That’s the question I recently asked of Marcy Lytle, founder of A Bundle of THYME online women’s magazine (well, there were more, of course). In this interview, Marcy shares some wisdom about starting an online magazine, tips and tricks and advice she wishes she’d known before launching.
RT: You are a former math teacher and are now the author of two books and the owner of an online magazine. Tell us about that transition. What made you decide to pursue writing and publishing instead of teaching?
ML: When my kids were small I wrote my own devotions for our family, because I couldn’t really find a book in the stores that kept us all awake! We had hands-on lessons using things we found in the house. Several friends asked if they could receive them too. So after a few years of sending those out, I had enough for a book and contacted a few publishers—and found one interested in publishing. I’ve always loved writing but became a math teacher because I loved numbers too, and there was a need for them in the school system. However, writing is so creative and fun, I’m glad I finally am able to have an outlet for it. After publishing the first book, I took out an ad in a faith magazine, and then they asked me to become the editor. I enjoyed the editing side as well as the creative side—so I was hooked!
RT: When was the first time you thought about starting your own online women’s magazine?
ML: After writing and editing for two magazines for a few years, they both folded, due to expense in publishing for one (it was an actual paper magazine) and expense for salaries in the other (it was online). I began thinking. I have also worked for a magazine subscription agency (family owned) for years, and I receive about a dozen magazines that I love to read. With the relationships I had made on those two magazines, with some other creative writers, I asked if they would be interested in contributing, and they were! One day I woke up with the whole concept of THYME and in about two months’ time we published our first issue online.
RT: What made you want to venture into the online publishing world?
ML: I saw all of the time and expense it took to put together a paper magazine and distribute it. It was all-consuming. I also noticed in my work that many magazines were going totally digital. There was no way I could publish a paper magazine without quitting all I was doing and with some kind of major investment, so digital was a no-brainer way to go.
RT: What kind of work did it take, initially, to get the magazine off the ground?
ML: The hardest part was getting the website up and running and making it user-friendly yet attractive. My daughter had expertise in that area, and she helped me. The first year, I’d say, we were constantly changing, adding, deleting and improving the website itself. So many options and ideas to try out there!
RT: Tell us about A Bundle of T-H-Y-M-E. What’s the significance of its name? Why did you choose women as the main audience? What hole in the online publishing world did you hope it would fill?
ML: Honestly, I prayed and woke up with the herb thyme on my mind and looked up its history. It was actually given to people in bundles to offer them courage way back in history. That seemed like exactly what I wanted to do—offer women courage to have fun, a better marriage, parenting tips, more knowledge of relationship with God, etc. I sat down and came up with the acronym T-H-Y-M-E – tips, home, you, marriage, encouragement—which addressed each category—AND the ladies I had writing all had things to write about in those categories! I chose women because that’s who I had worked with, it’s who I wanted to speak to, and it’s what I knew about – because I’m a woman. I looked at online magazines and saw several faith-based magazines but none quite like ours—with practical ideas and spiritual in the same issue. I wanted to speak to both.
RT: What do you do on a daily basis to keep THYME magazine running smoothly?
ML: I have a whole schedule—from writing, to editing, to creating the pages, finding photos, copying and pasting the articles, aligning, linking, and proofing over and over again. Since we publish monthly, I have those things spread out into four weeks and do a little each week, until the magazine is complete—and oh that’s so fun to see it!
RT: How do you promote the magazine and its articles? What are some of the most effective promotional strategies you’ve used?
ML: I use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and I’ve taken out a few ads, as well as placed some on Facebook, and have cards made up that I hand out, as well. I’ve promoted it also by sponsoring a Noonday show and other markets where fair trade items are sold. THYME has a booth to help out, and it advertises our magazine. I think the most effective has been on my own personal page and by word of mouth from friends liking, sharing and posting. I don’t really know or have the tools to tell how other promotions have really worked. The hardest part of this whole process is being one person, needing to work another job, and do too much in 24 hours a day!
RT: What have been some of the greatest benefits to running your own magazine?
ML: I love knowing that women are reading and being blessed in their homes, their personal walk with God, their marriages, and trying out new and creative things just for fun. And I absolutely love the writers who write with me and enjoy reading their pieces, as well as writing my own. Writing is very fulfilling, creatively. And it helps when others are blessed.
RT: What have been some of the biggest challenges?
ML: Time and money. It costs to run a website and advertise, and I’d like to pay my writers but I don’t. I don’t bring in very much income at all, and I spend more than I make. I’ve tried several different ways to make money (asking for advertisers to pay monthly, affiliate advertising, and even donations) but I’m not one who pushes people (never liked marketing pushy people) and I don’t want to charge for my magazine, so here I sit publishing it as a ministry, for now…
RT: What do you hope for your magazine’s future?
ML: I’d love to see it grow to have more readers, but I’m trying not to focus on the numbers—that stresses me out. And I’d love to make money to pay my writers. They’re awesome and I’d love to give them something!
RT: What have you learned about online magazines since you started THYME that might be helpful to others who are considering starting an online magazine?
ML: It’s hard work, and if you constantly focus on the accolades or comments from people, it will zap the joy of just writing and sharing . If you know you’re supposed to do it, go for it, and let it grow naturally…and pray a lot…for provision. I prayed for a photographer and we now have one—and when I’ve needed new writers they’ve always surfaced and always had something THYME needed. It’s pretty cool to see that unfold.
RT: What would you do differently if you had the chance?
ML: Not worry so much, and just write.
RT: What advice would you give to those who are interested in running an online magazine?
ML: Try it, and if you find out any cool tips share them with me. If you’re out to make money, count the cost before you begin and get things into place. Make sure that first issue is awesome with no error, so readers will come back a second and a third and a fourth, etc. Stay on top of your schedule, don’t let your issue ever be late, make your readers know they can count on it when you say it’s coming… and finally, enjoy the ride…
(I’d also say to attend webinars or seminars about marketing a website BEFORE you begin. It’s crazy how much there is to know…especially about Facebook – they watch your posts and limit LIKES and all sorts of things, trying to force you to advertise…)
