Beyond the ISBN -- author Christine Louise Hohlbaum has her feet in two worlds

Forget the query letters and months of waiting to hear from a publisher. Christine Louise Hohlbaum landed a traditional publishing contract for her next book, SAHM I Am: Tales of a Stay-At-Home Mom, the old-fashioned way -- through networking.

Freising, Germany (PRWEB) February 1, 2004 --The writers life is not an easy road to travel. Getting published is even rockier terrain. Christine Louise Hohlbaum has managed to cut through the red tape to land a traditional publishing contract for her second book of parenting stories, SAHM I Am: Tales of a Stay-At-Home Mom, with GOM Publishing. How did she do it? Through networking.

Because she is an American living in Germany, Hohlbaum has relied heavily on the Internet to market her first book, Diary of a Mother: Parenting Stories and Other Stuff. Her feet have been in two cultural worlds since she was first published with iUniverse in mid-2003.

In the publishing world, the old adage, 'Its not what you know, but who you know that counts holds true.

You have to have a fabulous product to begin with," says Hohlbaum from her rural Bavarian home. But even fabulous authors have a hard time getting published."

After going with a POD publishing firm the first time around, Hohlbaum felt confident that her second book would get picked up by a traditional publisher. Hohlbaums tactics include networking through message boards, discussion groups, and Web sites such as Ryze.com.

I was invited to join Ryze through justformom.com owner Tara Paterson whose Web site features my column, 'Christines Comfort Corner," remarks Hohlbaum. Once I joined Ryze, I met some key people in the publishing and media industries who have helped further my writing career."

But Hohlbaum doesnt stop there. She consistently contacts Webmasters and ezine publishers who have featured her numerous parenting articles in their publications. When articles resonate with her, she writes the author of the article to thank them for doing a great job.

Acknowledging other peoples talent can go a long way," comments Hohlbaum. She has managed to create a large network of writer friends who help each other with media leads and PR strategies. Using this strategy has landed her a regular humor column at SanityCentral.com called Diary of a Mom".

Hohlbaum sits on the Board of Directors for a new publishing company, Moms in Print, and assists published authors by teaching them the ins and outs of book promotion in her on-line course, How To Market Your Book". (http://www.DiaryofaMother.com/writing.html)

Hohlbaum recently launched a new ezine, Powerful Families, Powerful Lives, to promote the idea that parents are not alone in their struggles with children. As Diary of a Mother reveals, 21st Century parenting carries with it a whole new set of challenges. (http://www.DiaryofaMother.com) Being a writing parent can be a juggling act, but Hohlbaum relates writing to parenting.

"Writing your masterpiece, just like raising your children, takes time, patience, and a sense of humor," Hohlbaum says. It looks as though she is well on her way.

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