2021 Historical Novel Society Conference

Last week I attended my first Historical Novel Society conference. I’ve been to other writing conferences in the past, but this was special, because historical fiction writers are my tribe.

The conference was virtual, and the sessions were recorded and will be posted for attendees to review, so I have only just begun to tap into the knowledge presented. I’m looking forward to exploring more over the next 90 days.

The virtual nature of the conference was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because many people (including myself) could attend from home, when they might not have been able to travel. And a curse, because in addition to trying to watch as much of the conference as possible, we also had to maintain our daily lives.

One of the sessions I attended was a Masterclass by Libbie Hawker on “Making It in Historical Fiction.” Libbie has been successful as a historical novelist, and she offered her tips and strategies on how to match her success.

Here are her three strategies, along with my comments on each:

1. Plan your books to appeal to the widest possible audience while still appealing to you enough to spend years with them (because you want a series of related books).

I didn’t plan anything before starting my series on the Oregon Trail and frontier life. I’d had the idea for Mac’s and Jenny’s story in Lead Me Home in my head for years, but that was it. The rest of the series has developed over time. But now, as I write the fifth book in the series, I can see seven novels total for the series.

2. Write a series or a group of closely related stand-alone novels. Writing interrelated books will maximize your output and efforts and bring success faster.

My Oregon books are all interrelated, though each can be read alone also. They involve the same characters—members of families that traveled the Oregon Trail together, alone with people who joined them later.

3. Pay attention to packaging your books. Be consistent in advertising their content in every way you can, including title, cover, product description, branding, categories, and keywords.

I have tried to address these marketing concepts, but I am not a professional marketer. My book covers are all based on 19th-century artwork, and I try to keep my covers and interior formatting similar in each book. I use the same or similar categories and keywords in their metadata. I try to be consistent in my marketing across social media.

One other tip from Libbie’s session that resonated with me was a recommendation on research. She advised to research just enough to clearly visualize your characters in their setting. (Of course, that still requires a lot of research!). Then write. I do tend to go down rabbit holes in my research. I learned that’s a problem for many writers of historical fiction.

Other sessions at the HNS conference offered the following tidbits:

• Lisa See (the guest of honor at the conference) said, “Approach your writing as if the right people will find it.” In other words, don’t write thinking “no one will want to read this.” Write the book you are called to write. I’ve tried to write what I want and not think about marketing until the book is written.
• Try YouTube for researching geographical areas that you cannot visit. I’ve used Google Maps for years to research my locales in the West, but I never thought of YouTube. So I typed in “Steen Mountain Oregon” and immediately found videos depicting the topography and vegetation of this site, which is part of my current work-in-progress.
• Remember that there is a power dynamic in every interaction between characters. What is power in the society you’re writing about? (Political, financial, other resources) Who has that power? Use those power issues to drive conflict in your story. I liked this tip because I often think about conflict in terms of power.
• The Number 1 priority in fiction is entertainment. The history is important, but sometimes in historical fiction, deviations from history are necessary for the story. Identify those in the Author’s Note, but be sure to serve your story first. This is something I need to work on. My critique group sometimes tells me I’ve stayed too close to the history, rather than ramping up the tension in my novel.

I learned many more things at this conference. Now I have 90 days to watch the sessions I missed, so maybe I will have more to say about this conference in future weeks.

I was so enamored of the HNS experience that I am exploring the creation of a USA Heartland chapter of HNS. There are chapters in Texas and Chicago, but nothing closer to me, and I want more contact with my tribe.

If you live in or write historical fiction about the Midwest and are interested in joining a new HNS chapter, please contact me here or leave a comment below.