WHO WE ARE

Coastal Living is a lifestyle magazine that occupies a unique and well-defined niche. As stated on every cover, we are "The Magazine for People Who Love the Coast." Our editorial lineup takes readers to homes, destinations, activities, and people along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf shores of North America. We include Hawaii and Alaska as well as coastal Canada and Mexico. We also visit the multinational Caribbean islands from time to time, and we recently expanded coverage to the waterside ways of life along the U.S. Great Lakes. Our rule of thumb: With the exception of features on the Great Lakes, or "North Coast," Coastal Living stories spotlight topics within sight, sound, taste, touch, or smell of salt water.

OUR VOICE

A tone of casual sophistication unfolds between the covers of Coastal Living. Regardless of the subject--decorating, entertaining, gardening, travel, nature, or zany beach characters--insider knowledge and ease prevail in the language of our stories. Our syntax welcomes humor but avoids cuteness.

Well-balanced and poised, Coastal Living is an accessory on the coffee table, a workhorse in the kitchen, and a friend in the hammock.

VITAL STATS

PLANNING SCHEDULE

Coastal Living stories are planned one year in advance during an annual series of editorial meetings from about November 1 through February 1. For example, the slate for 2003 was finalized as of February 2002. Flexibility allows some adjustment as the year progresses, but editors generally stick to the plan. That allows time for research, photography, writing, and production. This lead time is particularly crucial if a story has a seasonal angle, such as fall color or holiday decorating.

PRODUCTION SCHEDULE

Depending on the type of article, the deadline for text to be researched, written, and submitted to the assigning editor is four to six months prior to publication date.

OUR READERS

Subscription renewals and growing newsstand sales tell us that Coastal Living succeeds in transporting people to their dreams. Letters, E-mails, and focus groups reveal countless ways readers use our information to make those dreams come true. Surveys show the average time spent perusing a typical issue is 90 minutes--an impressive statistic in this fast-paced age. Reader characteristics include:

EDITORIAL DEPARTMENTS:

Four overall subject areas (homes, travel, lifestyle, and food and entertaining) define the content of each issue. Divided into features and regular columns, stories depicting each of these areas are included in all three sections of the magazine: front of book, well (the middle section, with no advertising), and back of book.

The magazine also has special sections--such as ones focusing on summer entertaining and building a coastal home--typically written and produced by staff editors.

Behind every story, in all departments, is the desire to serve our readers--to give them ideas, techniques, or inspiration applicable to their own lives. Woven into our stories is an awareness of nature, the environment, and the importance of coastal conservation. Often those topics form the backbone of a story.

Homes With a mission to promote comfort, livability, and style, the Homes section makes up more than 50% of editorial. Story focus may be on decorating, building and renovating, architecture, products, community development, or gardens and landscaping. Our tone of casual sophistication is unmistakable here: Informal scenes sport just-right touches of grace and taste; otherwise luxurious locations project a "come in and make yourself at home" personality. Homes stories are staff- and freelance-written.

Travel Coastal Living issues a passport to fun in our destination, outdoor activity, nature experience, and lodging and dining stories. We strive for angles that reveal the essential character of a place in fresh and lively ways no other magazine would capture. The sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell of surf and sand are ever-present in text and photography. A travel/community hybrid is "So You Want to Live In . . . " This popular column, appearing in every issue, includes many of the earmarks of a travel story because it evokes a sense of place. But it takes the reader beyond what might otherwise be a great weekend getaway spot to the practicalities of year-round life with the resident cast and culture of a specific seaside town or village. Travel stories are staff- and freelance-written.

Lifestyle- Stories in this category may feature a family or other cluster of people with a common tie, or they may profile an individual person. They also may be hybrids--partly home/partly lifestyle. The latter depicts homeowners, architects, designers, or landscapers pertinent to the homes, gardens, or communities within the story. Lifestyle columns include:

"The Good Life," which showcases a person or family with a will to live on the coast and a way to do it.

"Coastal Character," which portrays one person who may be a quirky local or a semicelebrity but, either way, is intrinsically connected to the coastal environment.

"Collectibles" highlights rare, valuable, or otherwise treasured items and accessories with a marine connection or motif and is often presented in situ and/or with the owner's path in assembling the collection.

Lifestyle stories are staff- and freelance-written.

