Episode #4 Rachel King, Fortune

Hanna (1:17) Hi Rachel. Welcome to the show!

Rachel (1:19) Thank you so much for having me. 

Hanna (1:20) So, you’ve covered business, finance and technology over the years and became the Books and Lifestyle Editor at Fortune. Since then, we’ve seen so many articles by you. Could you tell our listeners what specific topics you normally cover?

Rachel (1:39) Yeah. It changes all the time, especially given the current economic climate. For a long time I was covering technology, like consumer technology and gadgets, and also enterprise technology such as data centers and cloud technology. But in the last few years, I’ve shifted over more towards books whether it be nonfiction, biographies, and memoirs, business books of that nature, hospitality industry including hotels and travel related topics but also the wine and spirits industries. 

 Michael (2:12) All the good things in life. 

Rachel (2:14) Yeah it’s not bad.

Michael (2:16) How has the COVID-19 situation changed the kinds of stories you’re covering? Do you feel like you could continue to cover the same things you did previously? What kind of angles are you looking for now?

Rachel (2:27) Yeah. Unfortunately, a lot of the things we were covering in March just had to be dropped by the wayside because they don’t even apply anymore in terms of, say, hotels opening and restaurants and tours in different countries you can visit. Some of those things still haven’t changed at all and they probably won’t change especially for Americans for at least for another several months to a year. 

We’ve been able to cover the different industries and different angles, so there’s been a surge in certain types of wines and liquor delivery seeing a huge uptick in the last few months. Seeing how restaurants are responding to the Paycheck Protection Program, how small businesses are trying to take care of their employees, what they’re trying to do when they can’t take care of them either. 

Michael (3:20) So, with your crystal ball, what are some of the topics you plan to be covering or assigning for the remainder of the year?

Rachel (3:25) I think whatever is going on with restaurants is gonna just gonna continue to change day by day, which is really frustrating, obviously for business owners and the people who work there, but I can’t even imagine how tough that must be, staying on top of what’s going on in the travel situation in terms of airlines. If they’re letting up on change fees and cancellation fees. Right now, it’s really easy and cheap to book a ticket to a lot of places without many penalties but that’s not going to last forever.

Michael (3:55)  So, Hanna mentioned how prolific you’ve been. 

Hanna (3:57) From like wellness to hospitality.  You cover so many topics. 

Michael (3:59) You really cover a lot of things. How do you come up with such a steady stream of fresh new ideas?

Rachel (4:06)  Thank you. I’m lucky that I get to have those opportunities to work on those kinds of stories because I really do enjoy them. The way we get ideas for stories, well there’s no one way. It changes all the time too, whether it be based on something I’ve read elsewhere or seen on TV or people I’ve talked with on the street. 

A lot of times it’s just working with my colleagues. They’ve noticed a trend and we’ll share ideas on different desks, whether it be finance or tech or politics or lifestyle. It’s trying to hash out trends that way so you’re working with other reporters, other editors on staff, and then of course working with PR sources. 

I do get hundreds, if not, thousands, of emails a day so I try to…. 

Hanna (4:53) Oh my goodness.

Rachel (4:54) I know. It’s a lot. I try to prioritize, especially based on who I’ve worked with in the past. A lot of the emails I’ll get won’t actually be relevant to my beat, so I try to filter it that way. Also, the people I’ve worked with previously who know me and know what I cover, and that’s also a good starting point. 

Hanna ( 5:11) Good to know. So, speaking of stories, so in early May you launched the Startup Year One Special Series at Fortune. We found that so interesting because as an entrepreneur myself, I always enjoy the stories of how people come up with the ideas and hustle and struggling but still make it work. So how did that come about?

Rachel (5:35) That was based on a story we started with the Great Jones cookware startup. They had been celebrating their first year anniversary in January, so we decided to do a Q&A with them about what the first year in business has been like, rather than doing it about the product. 

I found it’s been a really great way to learn about those hurdles that a lot of people don’t want to talk about and people forget about. We’re trying to interview entrepreneurs and startup founders within their first year of business. If we interview them about their first year of business five years from now, hindsight changes a lot of things and their memories might not be as fresh or as accurate, let alone their lessons they have learned. They might look at it through a different lens than they do in the immediate aftermath. 

Michael (6:26) I mean, personally, as a coffee fanatic, I really enjoyed the article on BLK & Bold. 

Rachel (6:31) Oh yeah. Those guys are fun. 

Hanna (6:32) Very, very cool story. They’re such cool people. 

Michael (6:34) Very inspiring. 

Hanna (6:35) Yeah.  

Michael (6:36) And, as you know, there’s a lot of entrepreneurs in our hotel and travel community. This could be a great platform for them. 

Rachel (6:41) Absolutely. 

