Wondertime
Alix Kennedy, editorial director, Wondertime:
1. What do you consider the single most important achievement your magazine has accomplished in today's marketplace?
We filled a void in a category no one thought had a void, and did it in a way that is relevant and meaningful to young moms.
2. Looking back at your history, what was the most important hurdle you were able to overcome?
It's one thing to say your new magazine is going to have great writing. Who wouldn't say that? But it's another to deliver. We went to novelists and essayists whose prose we loved and asked them to tell us about their experiences as parents in a way that is candid, funny, real, and smart. Sure enough, they're turning in some truly fresh writing.
3. What was the biggest pleasant surprise?
Hearing our readers expound on the magazine's design. They don't just love the pictures - they talk about details of the layout (from white space to fonts) with great understanding and appreciation for the aesthetic.
4. What is the biggest challenge you are facing today?
Keeping it up without keeping the staff up all night.
5. Imagine you have a magic wand, and you can strike the magazine and make it a human being. Describe that human being.
She's a mom - bright and wise and quick with a joke or story - and she has a child a year or two older than your own (so she always knows what you're going through, and is loathe to pass judgment...). She gets that this isn't about being a supermom. Things happen, and that's okay - being a parent means knowing what's really important and laughing at your life sometimes.
6. The number of new magazine launches has been on a steady increase. What advice do you offer to someone wanting to start a new magazine?
Before you go spending a lot of someone else's money, be honest with yourself: do you really have something new and different that people are going to pay for?
7. Finish this sentence: In 2010, your magazine will be...
the baby shower gift every cool mother gives her friends.
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