Editorial Mission
We launched Tri Valley Magazine because we believe the region deserves its own publication. We live in towns that are diverse, rich in talent and ingenuity, and fast growing. Many of us are newcomers hungry for information about the best places to go, interesting things to do, places to take our kids, great dining spots, ways to give back. We’d also like to learn a little about our communities’ history and get to know each other better. That’s why we’re all about connecting. What we hope to do is provide a dynamic general interest lifestyle magazine that is truly focused on the people who make our towns unique, whether they are young, old or in-between, and the issues that interest and affect all of us. Our goal is simple: to educate, entertain, and enlighten our readers. Central to that mission will be our ongoing effort to engage our readers in the development of the magazine’s identity by sharing with us what is going on in our communities and in their lives.
Distribution
Over 40,000 copies of Tri Valley Magazine are distributed throughout the Tri Valley to the top 33% of assessed house value, including all gated communities. Participating hotels and motels in the Tri Valley area and the five-city Chambers of Commerce receive copies of each issue. Reseller locations throughout the Tri Valley sell the magazine. Individual subscriptions are available.
The magazine will be distributed to approximately 95,000 single-family homes in the Tri Valley communities of Blackhawk, Danville, Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton and San Ramon, and Pleasanton. More than 20 local retail outlets also sell the publication.
Writer's Guidelines
Here’s what we can tell you about Tri Valley magazine. We’re looking for cover and department stories that feature interesting people, places, companies, businesses, trends and issues in the Tri Valley. Our editorial calendar and our departments are keyed to themes that are important to our readers.
Tri Valley Magazine Editorial Departments
- People. We’ll introduce you to the awesome people throughout our communities.
- Getaways. Quick, offbeat, fun, interesting, or romantic places to go within 50 miles.
- Dining Out. Featuring the best places to eat, and the people behind them.
- Calendar. Events happening in the Tri Valley area.
Evelyn Orthwein, President and Publisher. A long-time resident of Contra Costa County, Evelyn has seen first-hand what it takes to make a business successful. She believes that the years she spent as an accountant, event planner, and in public relations will be useful in building the magazine.
Marcia Parker, Editor. A veteran Bay Area journalist, Marcia teaches at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and also serves as Assistant Dean there. She has been Director of Programming for AOL Time Warner, Managing Editor of Intuit’s small business web site and served as Managing Editor of the Contra Costa Newspapers. Marcia lives in San Ramon with her husband, Bob, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. They do media training in emerging democracies overseas in their spare time.
Submitting story ideas or photography:
We’re looking for well crafted, single page query letters that spell out the story idea and why you think our readers will like it. Be sure to indicate whether you are pitching a cover story, inside feature story, or something for a department. We do not plan to publish fiction, poetry, or movie reviews, unless it is for a special issue.
Include a 1 page cover letter that briefly explains your story idea, your resume, and two samples of your writing. (We will not return clips.) If we are interested in your idea, we may call you, but the usual next step will be to follow up with you via e-mail. You can expect us to take 2-3 weeks to review your proposal. Please send your idea via e-mail to Marcia@trivalleymagazine.com or you may fax queries to: Editor: Tri Valley Magazine, (925) 943-9173.
Our regular feature contributions should be 150-750 words. Cover stories can be up 2,000-3,000 words. Feature stories will be about 1,000-1,500 words.
We will also entertain proposals for photo essays or striking single photos with good stories behind them. Please submit a 1 page query letter that describes the photo essay and why you think our readers will like it. Be sure to indicate whether you are pitching it as a cover story, inside feature story, or something for a department.
Once we agree on a story we will send you a freelancer contract to sign. We pay a flat rate for stories based on the type of story. We pay $40 for photographs. For those rates, we have the right to publish your story and/or photograph on our website, www.trivalleymagazine.com. Payment for stories and photographs is made upon publication and only if an invoice has been submitted. We will need your name, address, phone number and social security number on a printed invoice for payment purposes and for our files.
We will not return clips or photographs. Photographers should include your name as you want it to appear in the credit line and provide a description of the place or name of the subject for the caption. Writers should provide the byline as you want it to appear in print and online, a two sentence bio, and a digital image of yourself.
Public Relations/Marketing Professionals
We welcome your story ideas. However we are not looking for single-element stories designed solely for publicity purposes. We do not print press releases. You may fax materials to us at (925) 600-9173.
