Sunshine Artist Magazine
Sunshine Artist. If you've been involved in the arts/crafts industry for any amount of time, chances are you've heard of them. Sunshine Artist has become the industry leader in show and festival publications. What do you sell? Traditional arts and crafts? Fine arts and crafts? T-shirts? Concessions? Owners of any of these types of event-based businesses will greatly benefit from the use of this publication. The infamous Top 200 issue has quickly become a valuable reference in show-planning for many of us.
The beginning...
Sunshine Artist was founded 25 years ago by Crusty Sy and his wife Joan Wahl.
It started out as a simple, one-page flier. These arts and crafts
exhibitors decided a guide was needed to help others share show information.
Today, the magazine reviews over 2,000 shows each month!
What Makes It Work?
What makes this publication such a trusted reference tool? The fact that we
exhibitors play a vital role in the rating system. By filling out the
Fast
Audit
form, you are taking part in a show review. A more in-depth process incorporated
by Sunshine Artist is the "state reporter". This is simply a fellow exhibitor who
will write reviews about shows in their state that they personally attend. The
offline version of the Fast Audit is also passed around to exhibitors at these
events to get a well-rounded review. To put it simply, Sunshine Artist is:
organized word-of-mouth. I'm sure we all have attended shows based on what another
crafter had to say about it. With Sunshine Artist, you get the opinions of thousands
of exhibitors, all in one place!
Instead of re-writing well answered questions, I'm going to simply paste a couple of questions I asked the editor of Sunshine Artist, Amy Detwiler, who was kind enough to take the time to help with this feature. (See folks, sometimes the "big guys" do take time to help out the little people!)
The "Top 200" issue has certainly become a very important
reference tool to many crafters, myself included. Has
this popular issue become a significant factor in the
growth of SA?
Absolutely. September is the largest, most read, most talked about issue of
the year. We begin working on the September 200 Best issue in February, with
the design of the ballot. The ballot is printed on special card stock and
using a special ink to prevent duplication. To protect the integrity of the
process only original ballots are accepted and ballots only go to
subscribers ... they are not available on newsstands. Since only subscribers
vote, September's issue has become a significant growth factor for SA. Of
course, the flip side is more subscribers, more votes ... more votes, a
better cross-section of response ... better cross-section of response, a
more viable/valuable 200 Best survey. It's a real win-win.
I'm very impressed with the new forms of communication that your Web site is offering your readers. Particularly the ability to file "Fast Audits" online. Do you expect a large increase in the numbers of people who fill out these forms now that it may be done instantly?
We certainly hope so! Our research shows more and more exhibitors are getting online. The ability to send a message instantly ... no rifling around for stamps, pen, locating a mailbox ... should certainly boost response to even greater heights. Plus, I think it's important to note that the quicker response leads to quicker publication of show reviews. Because the magazine industry is limited by printing deadlines, providing the most timely information possible is a challenge. For example, we are currently working on November's issue, which will go to the printer the last week in September. I can accept reviews for this issue up to September 10. Sending something online at the touch of a button that day vs. posting through the mail can mean the difference between printing in November or saving until December.
In Closing
Recently, Sunshine
Artist
has developed an internet presence. Hence this feature. (It's darn near impossible to link
to
print!) I've been very
impressed thus far with the way the online features are incorporated to enhance
and expand upon the "printed" publication. I've already linked to a few
of the services offered online. Be sure to visit this site at: http://sunshineartist.com
to see it all. If you don't already subscribe, it would be well worth it to
subscribe today. And by the way, no, I don't get a cut, nor do I work for them! :-)
Online ordering information may be found at: Sunshine Artist Subscription Info.
To get information by phone, call (800) 597-2573. At the very least, be sure to
visit the Web site.
It is certainly more than an electronic ad.
As always, send in any
comments or questions. I always want to know
what you think.
See ya next week!
-William
