With her new domestic writings, she appealed to inexperienced young housewives' need to know how to cook, and to manage their households and staff. Her recipe books included a range of styles of dishes from around the country; these also responded to the differing resources of her readers. Once her domestic authority was established, Terhune became a Chautauqua lecturer, speaking primarily to women on topics of home and family. By the 1890s, her name guaranteed high sales. She had the freedom to explore other genres, and wrote biographies, travel books, and histories. These were noted as mostly anecdotal, opinion pieces with little research behind them. Toward the end of her life, Terhune wrote a syndicated advice column.