Product Description

This magazine is edited for and concerns the tastes and interests of contemporary Southerners. The magazine regularly traces developments in the areas of travel and recreation, homes and building, gardening and landscaping and food and entertaining.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #58 in Magazine Subscriptions
• Formats: Magazine Subscription, Print

Amazon.com Review

Who Reads Southern Living?
Southern Living is written for any woman who feels a strong connection to the South--geographic or otherwise--and who wants to live the lifestyle she associates with the region and the magazine. Specifically, she wants a warm, casual, inviting home; great recipes she can count on for friends and family; terrific travel ideas for family vacations; a garden that not only beautifies her home but extends family living/entertaining space into the outdoors; and a sense of pride and respect for the South.

What You Can Expect in Each Issue:

• Weekend Guide for 5 different regions: What to do close to home right now: city day trips; new shopping and dining experiences; hiking and other outdoor activities; romantic getaways and quick vacations.
• So Southern: Creative, seasonal, inspiring ideas.
• Travel: Destinations primarily within the South; insider information from editors who have been there and tried each hotel, restaurant, attraction, etc.; beautiful sense-of-place features that inspire pride in the South; budget travel and splurges; trips packaged for families with young children, couples, girlfriends, etc.
• Homes: Casual, comfortable homes that reflect the homeowners' lifestyle and their Southernness; creative decorating ideas; features that teach readers the basics of good design and offer advice from design professionals.
• Gardens: Beautiful homeowner gardens to inspire; great indoor-outdoor living ideas; expert planting and growing advice specific to the South and tailored to all the regions of the South (coastal, Southwest, etc.).
• Foods: Outstanding kitchen-tested recipes that readers have come to trust and treasure; Southern classics as a well as fresh twists and updated recipes using traditional Southern ingredients.
• Feature Articles: Feature articles reflect the primary sections of the magazine, in terms of content. Recent issues have featured: Azaleas Say Welcome, A Farm-Fresh Easter, Kentucky's Wild Wonder (Red River Gorge), Food-for-You Grilling, The Allure of Natchez, No Fuss Allowed (casual lunch for friends), Creating Character (new Lowcountry home taking cues from Old regional architecture), and Legacy of Wildflowers (Winterthur estate).

Magazine Layout:
Southern Living is a visual magazine but still believes in storytelling. Its photographers have continually worked to raise the visual bar because readers want to see the all the beauty and seasonal color of the South. They also want to access useful information quickly and easily, so Southern Living focuses on clean design and readability. But also makes room in the book for great writing and storytelling. .

Click on any image below to see select pages from Southern Living:



Contributors:
Southern Living is unique in that it is almost entirely staff-produced. Its staff editors were chosen for their expertise in their particular fields. For example, the Garden staff includes landscape architects and horticulturists. The Foods section is produced by former chefs, culinary school grads, and registered dietitians.

Past Issues:


Comparisons to Other Magazines:
We really can't name another magazine that is (1) completely devoted to the South and (2) committed to combining great lifestyle and service with regional pride and sense of place. In short, Southern Living delivers both service and soul, with a strong Southern accent.

Advertisers:
The top four advertising categories are food, travel, Pharmaceutical, and Homes goods. The advertising to editorial ratio is roughly 50/50.

Customer Reviews

Not My Southern Living
I just finished looking through the December issue of Southern Living. I have either subscribed to, or bought from the newsstand, Southern Living magazine for nearly 25 years. The recent changes, however, have left me both uninspired and sad. The sleeker redesign was, according to SL's editor John Alex Floyd, Jr., to acknowledge the changing South (my paraphrase). Well, I'm a born and bred Southerner, and I thought SL was perfect the way it was. The new emphasis is now on being green, eating healthy, and decorating New York faux Southern style. These may be worthy issues, but why does my beloved Southern Living have to bear the burden? Where are the letters to the editor (we now get a letter FROM the editor - who cares?)? What about the gardening advice according to the Southern regions? Even the decorating pages are sleeker and more contemporary. It's more like "Real Simple" than SL. I'm heartbroken that SL has been taken over by "intellectuals" who apparently thought the South needed "fixing." My subscription is nearly at its end, and, sadly, I will not renew it. The SL I have loved over the years is gone. I am not a relic of the past (I'm only 47) and usually accept with ease the changes and challenges life brings; this "redesign," however, was unnecessary. I am only a little consoled that at least I have earlier issues of SL that I can still look through and enjoy. SL really should change its name; to call itself "Southern Living" is shameful in its current state. I knew "Southern Living," and your magazine, Mr. Floyd, is no "Southern Living."

"I Can Read More Than One Page"
I have bought Southern Living Magazines for years but there is a irritating trend in all magazine publications and Southern Living is no exception. Most articles are one page, really less. With photos and ads, most are 4 paragraphs or less. Its like the American Public is all ADHA and the publishers think we can't concentrate any longer than that. If I take the time to look at each page of the magazine, then I won't mind spending 5 more minutes reading a little depth to an article that catches my attention. I can now go through an entire Southern Living in less than 30 minutes. Is this worth my money?

Incompetence abounds.
Not only are the articles "feel good" pieces of little substance, the paper stock is thinner, and advertising abounds. Atop this aggravation, the magazine cashed my check for a years subscription ($32.00. I could have gotten it through Amazon for $19.00), never sent a copy, and then said they had "no record" of ever receiving my check which cleared the bank five months ago. To prove I sent the check and that it had cleared, I had to go to my bank, get a copy of that check and fax it to them. If they were a competent company, they would have several levels of proof that payment was processed. The customer service rep was arrogant and downright rude. After ten or more years of subscriptions, I am going to cancel as soon as I get my money back. If you want a good, southern magazine, I would recommend "Guns and Gardens!" Good writing from southerners. Top notch.