Time Inc.
80 Willow Road
Menlo Park, CA 94025
650.324.5499
http://www.sunset.com
The Wind Up
The sun has finally set on your mom's Sunset. The March issue of
the Time Inc. monthly (1.4 million-circulation) marks the
culmination of a year-long redesign that combines the classic
elements of the 106-year-old magazine with a fresh and modern
look.
The magazine, which targets readers in the 13 Western states
(half of the circulation is in California), now has guidebook
quality and much better navigation. It also has a new tagline,
"Home Travel Garden Food: Life in the West," and a new logo. The
new tagline reflects the magazine's four editorial areas - home
(and design), travel (and recreation), garden (and outdoor living)
and food (and entertaining) -- that run in every issue.
There are a bevy of new departments in the magazine. The Travel
section includes a new feature called "Things to Do In...," a
2-page guide that offers timely items on concerts, events,
festivals, restaurants, etc. for each of the five zones where
Sunset is distributed: Northern California, Southern California,
Northwest, Southwest and Mountain. The 'Garden' section is also
tailored somewhat to each of the five zones. "Best of the West,"
which originally ran as a front-of-the-book section in 2002, has
been retooled to offer more service-y information about a popular
spot in the West, say, San Francisco. Other new categories include
Step-by-Step in the Garden section, providing the tools needed to
start your first garden and the "Weeknight" column in the Food
section, offering quick-and-easy recipes. There is also in each
issue a Recipe Index for breads, appetizers, salads, main courses,
side dishes, beverages and desserts.
Stories in the feature well, which now follow the magazine's
core section, tend to focus on the home and travel, too. For
instance, the April issue includes stories on how to color your
garden and the appeal of Vancouver Island. All of the stories,
however, must have a Western spin to get past the goalposts. "We're
all about how to enjoy living in the West," says Katie Tamony,
editor in chief (since 2001). "We like to cover new products and
ideas that start here, or that would be particularly appealing to
the Western lifestyle." To wit, any stories with a "green" hook are
encouraged, so are pieces that push the needle on the many outdoor
activities Californians enjoy, such as hiking, walking and
biking.
The editorial changes have been gradual so as not to alienate
long-time readers. "We wanted to creep up on our loyal reader but
make enough change to attract a new target audience," Tamony says.
"We're trying to reach women in their 30s and 40s, homeowners, who
may have thought Sunset was something their moms read. We're trying
to change perceptions." Of course, there are many shelter books in
the marketplace but very few have such a singular focus on the
West. "Because we're looking at the entire California lifestyle,
what you do in the home, where you are going to go this weekend and
what you cook, separates us from the pack," Tamony adds.
The Pitch
Sunset staffers like to be contacted initially through e-mail.
(See Contacts.) A second e-mail - rather than the phone-call
follow-up 10 minutes later - will probably help your case. For a
seasonal pitch, leave between a year and four months out (since the
product will in all likelihood need to be photographed) and
four-to-six months for a story that is more spot in nature, say the
"Best of the West" or "Things To Do" columns.
There is no shortage of special issues to pitch: January tackles
trends in healthcare, the home or food, for example; February
focuses on "green" products and the magazine's Environmental
Awards; May features a special emphasis on the home; June has all
the latest trends (and products) for the backyard; July is summer
entertaining; September features the Architect Awards (in concert
with the American Institute of Architects) while November covers
holiday entertaining.
Tamony stresses pitches that can shed new light on the West. "If
they can cue their product to identifying with people who are
active, in touch with the outdoors, love to try new food and can
couch their pitch in terms of what's innovative and significant for
the western homeowner would be very good for us," she says. Another
good pitch is to turn a surge in sales (of your product) in
California into a larger piece tackling a particular trend. For
instance, Sunset is now preparing a story on portable fireplaces
that are currently all the rage in California. "That came from
seeing a lot of products that we were being sent and talking to
people about how the interest is growing," Tamony says. "A lot of
things about the home do well. And so do any products about
remodeling."
Sunset: Contacts
Peter Fish, Senior Travel Editor
[email protected]
Beat:
Directs all travel coverage for all five zones. Interested in
events, festivals, hotel/lodge news.
Dan Gregory, Senior Home Editor
[email protected]
Beat: Directs all home and design coverage. Particularly interested
in new products/materials for the homeowner interested in
remodeling, green/environmental, indoor/outdoor living.
Sara Schneider, Senior Food Editor
[email protected]
Beat:
Directs all food and entertaining coverage. Interested in chefs of
the West, new trends in home cooking, restaurant openings, growers,
and wine.
Kathy Brenzel, Senior Garden Editor
[email protected]
Beat: Directs all garden and outdoor living coverage. Interested in
plant materials, backyard accessories/furniture, landscape
architects, books, new plants, tools for the garden.
Dale Conour, Deputy Editor
[email protected]
Directs Best of the West coverage. New trends, innovations,
products, ingredients, tools, etc. are mentioned in the upfront
section that encompasses all Sunset subjects.
Yvonne Stender, Style Editor*
[email protected]
Beat: Directs photography styling, prop placement, styling
seletcion in interiors and garden stories.
*New position.