Mary Ann Barothy, author of Day at a Time: An Indiana Girl’s Sentimental Journey to Doris Day’s Hollywood and Beyond
Closer magazine is a popular weekly “star” magazine which vows to take you “closer to the stars you love,” (similar to People magazine). It’s today’s version of the old movie fan periodicals. It is obvious the magazine’s readers love Doris Day. About every 3-4 months they feature a positive cover story on Doris. Her face still sells magazines and she has legions of fans who are eager to read about her. This week I found Doris there again—and also ME!
Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be on a national magazine cover with my long time idol, Doris. But the magazine process was interesting, and I want to share it with you. In mid December a Closer reporter, Amanda Champagne-Meadows, contacted me asking if I would share some DD stories with her for an upcoming issue of Closer.
With my positive impressions of past stories in mind, I looked forward to my interview with Amanda. We spoke on three different occasions, as they were working on a holiday deadline. She asked me what Doris was really like since I actually lived with the star in her own home as her secretary. As I mentioned in the article, Doris was like a big sister to me and we had many fun times, plus I learned a lot from her. One important thing was to always try to keep a positive attitude. The story quotes her saying, “I like being happy. I want to make others happy.”
I was eagerly awaiting the debut of the issue with the story. Amanda said the east and west coast received their copies early in the week, but the Midwest distribution might take until Thursday. I had seen the cover of the magazine on their website and couldn’t believe I was also on the cover in a small circle near her ear. I was dying to see the whole article. I kept checking various outlets on my way home in search of this “once-in-a-lifetime” event. Finally on Friday, January 8th, I saw the current issue at a local grocery store checkout area which was filled with many movie magazines.
Seeing the cover on their website was great, but holding the magazine in my hand and seeing the actual story with some of my photos with Doris included was awesome. I was so pleased Amanda wrote such a positive and uplifting story; that’s the way they always handle Doris, unlike some other news sources.
Although I really hit the heights with this story about my book, any book author can try for magazine publicity. Pitch the theme of your story, the “new slant” to magazines which have deadlines to meet and see what happens. Although I admit my subject, being Doris Day’s personal secretary, is a “natural” and easy to get publicity for, your subject may appeal also. Remember, there are lots of small newspapers and periodicals, even shopping guides in your area, and you can do them a favor by providing stories!
Be aware, though, that there may be a mistake when the actual article comes out. The periodical does not need to submit the article to you for your OK and really shouldn’t. The headline on the article in Closer was “Doris Day’s best friend tells all!” I was NOT Doris’s best friend and truly, she has always insisted that her late son Terry was her best friend. That’s a sacred thing to me. Still, the thrill goes on for this author!
I’ve had a kick out of sharing this story with many of my high school friends who remember my Doris Day Daze which continues to this day. Never thought I would be a “cover girl” on a national magazine, let alone on the cover with DORIS DAY.
You can order Day at a Time by clicking back to the website.