PPC Monthly Meeting (June) – Monthly Mag Feature Editors
Catriona Innes – Cosmopolitan
Commissioning director
A big contemporary fiction fan
Look after long read investigations in mag and online
Used to look after all the books content
6 issues every year
Long reads section spread over 6 pages
Extracts would need to be exclusive, also relevant to audience (young women
18-35), very compelling stories to take up that much space
Finds expert non fiction lists really useful
Not interested in kids or children’s books / content – sometimes first person
piece on personal experience of motherhood
First person pieces have to be interesting – nothing like ‘why I hate being on
dating apps’
For online, it has to tie into the current news cycle
For online, has to be something they know will get views
o Social media followings are beneficial in this case
If it’s a new author, not a household name, it boils down to if the story is
interesting
They do book roundups online (looked after by Lydia Venn who is also in
entertainment). Updates on new releases, every now and then will do a
theme. Happy to update galleries if already there.
Entertainment desk do extracts – have to be well known names and authors
Entertainment always looking for celeb memoirs and interviews
They do a bit of BookTok stuff (Ciara Egan)
Likes to flip through catalogues
Proofs go directly to library
Catriona will request book she wants sent direct to her, please do not send
otherwise
Lead times, always working 3 months in advance. Planning content for early
next year already
Online content is a month in advance
Finds it useful to meet Catriona, breakfast or lunch, can’t really do coffees
Not great at replying to emails, but will search emails for things she needs
Don’t message or chase on Instagram
Wont follow Stylist or Grazia – can explore new angles but if all of it is too
widely covered then they wont pick up
Short, strong pitch as to why something would work for Cosmo
Megan Conner – Red
Deputy editor of Red
Works alone at the moment – currently recruiting for features director
Loves a catalogue
Slightly overwhelmed with proofs – check if it’s something Megan wants to
receive
Likes a PDF
Looks after features and culture section at the moment
Self is looked after by Brigid Moss (women’s health, menopause, wellbeing,
recipes)
Luella Berryman is food editor, so send recipe books her way
Reflections – regular slot, first person, 2 pages and is a personal story from a
writer, sometimes reader, its ghost written. Go to Megan for this.
o Friendships, being child free or not, navigating divorce
o A very beautifully written, lyrical slot
Readers in 30’s, 40’s and 50’s
Children of readers tend to be older
Do a lot of expert pieces – sex and relationships – psychology of relationships
etc
Self help goes down well – confronting fears etc
Features that are broken down into lots of nuggets of information
Sometimes done in extract form, sometimes commissioned to write
themselves, sometimes interview
They don’t have a budget to compete with newspapers for serial
These are often 4 pages
Culture section is books, film, TV, art
Book reviews looked after by Sarra Manning
Tends to review 7 or 8 fiction books out that month
Opener to section is always visual – photography and coffee table books,
illustrated books, great non fiction that lends itself to amazing visual
o Interview slot within this section, often with author who has book out
that month
My life in books slot – David Nicholls, Elizabeth Strout, Taylor Jenkins Reid
etc. Maybe sometimes a Q&A instead of page (Coco Mellors)
Done via email or over phone
Website – very little to no budget to commission pieces
If you’ve seen something online that hasn’t been in the mag, then it’s probably
been commissioned for free
Run all pieces of Apple News, especially first person expert pieces
o Less happy to follow others now, so Sunday Times Style, supplements,
Stylist, Good Housekeeping
Schedule social post on Instagram
Put book jackets onto features
Starting to plan November issue now, August goes to press tomorrow,
September is pretty much done
Send catalogues as soon as possible
Likes to hear about non fiction
Only in the office a couple of days of week
Can do coffee near office
Happy to do Zoom chats on WFH days (same for Karen at Prima)
Don’t really cover parenting – if they would, it’d be someone’s extraordinary
experience rather than everyday parenting practical tips
Send over magazine specific ideas after already speaking to author
Karen Swayne – Prima
Works across features and a bit of health
Advice led features
Open to anything their readers will be interested in, 40+ up to 70’s and 80’s
Like to stay up to date with latest trends and what’s happening in the world
Prima do not work with any kind of budget – they don’t always pay for content
They will not pay for serial
Take a lot of real life for books – women doing interesting things – but not out
of the realm of things that are possible for their readers
Inspirational but not extreme
Slot called ‘Yes You Can’ women taking on a new challenge later in life
They love a later life romance feature
Don’t always have time to read the books
If you’re able to go to them with specific Prima ideas, that’s beneficial
Don’t have set sections but cover relationships – money – advice – health
Cant do a story that GH or W&H are covering
Happy to receive a nudge
Keep pieces upbeat and solution focused
Fiction is Nina – she doesn’t work in the office – send to salon
Rely on health books and experts – new takes on old problems, to go to
Bridget Moss
Digital offering is very different to print, quite craft focused, sometimes put
print features up online but website is knits and makes (best contact is Rachel
Liddle)
Looking at November & December now
Doesn’t like proofs, prefers PDF’s
Claire Fox is a writer who looks after My Life In Books (often celebs / names),
comes up with feature ideas and would be up for breakfast
Karen cant do breakfasts
Don’t mind a little bit of sadness
They follow Mail with some things
Tailor emails to Prima – nothing too long – like to see a picture of the author