Food & Entertaining--
In a word, "convivial" describes our approach to putting food and wine on the table or on the picnic cloth. We profile a lively gathering in each issue's well section feature. Other columns include:

"Seafood Primer," a popular what's it and how-to in each issue. The column features a type of (or method of cooking) fish or shellfish.

"Host Notes," which a modern-day Emily Post would find handy at the beach.

NOTE: Recipes in all food features and columns are professionally tested in the Coastal Living kitchens to ensure accuracy and quality. Food & entertaining stories are primarily staff-written. Currents--Encompassing the above subject areas, this section opens every issue of Coastal Living and is home to a variety of short items (25-200 words). Travel news, cool home products, beach fashion, and seaside events are among the topics that populate its pages. "Currents" is primarily staff-written.

FROM QUERY TO CONTRACT

No manuscripts, please! Coastal Living does not accept prepared text, but we are happy to consider a well-developed idea expressed in a query letter.

Winning Queries:

Indicate that the writer has read our magazine well enough to grasp our style and subject matter.

Do not propose a topic recently addressed in a published Coastal Living story.

Present a fresh and surprising angle on a widely acknowledged topic; or present a new story idea that is uniquely suited to Coastal Living.

Convince our editors that the writer is highly qualified to write on the topic according to his/her experience and familiarity with the subject.

Express the idea in language that captures and holds our attention.

Express the idea concisely.

Include scouting shots or photocopies of photographs whenever possible. This is mandatory for any query related to home and garden stories.

Maintain 100% perfect spelling and grammar.

Are accompanied by clips of published work by the writer unless samples are already on file with Coastal Living. (In the latter case, the cover letter should remind us that we have clips and offer to send more if necessary.)

NOTE: Query letters may be sent via e-mail, with clips sent by regular mail in a separate package, with a copy of the query enclosed.

Assignments

Assigning editors will contact the writer if Coastal Living decides to pursue an idea. The specific angle, fees, expenses, and deadlines are discussed. That editor prepares and sends a story-focus sheet to the writer to confirm the story approach.

NOTE: Per the planning process followed by Coastal Living editors (see Planning Schedule), queried ideas typically will be considered on an annual basis for a future editorial lineup. (For example, all 2004 stories are planned by early 2003.)

The Coastal Living office manager issues a story contract, which should be signed and promptly returned by the writer. Accompanying the contract are expense guidelines and a list of items for the writer's submitted story package to include. (The story Focus Sheet also may be included or may be sent separately--see above.)

FEES

Coastal Living typically pays $1 per word, plus reasonable expenses (such as transportation, lodging, and dining for travel stories) agreed upon in advance. Compliance of our expense guidelines is mandatory.

Payment is issued within 2-4 weeks of story acceptance. NOTE: Following story acceptance, the assigning editor may still request text revisions by the writer.

Kill fees are 25% of the assigned fee, as noted in the contract.

Finder's fees are paid when and where pertinent. The range varies according to the story.

PAYMENT

To ensure prompt payment, writers must:

Meet the deadline specified in the contract.

Send a complete story package to the assigning editor as specified in the directions that accompany the contract. That includes 1) story text; 2) all fact-checking material; 3) names and complete and legible addresses of all story sources or participants who should receive complimentary copies of the issue featuring the story.
Put themselves in the shoes of our fact checkers and think about what they need to do their job. Writers must not fail to include complete fact-checking material in the story package. This is mandatory for payment. Such material includes but is not limited to: 1) names and contact points for all story sources and anyone quoted; 2) brochures and/or business cards showing up-to-date data pertinent to lodging and other referenced facilities; 3) restaurant menus if applicable; 4) photocopies of pages from historical documents, Web sites, or other information sources used.

PITCH STORIES TO:

(Homes & gardens)
Jeff Book, senior editor: jeff_book@timeinc.com;
205/445-7083

(West Coast travel)
Susan Haynes, senior editor: susan_haynes@timeinc.com;
205/445-8580

(All non--West Coast travel)
Steve Millburg, travel editor: steve_millburg@timeinc.com:
205/445-6294

(Lifestyle)
Jennifer Chappell, lifestyle editor: jennifer_chappell@timeinc.com;
205/445-6264

(Food & entertaining)
Julia Rutland, foods & entertaining
editor: julia_rutland@timeinc.com;
205/445-6053