COVER MAGIC
WE HAVE BEEN INUNDATED WITH
poems since our call-out in last month’s issue to have your poetry published in MiNDFOOD. I never imagined this competition would attract such creativity – or that you, our readers, were such talented wordsmiths. It’s exciting to see your work arrive and to read it each day – the range of poetry is vast, with lots of different ideas and themes.
This sense of community around MiNDFOOD is what sets us apart from other media brands. From the short story competition we created years ago, to the feedback we receive from you around the stories we write, it does make me think twice about the content we choose to run. I’m often heard saying, “I think the readers will love that.” Or conversely, “I don’t think our readers would like that.”
Gauging what I think you may or may not like and respond to is a fine line. Freelance writers will often start their correspondence to me with ‘Your readers will just love this story idea…’ and will then proceed to tell me about a feature idea that we have recently written about, or a recycled story idea they are trying to get published. But we do get great ideas, too. This constant refining and making sure we have the balance just right – both in the magazine and online – makes for interesting conversation in our office.
Recently we discussed in a meeting what makes a coverline great and stops someone in their tracks, wanting to pick up the issue and buy it. There is no science, it seems – although a few well-chosen words and themes do sometimes, I think, gain more interest that others. And it’s always down to how you construct those words and messages that makes you want to pick up the issue. And of course the image we choose to run on the cover is so important. Anything too unfriendly and sulky never sells well. Last month’s gorgeous cover of Emma Thompson was up 18 per cent issue on issue, and the Jessica Alba cover the month before was a 13 per cent increase … perhaps it was those wide green pants? So it feels great when we get it right!
I’m often asked if the Australia and New Zealand editions have the same cover and contents. They will generally have the same cover – but it’s all in the negotiation between the celebrity and their agent, and anything can change before we finally press the ‘send’ button. This month’s cover was one of those months where we were told we had secured Margot Robbie for both the New Zealand and Australian covers months before, only to be told days before we print that they had changed their minds and now we couldn’t have it for either country.
After much discussion (often at 3am or 4am) our writer in LA, Michele Manelis, saved the Robbie cover for New Zealand – but couldn’t for Australia. This meant in the last few days of our busy deadline we were frantically looking for a celebrity to interview and photos to get sign-off from the celebrity and the agent and the photographer’s agent and the photographer … the list of who has to sign off on a cover these days seems to constantly grow. The subject matter also has to be perfect for you, the MiNDFOOD audience, so it’s not about selecting just anybody. This month Australia has Michelle Williams and New Zealand has Margot Robbie – both fantastic covers and interviews. Once the issue is sent off to the printer I sit and wait and watch for feedback, and then I have to wait another couple of weeks to get the first sales figures. Fingers crossed they are as good as the Emma and Jessica sales.
“This sense of community is what sets us apart from other media brands.”
To receive an email from a reader makes it all seem worthwhile, and I also read them out to the staff. Often the correspondence is a suggestion of how to improve something, or make MiNDFOOD better. We see what can be done, and good or bad, we respond accordingly. Or perhaps the feedback is about how a particular story has made the reader think, and changes they are going to make within their own lives. The months of planning and discussions all seem worthwhile. Enjoy reading our first poem entry.