Michael (6:43) Yeah. So what do our listeners need to do to get featured?

Hanna (6:47) Or get your attention.

Rachel (6:49) That’s a good question. It kind of goes back to what I was saying about who I’ve heard things from, different sources in terms of what I’m reading. Social media plays a huge role, especially when I do gift guides. I go to a lot of bloggers who have more expertise in that same particular field, whether it be travel or beauty or skincare of that nature. Sometimes just asking people I trust around me. 

Of course, that can be a little bit, I wouldn’t say problematic, but you don’t want to get too honed in by the bubble you live in. That can cloud...you might not branch out to find sources that are really different from you. 

Hanna (7:25) That makes sense. As bookworms ourselves, I mean we love books, and in April I actually saw, no, I read your article on Marie Kondo’s Joy of Work and of course I had to order it. My god, it has been a life changing experience.

This book not only helped me eliminate a physical clutter at our office and home, but also mental distractions. So thank you for the feature. I have to say Marie is our hero. 

Rachel (8:02) She’s delightful. 

Hanna (8:03) She’s amazing. 

Rachel (8:04) She came to our offices in November with a whole team. She had an entourage. 

Hanna (8:09) Oh really.

Rachel (8:11) Yeah. Marie, of course, also her translator, as well as a number of assistants and her PR representative. Their new KonMari line of accessories and home goods was introduced.

Hanna (8:24) Wow. It’s amazing how she started with a little consulting here and there, and then she just became an author with a million copies sold in the world. Very impressive. 

Michael (8:34) She started a movement. 

Rachel (8:36) Yeah. 

Hanna (8:37) So Rachel, my question then is how do you choose the books that you write about?

Rachel (8:41) That’s also a good question. I’m willing to read almost anything. In terms of my own literary preferences there’s nothing I won’t read. As far as reviewing books for Fortune, we try to broaden out just beyond the business books that we get sent, like, top ten ways to improve your business or start a startup.

I find those don’t actually resonate with readers as much as, say, a memoir or a book that has a more concrete idea or agenda. Not agenda, but an ethos. They have an argument to make. 

Something like Joy at Work, or there was a book last year about “the joy of missing out.” I can’t remember the title of the book now, but it was basically the opposite. Instead of missing out it was “the joy of staying in,” which, coming out before the pandemic that would seem like more fun than it is now.

So things that I think would appeal to a broader audience, but still reflect a business-minded mentality often works best.  We have also been trying to expand more to fiction, whether it’s smart fiction, or things you’d bring, say, on an airplane. 

Hanna (9:57) Okay. That’s good to know. So as you know, in our community, a lot of chefs and bartenders and sommeliers and hoteliers have written books. Also, some of them are writing books in the coming months and years. So how can they get your attention? Should they send you books or send you an email and become one of the thousand emails that you get every day?

Rachel (10:20) I would say definitely don’t send the book because I prefer to get everything digital at this point. Now that everybody has to work from home I, like many other journalists, live in very small spaces so I don’t have a lot of storage space to keep all these galleys and I don’t have anywhere to put them except to recycle them which would be a real shame.

Really the best way is an email still and I will get back to the publisher and say, “Please send me a digital galley or more information about this.” And at times I’ll request a hardcover copy, depending upon if the digital galley is not available or if there’s something particularly significant with the book jacket.

I would say don’t send the hard copy. It feels so wasteful these days, and between the amount of packaging sent, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten a huge box with little styrofoam peanuts and there’s one book inside. 

Hanna (11:14) Oh, yeah.

Rachel (11:15)  It’s so irresponsible, even before the pandemic, just in terms of climate change.

Hanna (11:17) Yeah.

Rachel (11:19) And economic resources. 

Hanna (11:22) Yeah, it’s not sustainable having those types of boxes after boxes. Agreed. 

Michael (11:25) Go digital for sure. 

Hanna (11:27) Yeah.

Rachel (11:27) Yeah. 

Michael (11:28) So, question. You’re not only writing but you’re editing and assigning stories to freelancers. How do you go about greenlighting their stories? What makes a story a good fit for Fortune?

Rachel (11:36) It needs to be really thought out and well-rounded. Sources should be cited. I’m not a big fan of when people send pitches and it’s just a couple lines. I don’t want to have to follow up.

It should be a concrete idea of what the topic is and how you plan to address it, what questions you plan to answer yourself, and also who you’re going to speak with. Just be as specific as possible. 

Hanna (11:59) But then, you say you get a hundred emails or a thousand emails sometimes. Is there a top two or three do’s and don’ts when people pitch you with their stories?

Rachel (12:11) Yeah, definitely. In terms of do not’s, I would say there’s no need to cite things that I’ve tweeted or written about before. Often it comes off as a bit of pandering, and I find a lot of journalists will agree with me on this. 

