[Rollercoasterider]

Last week I attended a writer’s conference and met with a few publishing agents to pitch my book—The Hero’s Spouse. Basically I was looking for some advice and to test my pitch on an agent. It went well. One agent was highly interested and wants me to send my proposal once I have built my platform more.

The platform is this website. I need Newsletter Subscribers and registered forum posters in the thousands—minimum 1000, but an editor at the conference told me he will look for 2-5K.

The agent recommended that I submit articles to magazines for exposure and credentials. Another agent suggested I put an e-book on my site either for sale or I may package it with the donation button. That would likely be a long article and not a full length book. I am going to hold off on the e-book and work on researching the magazine market first. E-books through publishers are fine, but I don’t like those that are just slapped together and used as a promotion for a website because they often lack credibility and are poorly written. I prefer the check-and-balances provided through traditional publishing.

My main goal is to have The Hero’s Spouse published as a book. When that happens most of the content will be removed with a few chapter samples as teasers. Articles not included in the book will remain on the site. But I think having the information in a single text that you can carry with you, highlight and write margin notes will be a benefit. It will also encourage a person to read through all pertinent sections which may not happen when the articles are spread across the website.

The greatest help you can give is to pay it forward by passing on this site to at other online sites—where it is allowed. Word of mouth on the internet can increase traffic.

I have Amazoned several books about the magazine market and building a platform and will be reading through them over the next several weeks.

This is not a locked thread, so of anyone has ideas or feedback, please post.
So what sort of magazines…ideas?
I’m studying articles from the Modern Love column of the NY Times.
Redbook
Woman’s Day
O

I am not familiar with online magazines…any suggestions or ideas?
Magazine articles are short and since the reader will not have back story, they must include the necessary information in the short space—Modern Love is about 1700 words. Some have different styles and voices—Modern Love articles read like memoirs and are in 1st person.
What about the secondary market of counselors?
So if you have thoughts or ideas, let me know.

[ForeverHopefulOne]

Hi RCR - I have been lurking on another website that I subscribe to and telling some newbies (via PM) about your website - shhh. 

I would say that Reader's Digest would be a great place to get a story into - huge exposure there.

Thanks for all you are doing about MLC, RCR.  Feel free to use my story in your book!

Xoxoxo

[Storm Rider]

Hi RCR,

I think you should work backwards from your target audience to build up your on-line presence. Given that it is most likely to be 30-50 year old females who have somewhat lost themselves in their marriages, I would suggest two on line environments

- parenting websites
- how to be a stepford wife type websights.

I would target those with a very large circulation that have relationship sections in their on line forums, and allow links. I would start to answer a few questions when  it sounds like MLC, real basic stuff, what MLC is, how to react etc with no jargon. Once you get established on a couple of these, word of mouth will spread amongst its members and I would suggest it could lead to quite a bit of exposure for your website.

Once you have that increased exposure, it would then be easier to become an "expert" on either those sites, or others.

Those are my thoughts, anyway.

[LifeGoesOn]

Set up a facebook page. One under pages as well as the people page you now have. Aren't they free too?

[Still]

RCR,

So much of what you write is from a Christian perpective. What about Christian radio stations, newsletters, magazines? I recently heard a radio spot on a Christian radio station that said, "You are alone, your spouse is gone, don't know what to do.......go to www.notreligion.com" Basically, it was a helping site. It may be an avenue that you could use.

[OldPilot]

Not trying to rain on your parade here, but I have been on and off in the book market for years within my small industry.
Books are a changing commodity right now. At least bound, printed ones. It is quite expensive to print and publish a book.
I am sure that if you want to take all the risk then it is quite do-able. But the risk may not be worth the reward.
That is more than likely why they are pushing you towards e-books.
The expense is not as great, and there is quite a lot less risk than trying to publish your own bound book.

The printed word is becoming a thing of the past. I am not saying that this can not be done, but it is just a harder thing to do.
Newspapers, books, most printed material is becoming part of a past history.
We are in the period of a great change.

Thats my .02 for the moment

[Still]

Good point, OP.

My H is in the process of writing a textbook. His publisher has requested a hybrid book (online and print materials) as this is the future of textbooks.

[Rollercoasterider]

Wow, all great ideas...I actually brought home a copy of Reader's Digest from church yesterday so I could thumb through it.

OldPilot,

No rain. I have a minor in Publishing and Printing Arts and my MFA in writing. But I'm more versed in the children's publishing industry and have only been researching the adult market for a few years.

They weren't pushing me toward e-books on the sense that they would want to publich an electronic format of my book--which would be a liekly thing given the direction of things. It was a suggestion to build my platform and thus gain interest of print publishers. The e-book suggestion was more for a pamphlet which would build statistics for showing the size of my following.

The publishing industry changes in blinks these days, but for now e-books are popular for fiction, but at the conference someone said that for prescriptive nonfiction people still prefer a printed book so they can highlight and make notes. I expect that will change though. I also expect there will always be printed books, but the market will be vastly different. Perhaps there will be a return to illuminated manuscripts where printed books return to art!

Textbooks wil definitely benefit by going hybrid. But then this website and others like it can show that since a book will be enhanced by the website and vice versa.

Binding and printing a book is at the author's risk if they are self-publishing. I can and will do that if it comes to it, but my goal is to go through a traditional publisher--a changing industry though.  One of the speakers--an author--told me I would almost have to self-publish to build my platform and that my book would be limited to the faith-based market.
UGH. The faith-based market is only a segment of my target audience and I am not literalist enough for strict fundamentalists who find me heretical--that is the polite way of saying it. I asked one of the agents if I should self-publish to build my platform--and then find a major publisher. She said I could, but given my pitch it did not seem necessary.

[Taco-Girl]

My neighbor almost got on Dr. Phil concerning a different topic,.  I think that MLC  has not been explained or taught to the general public.  Most people perceive it as a joke; of some old sunburned bald guy wearing a gold medallion riding around in a convertible sports car picking up or trying to pick up some young chick! I think that the root causes of MLC is increasing because the family unit has broken down so much; the compounded problems ( divorce, stress, alcohol, drugs, porn and the self gratification ( the ME generation) that the effect of these is growing.  The baby boomer generation has hit the MLC period.  The number is probably at epidemic levels but no one is clocking it.  I know almost everyone I have come into contact with since the Bomb Drop 2 years ago has gone or is going  through it as a LBS or related to a close family member that has gone/going  through it or knows someone going/gone through it.  The mental health providers do not have the knowledge about MLC.   The general public seems to embrace and encourage the "Re-Play" portion of MLC.  My point, TV would open the door and it would be something  that has not been talked about.  You could supply all the information and have stories from personal experiences (some people don't mind sharing what they have gone through).  If the tragic story could get out there, maybe the MLCer and LBS could get better guidance from professionals, friends and family.......

[Pathkeeper]

I agree with Taco-Girl. The general public needs more information on MLC and its effects. I have shared my story with friends and family and they have difficulty grasping this journey and the perception of most comes down to the stereotype. Most think that MLC is hopeless for the LBS and that divorce is the only realistic answer. I have heard this so many times in the past 10 months since bomb drop. I had every misconception until I found this site. All popular women's magazines need to offer serious articles on MLC. In addition to the ones already mentioned, I would suggest "More" magazines as it targets women over 40.

Thank you RCR!