Customer Reviews

How to Write and Sell Historical Fiction

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I bought this book at Amazon sight unseen, without knowing anything about it, just hoping it would have some useful stuff in it. It definitely does.

Other writing books I've read are written from a contemporary mainstream or particular genre viewpoint. Yet writing historical fiction requires a somewhat different approach. And this is what Ms. Woolley covers, from plot and characters and research to the business aspects of being a writer, like exactly what happens to your manuscript after it's accepted for publication.

Because she's done this herself (The Guinevere trilogy) the tips and examples she offer all make sense.

Some are practical -- she predicts you'll be buying a lot of books (for research) and getting additional bookcases to put them in.

Some deal with writing -- she notes that readers want to read about people and not about facts, so don't load down your narrative with stuff that doesn't impact the plot or the characters -- instead, you might follow Carson McCullough's example and save that info for a glossary in the back of your book.

Other examples are culled from Parke Godwin, William Shaara, Margaret Mitchell and other historical novelists.

Advice aside, I found it encouraging just to read a book by someone who understands that historical novelists share something that other novelists don't have, or should I say, aren't afflicted with.

There are a lot of how-to books out there for authors and aspiring authors, but this is definitely the most helpful one I've read. Persia Woolley covers everything from initial research, through plotting and re-writes, to residuals and movie rights. Along the way, she pays special attention to one of the biggest challenges that writers face while in thick of their work: dealing with technical details without letting go of the big picture. Woolley offers specific, practical advice on both the 'inspiration' part of the writer's work (research resources, forceful characterization, story momentum) and the 'perspiration' part(keeping track of story action using computers, file drawers or index cards, dealing with an agent). But her greatest gift is encouragement: the conviction that the world needs your story. As she says in her preface, "I fell we need more voices, not fewer." With books like this one, we'll have more.

Accomplished author Persia Woolley covers every aspect of successfully writing an historical novel in her writing "how to" reference and instruction guide How To Write And Sell Historical Fiction. The aspiring author will learn how to choose a time period and a story that will interest publishers and captivate readers; give their fiction historical accuracy by drawing upon the resources of libraries, museums, historical societies, and on-site visits; create a compelling storytelling arc that crosses generations and multiple exotic locations; weave real historical events into a fictional story; develop characters who thoughts and actions are memorable and plausible within the context of history and the human experience; revise, polish and prepare a manuscript for publisher acceptance. Anyone aspiring to write a successful historical novel should first begin by a careful reading of Persia Woolley's How To Write And Sell Historical Fiction!

Persia Woolley's book covers everything--what historical fiction consists of; how to do the research (including a chapter on travel); organizing, writing, and preparing the manuscript; and chapters on agents, publishing, and marketing your book. She discusses not only the nuts and bolts but the personal experience, summing up the whole process as an immensely rewarding one on the whole.

The book is full of things she wishes she had known back when: She's not a bit afraid to admit her mistakes if she thinks it will help someone else coming along. Some of her tips are clear, practical, and can be put to use immediately, no matter what stage of the writing you are in. Others are simply not clear (how she keeps track of her drafts, for example, baffled me completely), and still others are dated (e-books were still well in the future when she wrote this). She writes with style and humor and manages to be as encouraging and motivating as if she were the reader's real-life mentor.

How to Write and Sell Historical Fiction is a great introduction to the world of authorship. Be forewarned, however, that the book is full of spoilers for novels you haven't read yet, including her Guinevere series. If you haven't already, you might wish to read at least these three before picking up the How to.

The author explains what historical fiction is as well as how to research, write, and publish historical novels. Most of the information is good, though a little out of date (my edition was published in 1997). Much of the content should be valuable to any writers, especially fiction authors, because she explains about plot, point of view, manuscript preparation, etc.

The author also uses lots of examples from other authors to illustrate her points. Unfortunately, for me that was the weakness of the book. Many of the chosen selections were not, in my opinion, well written or particularly compelling. I suspect some of the selected authors were friends of the author. My other problem with the book was her continual references to her own books. Unfortunately, the excerpts and selections from her works did not make me want to read those books.