Sometimes we talk about it, but otherwise I would say the best pitches are really just the ones that are more straightforward. Couple of paragraphs, tops. Not 800 words. Just straight to the point. It doesn’t have to be cutesy or anything, like “Are you interested in this further?” 

Sometimes I will not be able to get back to the first email, so I would say a second follow-up email would be almost fine, but don’t follow up after the second email. I’m not going to get back to you because I can’t. There’s no way I could answer all the emails I get. 

Michael (12:58) So this brings us to the listener question segment of our podcast, and this week we have a question from Shannon Mustipher, who’s a noted bartender and author of the book, “Tiki.” Her question is, “With the pandemic, people are spending more time reading books. What categories of books do you see resonating with the general public in the coming months and years?”

Rachel (13:21) Oh, that’s a terrific question. I would say a lot of lighthearted fiction for the time being. I’ve already seen one pandemic-set novel, and you can’t write a fiction book about what’s going on now. It’s not even over yet. Also, it just feels too soon.

In all seriousness, I still can’t watch a 9/11 movie or read a 9/11 book. That would just be too hard, so I can’t imagine anything too serious or on point about the pandemic right now. 

Although on that note, I think dystopian and post-apocalyptic novels seem to be still surging in popularity. I did a round-up on that a couple of months ago, but I would say actually yeah, people are gonna want something... I read this about television too, people are not gonna want as many darker shows as television has been skewing lately. They’re not gonna want all of these gritty tv shows. People are looking for whatever is frothy and light. 

Michael (14:14) A little escapism. 

Rachel (14:15)  Yeah

Michael (14:16) So, we call our podcast Hospitality Forward because we’re very optimistic about our industry. So what, what innovations are you seeing or hearing about or even thinking about, that you think folks should be adopting to move hospitality forward?

Rachel (14:31) I can’t even imagine right now. I think everyone’s just trying to stay afloat. Um, in terms of things that I have enjoyed that have come out of the last couple months, I think the, if this is allowed to stay, I think to-go cocktails should definitely become a mainstay.

And it’s not just for the ease of it and just uh how it exists frankly in a lot of other countries already but restaurants and hotels and bars and cafes are all gonna need additional revenue streams, wherever they can get them. Not just this year or next year, but for a long time to come.

A lot of forecasts call for even just alcohol sales in general not to revamp for at least five years. And that’s, and that’s only off-premise so on-premise it’ll be even worse. So I would say to-go drinks have been, um, an easy thing to add, also outdoor dining installations. 

Hanna (15:20)  I mean, outdoor dining, I mean, we’re passing through this diner on 23rd Street on 9th Avenue, and they created this beautiful outdoor dining space right in front of like the restaurant, and we thought “oh my god, it looks like a European outdoor cafe.”

Michael (15:39) Yeah it looked like Paris. 

Hanna (15:43) Yeah, and we were like, “oh my god, we should come back here.” And so, I think even diners, you know, diner owners, they definitely are like paying attention to outdoor and being creative to attract the customers, and I think that’s good for our community and bringing additional, um you know, incomes to our bartenders and bar owners but also hospitality and restaurant workers. 

Michael (16:02) And well, it, it just enriches the quality of city life and it makes you wonder, you know, how come we didn’t have these things all along?

Hanna (16:09) Exactly. 

Rachel (16:10) Well, yeah. 

Hanna (16:12) So, before you go Rachel, when it starts to feel safe to travel again, where will your first trip be?

Rachel (16:18) I probably will go home to California at some point. 

Hanna (16:22) Yeah. 

Rachel (16:23) More likely that will be able to travel within the United States first before uh going abroad. I’ve been saying for months, “I’m willing to go anywhere at this point.” I really just want to get on a plane and go anywhere. There are so many places I haven’t been yet either. 

Hanna (16:35) I know. 

Rachel (16:36)  I was looking at my miles the other day on Delta just that have been piled up and now I’m like, “how valuable are they still,” because I think I have enough to get to New Zealand and back, so maybe when New Zealand reopens to Americans I’ll go there. 

Hanna (16:48) It’s gonna be a long flight so just be ready! 

Rachel (16:52)  I can’t wait, I can’t wait to get back on a plane or even just go to the airport, I miss it so much. 

Hanna (16:55) Right?

Michael (16:56) Us too. 

Hanna (16:58) I mean, things that we didn’t appreciate before, I mean going through the security at the airport, I mean, I miss it, I wanna be there, you know, so, we are with you on that. 

Rachel (17:06) Yeah. 

Hanna (17:24)  Love it. So thanks Rachel, and be well, and stay safe and um, we’ll see you around!

Rachel (17:31) You too, take care.