by Mike Klaassen

Created on: March 28, 2007   Last Updated: May 14, 2007

Book Review of
HOW TO WRITE AND SELL HISTORICAL FICTION
By Persia Woolley
Writer's Digest Books

LIVES UP TO ITS TITLE

How to Write and Sell Historical Fiction, by Persia Woolley, lives up to its title by providing an insightful overview of the unique challenges and rewards of writing fiction set in the past.

The book is divided into three sections. Chapters in the first section address the subject of historicals, who writes them, and why. Other chapters address research and resources, and balancing fact and fiction. The second section addresses writing structure and process as they relate specifically to historical fiction. Agents, publishers, editors, and marketing are covered in the third section.

Throughout the text, meaningful examples were provided, based upon the author's own writing and experience. The author didn't include summaries or exercises at the end of each chapter, but an index is provided for easy reference.

Critics of this book might claim that most of the material relates to any type of fiction, not just historical. The reality is that most of the structure and process of writing fiction is identical regardless of the genre. Historical fiction differs only on a handful of issues.

Bottom line: if you're thinking about writing historical fiction, this book is worth studying.

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