1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309-3038; Phone: 515/284-3000
Editor's Note: The key to establishing a rapport with editorial staffers or their assistants at Better Homes & Gardens can be summed up in two words: smart planning. These editors, who usually have to be called several times before you get a warm body on the other end, rely on press releases to build their extensive departmental resource libraries so detailed background work is already on hand when determining the scope (and publication date) of a feature and the art that will accompany it.
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Food Stories come in all shapes and sizes: a focus on a holiday spread or a sampling of recipes tested in the Better Homes & Gardens kitchen. |
| Editor(s) | Executive Editor: Nancy Byal; Phone: 515/284-2531 |
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Days To Contact/ Days To Avoid |
Because writers and editors are working months ahead on topics and issue highlights, there are really no good or bad days. |
| Methods | Byal wants pitches to come to her by general mail. |
| Comments | Here's the scoop: Byal wants a brief outline of what the story or idea is. She doesn't want cumbersome press kits and isn't going to spend very long poring over what you send her way. "Generally," one staffer told us, "follow-up calls are ludricous." |
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Interior Design This is an extremely popular aspect of the magazine's home-related stories and competition for space is pretty fierce. |
| Editor(s) | Executive Editor: Sandra Soria; Phone: 515/284-2350; Fax: 515/284-3684 |
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Days To Contact/ Days To Avoid |
It's the nature of the beast editors are always under some time crunch so be wise and be sure to factor in the scheduling that's part of planning for a once-a-month publication. Editors usually work 6 months to a year in advance. |
| Methods | Editors prefer that pitches are sent by mail with "visuals" specifically, color photos if possible enclosed. Faxes, however, are also fine if that's the route you select. |
| Comments | You should be a master of language since passing on a succinct, good description that can be relayed in words is key here. Also, news is routed among editors and if someone doesn't seize on the info., it's usually rotated back to staffers who file it away for possible future use. Their best tip: "Keep on top of trends and make sure your material is up to date." |
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Special sections News varies from automotive plugs to high-tech/computers and personal finance. |
| Editor(s) | Managing Editor (for automotive, high-tech/computers and personal finance pitches): Lamont Olson; Phone: 515/284-2538; Fax: 515/284-3684 |
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Days To Contact/ Days To Avoid |
PR pitches can be made Monday through Friday, but since Olson's shouldering a lot of administrative responsibilites as well, his schedule's likely to be one of the tightest you'll come across. |
| Methods | Olson wants pitches by fax or mail if they're automotive related; by fax if they're for high-tech/computers (since timeliness is a factor); and by regular mail, if they're for personal finance.Also, for personal finance topics, he wants a complete press kit, since stories are often outsourced to freelancers or others. |
| Comments | Olson pointed out that he's usually working on pieces anywhere from 6 to 9 months ahead of time -- with the exception of technology and computers-related news, where time is of the essence. He said of the approximately 200 releases he gets weekly, about 10 percent lead to a story or can be used as a resource. Like other editors, he's also fond of re-routing info. |