Every Historical Novel Society North America conference includes a panel of agents and editors discussing the state of publishing and historical fiction. HNSNA 2023 was no exception. Here’s some of what they said.
Introductory thoughts:
if you haven’t seen a novel from a particular era or topic, ask why. Is this an unexplored area of history and therefore an opportunity? Or is it an obscure area of historical fiction that’s unlikely to attract readers?
enduring popularity, for example Tudor England, are …. wait for it … enduring!
agents and editors are looking for fresh approaches that bring passion to an era or topic
some publishers are reluctant to go back too far in history … for example, prior to 19th century
chasing trends is a bad idea for authors
editors are fickle! [I had to laugh at this one!]
write what you want to write and write it well … this bit of advice is always given at these panels
a publisher from England, said that they don’t chase trends; for them, military fiction is big; in addition, contemporary relevance is important when considering a novel, with themes that resonate for modern readers
given what we’ve been through and continue to go through, many editors are looking for joyful novels not dark ones
What about WWII?
some publishers are saying that they want to ease up on WWII
which means that novels set in WWII have to seriously standout in some way
so much WWII creates fatigue with editors and publishers
Shifts in publishing and what it means for authors
fewer people to work on more and more books
authors and agents are to some extent picking up the workload
fewer marketing dollars means that authors need to build relationships, cross market their books, build author groups
your book has to be closer to ‘ready to go’ than in the past, and your agent needs to be convinced of that too
writing groups and critique groups are effective ways to get your book ‘ready to go’
smaller presses may have more time to help launch an author
the marketing you’ve done and the platform you’ve established are a factor in taking on an author
Response time to requests for partial or full MS
agents are so overworked, things fall through the cracks
variety of work taken on by agents and amount of work have increased exponentially
most agents and editors don’t have any time to give feedback when they decline a novel
most agents and editors are overwhelmed with work, feel like they’re doing the job of 5 people
agents have narrowed their interests
Cultural Appropriation
sensitivity is crucial – extensively research the experience you’re writing about
get the right readers to proof your work
be clear on why you are the right person to write this particular story
can a publisher get you on media appearances (radio, TV, articles) as the author of this particular book
and yet, isn’t all writing about putting yourself in the shoes of someone else?
Why do agent-author relationships break down?
when authors aren’t listening to feedback and advice
when authors go in a different direction than the agent works with
when authors express anger toward staff or assistants
you are entitled to information about your novel and where it’s at – yet you still need to ask for such information with courtesy
transparency of communication is important
as an example, an author brought her husband, who was a lawyer, onto a Zoom call with her agent; Agent severed the relationship
agents have preferences, authors should respect this
What about prologues?
some sense that using prologues is not a good idea
if you’re worried about it for your query, take it out, you can always put it back in
readers these days have no patience and a prologue can be seen as slowing things down or as a delay to the main story; readers want to know the stakes right away
Debut authors
agents and editors can get excited about a debut author – represents something new and fresh
agents and editors will want to hear what other ideas you have beyond your debut novel
a social media presence isn’t essential when first taken on, but it is once you’re accepted
you should be looking to build a brand, so don’t jump around too much in terms of your novels
As always, I hope these conference notes are useful. You can read an earlier publishing industry perspective from 2019 – The State of Historical Fiction .
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M.K. Tod writes historical fiction. Her latest novel is THE ADMIRAL’S WIFE , a dual timeline set in Hong Kong. Mary’s other novels, PARIS IN RUINS, TIME AND REGRET, LIES TOLD IN SILENCE and UNRAVELLED are available from Amazon , Nook , Kobo , Google Play and iTunes . She can be contacted on Facebook , Twitter and Goodreads or on her website www.mktod.com .
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