7 Steps to Picking Out a Great Historical Read

We all have our strategies for choosing what we read, whether it be historical or not. In the list below you might very well see methods which you use for all kinds of books, as do I. Here are just a few elements which help me choose books I’ll treasure forever.

1. Look at the cover, either in person or online. Does it intrigue or annoy you? Are the colours compelling? Personally I like covers to offer a  clue, subtle or not, as to the story/history inside as well as the period. In my post last week I showed a cover for the Henry VIII book by Margaret George. That famous Holbein painting of the man just cries out to be investigated, it is so dominant, so richly endowed, and so much of a closeup. There is no ignoring King Henry.
2. Check out the author. Do you recognize her? Have you enjoyed other of his books? Whenever I see Bernard Cornwell, I know the novel will be historically accurate, gritty, full of battles and brawny characters, but most of all, compelling. On a road trip in January we listened to one of his audio books and the two-day journey’s miles just disappeared so caught up were we. If you don’t recognize the author, move on to the next step.
3. Read the hook on the inside flap on a hard cover book or on the back of a paperback. Only you can tell if the author’s words make you want to put the book back on the shelf or crack open the spine. My new novel’s hook can be found here. I tried to give an overview without spoiling the story for my readers. “When American colonists resort to war against Britain and her colonial attitudes, a young couple caught in the crossfire must find a way to survive. Pioneers in the wilds of New York State, John and Lucy face a bitter separation and the fear of losing everything, even their lives, when he joins Butler’s Rangers to fight for the King and leaves her to care for their isolated farm. As the war in the Americas ramps up, ruffians roam the colonies looking to snap up Loyalist land. Alone, pregnant, and fearing John is dead, Lucy must fight with every weapon she has.” (The Loyalist’s Wife)
4. Check to see if there are any quotations from reviewers on the cover. Do they make you want to run to the front desk, plop down your money, and race to the car to sit right there in the parking lot and begin? Do you recognize the people quoted? Of course if there are no quotations the book could still be amazing but just hasn’t been found. I have lots of excellent books on my shelves with no such quotations. They stand well enough on their own without the crutch of someone’s endorsement.
5. Check the length of the book. I really prefer long, long historical novels which keep me company for weeks at a time. The characters can be so much more a part of my life because I know them so well. McCullough’s Caesar books are deliciously long, a happy circumstance as getting to know all those Roman-named characters like Gaius Marius, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, and Scipio Aemilianus, full name Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus Africanus Numantinus, can be daunting. For a reader like me who loves the sound of the words and who has studied Latin, this was fine but I needed a big book to get comfortable with them. Once I did I loved the whole series. McCullough is much more than the very talented author of The Thorn Birds.
6. Read the first few paragraphs and see how easy it is to put the book back on the shelf. Look for something which makes you want to read on, be it lovely language, intriguing plot details, characters you want to know, whatever. This is the page the author has been told to spend hours and hours on so it should really grab you. Of course you may see that the writing is not to your taste. Pick up another and try again. Like one of those choose-a-plot books where the reader is in charge of the story, you hold all the power.
7. Finally, I like to open the book in the middle a few times and just read a few sentences, again for the style, the quality of the story and of the writing. If I find nothing that sends me away at this point, the book will be going home with me. I get to lug it to the checkout, stand in line and savour it, and flip open my wallet.

Do you have strategies for book choosing that I haven’t mentioned? Consider leaving a comment below to tell us about them.

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Coming Soon!

The Loyalist’s Wife by Elaine Cougler

 

5 Sites or Posts I’ve Found to Help Authors

A shot of green amid the March snow.

It’s March, past the middle, and snow should be gone.

It’s not.

So I put in this lovely picture from a butterfly conservatory visit to help me think of spring. And now on to the news of the day.

I don’t know about you but I’m always having to figure out how to do something else on my writing journey. It might be formatting my draft mss to the specifications needed by publishers. Or finding just how to make that movie thingee that gets people interested in buying my book. Just now my questions are more about publishing and marketing as I stumble along that overgrown path.

Fortunately, the Internet is the home of generous and helpful professionals who usually have the answers to my questions.

Here are five sites or posts I’ve found which have helped me on my quest.

1. Market Your Book, Jan Bear’s site is jam-packed with helpful tips, so many that I haven’t even had time to read through all the tabs. I have, however, added her to my file of useful articles I find on the web. I keep updating this file and currently have 199 items gleaned from the web about writing and all its linked subjects.
2. Steal This List is Janis Hubschman’s grabbing title for a ten-point article of pure gold for writers. She also names some of favorite 10-point lists for writers. And don’t you love that she invites us to steal her list? Gotta love it.
3. Jonathan Gunson’s article about something the CEO of Goodreads said caught my eye. Most of us writers would much rather write than market so this simple idea is like shrimp and lobster on the salad bar to me. And it’s so simple. Sorry, I’m not going to spoil it. Click on the link to read the article.
4. Brinda Berry, a frequent commenter on this blog, did a guest post on Gloria Richard’s site. I love both these ladies so this is like chocolate and raspberries all done up in a truffle. But I digress. Check out Brinda’s discovery of a unique give-away for contests to promote her books. This is fantastic and she gives all the details on how to get one in your own hot little hands.
5. Susanne Lakin has a series on Live, Write, Thrive where self-published authors guest on Susanne’s blog about 5 things they’ve learned about self-publishing. If you are thinking of going in this direction, these authors can give you a huge helping hand.

Consider leaving a comment about your greatest Internet find for writers. Or just say hello. It’s all good.

Download your free copy of 10 Ways to Improve Your Writing from the link in the side column!

 

10 Things Writers Wonder About

Graphic by Ron Cougler

We writers are slaves to self-doubt, and why shouldn’t we be? There are about as many gurus out there telling us exactly how to be successful as there are writers hungry for the secret formula.

Along the road to publication are lots of potholes and bumpy stretches. We get passed by transport trucks and smart cars alike as we try to read the map, make the right turn, and keep up with the traffic.