Hearst Magazines
455 E. Paces Ferry Road
Suite 216
Atlanta, GA. 30305
404.261.3603
http://www.hearstmagazines.com
The Wind-Up
Veranda is no longer a well-kept secret. The magazine launched in 1987 and for more than a decade was a high-end, albeit, regional shelter title. That changed in 1999 when the
magazine switched to a bi-monthly frequency from a quarterly and became a national publication. "The design industry was becoming more global and we didn't want to restrict edit
to the South," says Deborah Sanders, managing editor of Veranda, who adds that the largest number of subscribers live in California. "There were fabric and furniture companies at
the national level that we needed to cover." But even bigger changes lay ahead.
Fast forward to June 2002, when publishing giant Hearst Magazines bought Veranda for a reported $50 million to complement sister shelter titles House Beautiful and Town &
Country, which, like Veranda, appeal to an affluent and predominately female audience. Veranda readers have the highest median household income ($137,089) among all the upscale
shelter magazines, according to the 2002 Mendelsohn Affluent Survey. Although Veranda (402,000-circ.) is now part of New York City-based Hearst Magazines, the magazine remains a
daughter of the south. The magazine primarily focuses on interior design, antiques, gardening and entertaining, all artfully presented in a crisp, clean layout. All of the homes
featured are private residences. The latest issue features homes from Atlanta, Long Island and England as well as a feature on floral areas in Dallas and a horse farm in La Jolla,
Calif. The homes featured run the gamut: country, classical, cosmopolitan, urbane and rustic.
The Pitch
If you have any hope of getting your company or client into the pages of Veranda there are two words you need to remember: think visually. "Don't tell me it's beautiful, show
me," Sanders says. "Because we're a visual publication I prefer to see the visual. We start with the visual and build out from there, which is the opposite of most magazines." The
editorial staff is a skeleton crew, so freelance pitches are welcome. For any pitches concerning antiques or home furnishings, contact Sanders, [email protected]. She prefers e-mail -- no attachments please - but doesn't mind snail mail, either. For any pitches on design or homes,
contact Editor-in-Chief Lisa Newsom, [email protected]. Tom Woodham, senior editor, handles all queries regarding gardening, [email protected]. Because of its frequency, there is no one good time to contact editorial. The best time, however, is probably at the end
of every other month, when the magazine's cycle starts anew. Any time of the day will work, since editors are not under the gun compared with a weekly, or even a monthly magazine.
Keep the pitches fresh and off the beaten track. Remember you are dealing with design experts. "Big visuals is what pulls us in," Sanders says. "We know the context and know when
something is unique and tend to look at what we think our readers haven't seen." The publication is not so much interested in the trendy and more interested in products and
designs with staying power. The magazine also includes four to six jewelry stories a year, with product introductions.
The Follow-Through
Moving forward, Veranda will be developing stories in several areas: antiques, furnishings, accessories, textiles, tabletop and architectural elements. It will also enhance
coverage of bedding and linens. The magazine is non-seasonal so there's no content related to say, holiday homes. "We just want to see beautiful house without a seasonal theme,"
Sanders says. "Other magazines serve that need."