Ridgewood Mom Launches Pre-Teen Girls Mag

Ridgewood resident Marisa Sandora has been in the publishing industry for years, serving as the editor of several teen magazines as well as on the staff of People and Ladies’ Home Journal. But her new project, Girls’ World, serves a demographic close to home.

The idea for a pre-teen magazine had been kicked around years ago by her company, Bauer Publishing, but it took off running this past winter, with Sandora a fitting candidate for editor in chief.

“Not only have I worked for the company and launched teen magazines for them, but I also have two girls at home,” Sandora said.

The magazine caters to girls ages six to 11, said Sandora, a group that isn’t typically targeted in the print media. She’s “dialing down” the content of the previous teen magazines where she has worked, making it parent-friendly for the age group that includes her own daughters.

Conversations with her friends, and her oldest daughter, a seven-year-old, drive the content planned for the new magazine. “I kind of look to her and my younger one to see what the girls in that age group are interested in,” she said.

Girls’ World provides age-appropriate lifestyle features and celebrity news, with seven 100-page issues planned per year.

The inaugural issue, which hit newsstands Monday, includes hair tips and kid friendly quizzes, along with features on the stars popular among the age group. Recipes, artwork, games and party ideas are among the other things young readers will find in the pages.

All the content, Sandora stressed, is created in a “safe, parent-approved way.”

“I’m able to look at things from a parent perspective, and that really helps.”