Where does it fit

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Puma

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Where does it fit?
What great timing! I'm just starting on an historical fiction and up pops a board for it.

While Westerns have their own spot in most good bookstores I wonder about MS that are set in other times and places. Several re-tellings of classic legends have appeared in the fantasy sections of my favourite stores even though they really have no fantasy elements. (One example would be "Firebrand" by Marion Zimmer Bradley, which is a re-telling of the fall of Troy.)

I'm working on an MS set in the Jerusalem area about 4BC. If and when it's done, how do I classify it? It'll have some action, some romance, but not enough to classify it as either genre. Do I target the fantasy editors who have already put out historical fiction as fantasy?

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Most of the historical fiction I have seen in bookstores has been shelved under the generic "Novels" heading. (Hastings, WaldenBooks, and Barnes & Noble come to mind as stores that do this.)

I think you may be better served with marketing it for what it is instead of trying to interest fantasy editors in it. Personally, I think historical that is marketed as fantasy is either wrongly categorized or placed there because of author name recognition -- such as the case of MZB you mentioned.

Welcome to the Historical fiction board.

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I'm an oldster. When I was younger historical fiction had a much larger presence in bookstores than it does now. I can't count how many historical novels I've read about the French Revolution. But I think starting about the 60's there was a trend towards historical romantic novels (now more in the women's fiction) and then an attitude that the stories from the past had largely been told and a new interest in sci-fi and space (almost unheard of when I was a kid).

So, I'd call your novel what it is - historical fiction. A lot of publishers/agents list it as one of their interests. And when you think about it, historical fiction played a very major role in forming classic literature. Let's keep it alive. Puma


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My interest in history didn't start until after I left high school and started watching documentaries on the History Channel. My high school teacher had one of those droning voices that instantly put a class to sleep. Besides, a dry chanting of dates and names means nothing to me. I want to feel the horse beneath me, hear the shells screaming by, live in that world for a while so I can appreciate all my little comforts all the more.

I think the well-presented documentaries on TV might actually spark an interest in historical fiction.

I'm an oldster, too, and cut my teeth on Golden Age Science Fiction.

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Actually...
Historical Fiction is still very popular but is marketed as Mainstream. Look at the short list for any of the major novel prizes and it's there.

Thank you for this new Genre Board but darn you as well. Now I'll have to spend longer here and I don't have time!!!!

Do please sticky the Historical Novel Society, founded in the UK, but with a strong American branch with its own American Conference. (Next US Con in 2007) The HNS has members who are readers, members who are writers and members who are successful well published writers. They also have many publishers reading the tri-annual 'Review' magazine (Reviews all the new books and comments on what is published where and by who,) and the biannual 'Solander' with many articles about research, new books famous authors and one short story. Publishers often comment on what they are looking for!
Check out the website and this year's major short story competition at:
www.historicalnovelsociety.org

The trouble with Historical Fiction is that now many people see it as a part of the Romance genre, many of which are a good romance read but some are so bad they've given Historicals a lousy reputation and so publishers are now leery of saying 'This is an Historical Novel.'

Also readers in the UK and Commonwealth are so used to Channel Four's history and archaeology programme 'The Time Team' (Began in 2000 I think and is immensely popular still.) and the detailed historical info they learn that they are really picky readers now and if your research is not perfect they'll have you!
 
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