Mark Pasetsky's Cover Awards

Today, Hearst announced the closure of Quick & Simple - but declared it will be keeping its web site open (www.quickandsimple.com).

For how long is anyone’s guess.

This news is not surprising - especially when you look at Quick & Simple’s cover choices, which recently varied dramatically from cover to cover.

This marks good news for Bauer Publishing - which publishes the most successful women’s weekly in the U.S. — Woman’s World.

The timing of today’s announcement is not surprising, especially as we head into the holiday weekend.

For recent Quick & Simple covers as well as the Hearst company statement, make the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Pasetsky’s Cover Critique

It’s fascinating to watch the transformation of Quick & Simple’s cover.

Last week, I pointed out that Quick & Simple looked like it had a split personality.  Half of the cover featured celebs while the other half was women’s service lines.

This week it’s all about Trisha Yearwood’s “Country Cookbook!”

To make sure you get what that means, there is an arrow pointing at one of Trisha’s recipes — a 5-ingredient peach cobbler.

This cover would have been much stronger if it focused on how Trisha stays slim vs. the broader “country cookbook” line especially when you see Woman’s World’s cover.

Bottom Line: Quick & Simple is still trying to find its identity.  Recipes are a commodity and this cover will not do well on the newsstand. 

Is Quick & Simple a women’s service magazine or a celebrity magazine?

This week - who knows?

Read the rest of this entry »

In the new issue of Quick & Simple, you can literally turn back the clock by using a simple scent.

According to a recent study by The Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, men guessed women wearing pink grapfruit-scented perfume to be six years younger than they actually were.

(quickandsimple.com)

Katie Couric says “My girls will not grow up to be snobs,” in the new issue of Quick & Simple.

“I’m trying to raise two girls in a normal way, despite the fact that my life is abnormal in many ways,” Couric says.  “So far, so good.  Knock on wood.  I’m trying to keep them grounded , and give them good values and be a good example.”

Katie, who lost her husband Jay Monahan to colon cancer, talks about how she handles the pressure of a high-profile gig and raising her kids alone.

“And every time I think, ‘Oh woe is me,’ I think of single mothers who work for minimum wage, and have three kids to bathe and feed when they get home from work.  It really puts everything in perspective for me.”

(quickandsimple.com)

Carrie Underwood reveals her secret in the new Quick & Simple. 

When Underwood is on the road, she takes along a copy of The Calorie King Calorie, Fat & Carbohydrate Counter by Allan Borushek, which lists chain restaurants’ menus, along with nutritional info on their offerings.

Carrie Underwood admits in the new issue of Quick & Simple that she tries - sometimes unsuccessfully - to avoid reading online message boards.

“Those comments can be really hurtful.”

(Quick & Simple)