Moving into publishing as a history writer.

[Ray Osborne]

I'm having some fun and creating cash flow by marrying history with the local market. I call it cultural tourism. It seems tourists are more keen on our local history that the people living here.

I'm continuing to publish on my own.

It certainly helps with self promotion to self publish.

Anybody else here publishing their own material? I like to compare notes with other history
writers.

Attached is a flyer ad I put together for my local area. Maybe it will give you an idea what you could do.

-RKO

[Janet Elaine Smith]

Hi, Ray. Yes, all 20 of my books are self-published (using a POD publishing provider, which the industry considers "self-publishing," but I don't have to do all the set-up, etc.). Frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way. I can do what I want to when I want to, where I want to. I have discovered with my books, almost all fiction--some historical, some contemporary--the bookstores will put them in the "Regional section" of the stores if they have any connection to the area, even if it is someplace I lived for a short time. They figure that makes me a "regional author." I have heard from many bookstore managers that books sell much better if they can get into that section. And yes, I am sure that there are more people from elsewhere that want to know about the local history than the local yokels themselves do. A perfect example is what I unaffectionately call my "stupid flood book." It isn't stupid, per se, but the fact that iUniverse offered to publish it free of charge 7 years after the flood was, to me, stupid. Still, it sells very well at the Barnes & Noble store in Grand Forks ND. When people come into town for whatever reason, almost always, the first thing they ask for is "books about your big flood." They tell me mine sells better than any of the others except the one put out by the Grand Forks Herald, which contains all the pictures. They tell the story with their photos and I tell mine with word pictures. They compliment each other quite well, I'm told.
Janet

[Christopher Hoare]

I've been discussing working on a local history project to our writing group. Several are interested and I think I will ask them to become familiar with creative non-fiction writing in the fall when we re-convene.

The group published an anthology last year, so we already have experience putting a publication together. What are your thoughts about writing history from a fictionalized perspective versus straight reportage?

Chris H.

[Ray Osborne]

>What are your thoughts about writing history from a fictionalized perspective versus straight reportage?

To be honest I am not sure. I have known some historical novelists who have done quite well with their books.

My concern is how we are perceived by our market. Will they typically consider an author as a fiction or
nonfiction writer? Can they perceived us as both?

One of my greatest recognitions is having my books in historical archives. I sold one to Harvard University archives
and am pretty sure they would not have acquired a book that was fiction.

There is a unsolved crime that I would like to fictionalize into a novel that could be turned into a screenplay. I guess
my next goal is a screenplay so fiction is definetly on the radar.

-RKO

[Ray Osborne]

Christopher>I've been discussing working on a local history project to our writing group.


How's this project coming along?