Everyone knows that a book cover can make or break the success of a historical fiction novel. It won’t matter if your story hooks readers from the first page if they won’t even crack open the spine (or hit download on an e-reader). I was thrilled when Sadie Butterworth-Jones of Lune View Publishing agreed to demystify the book cover design process.

Why choose multiple points of view to write historical fiction?

 There are many reasons to choose a multi-POV approach for your novel. Showing different perspectives can be a way to increase tension, enhance the theme, and highlight or contrast the choices each character makes. It can also be a useful way to show what is happening in different geographic locations or times for a fuller picture of the story or help subplots tie in more closely to the main plot.

Readers like to get close to the story and feel as though they really get to know the characters. Third-person POV provides the opportunity to go deep without some of the challenges of using first-person. It gives the reader the most access to a character’s thoughts and emotions and keeps them deep in the story while also allowing some narrator support.

So how do you know if an editor is qualified to work on your manuscript? Start by making sure you are connecting to an editor who knows what your readers want and is comfortable working in that genre.

Family history can actually be a tricky thing to write and edit because it can easily straddle the line between narrative non-fiction and fiction. It’s important to work with an editor that understands both story arc and various narrative forms of writing while also knowing something about writing non-fiction for a general audience.

Combining immersive writing with a retreat can have a powerful impact on your novel as you craft your historic world. It gives you a chance to focus on the experiences and feelings that can arise when in a particular place. Seeing, touching, and smelling things that your characters may have also experienced can add depth to your story.

If you want to write a page-turner, you’re going to have to put your beloved characters in dire circumstances. Preferably ones that highlight the internal trade-offs they have to make in sticky situations.

One of the best ways to keep readers engaged in a story is to keep the pace moving and tension escalating. Here are eight ways to improve your novel’s pace and build more curiosity-inducing tension into the story.

History is filled with interesting people and readers are eager to see them come alive on the page. The challenge is to make sure your historical characters are compelling to modern readers while also reflective of their historical world.

Getting feedback on your writing early not only helps you improve your craft it can also help you identify what is working and what needs improvement.

Transferring real facts into a fictional world is not always easy. You are essentially building a world from known details and working with readers’ imperfect understanding of that world. Deciding what to include and what to pare away can make the difference between engaging readers and losing them.

One of the most common questions I see from writers of historical fiction is how to balance research with writing. First, you want to know how much research is necessary. Then, you want to know when to stop researching and start writing.