Reaching My Market

I hate to say it, but I think a publisher will be much more receptive if you tell them how you already have reached out to this community, with your website, blog, newsletters and speaking engagements. That will convince them you have a ready platform which will help do the job of spreading the word about your book. If you haven't done any of the above yet, then get started on it. Then in your proposal, instead of saying what you will do, you can tell them what you are doing, which is much more attractive and reassuring to the publisher or agent.

Since a platform tells the publisher what you have done and what you will do to bring exposure to your work and increase sales--beyond what the publisher's may or may not do--it's nothing to take lightly. Unless it's a high profile, blockbuster nonfiction book, publishers place great emphasis on nonfiction platforms. The fact is, they may not do a great deal of merchandising, and in any event will place heavy emphasis on the author's contacts and efforts. You don't want to tell them about people and/or places you know are impossible to deliver (difficult is OK), and all that you do list have to make sense. While writing the book I imagine you established contacts with people and places which you will want to list and expound upon. You then want to list-with detail-appropriate people, places, organizations, associations, websites and blogs (yours and others), speaking engagements, talks, and much more. People, places, and such that can help you spread your message and advise others of your book and its vale.

You might want to think of it this way. You wrote a book. You published it. Now it's your responsibility to sell it. What's your plan?

This takes research. A good place to start would be NAMI, they're very helpful and are looking for ways to help mentally ill people--if they take your book seriously, they'll at least know how to point you in the right direction.

The marketing part of a proposal is tough for a new writer. Tell them what you're willing to do. Tell them who will listen to you. NAMI will help you develop that.