Welcome to The Romance of History, Special Edition.

You’re in for a real treat in this edition. You are going to meet some very special people, authors who have been brave enough to launch their books without the support of the big publishers. Some are like myself, self-publishers. Others have found alternative publishers, publishers who take advantage of the Internet to sell, or even publish their books. Some of these authors have appeared before in the pages of The Romance of History, and some are new to us.

Alan Fisk and Dolores McCabe are old friends. We have met Alan and reviewed his novel, Cupid and the Silent Goddess. Dolores has recently won an award for her latest book, Axios, so I have asked her for an update.

Susan Higginbotham and Carla Nayland are founding members of Yesterday Revisited. Both have written book reviews for us, but this is the first time they have told us about themselves.

Deborah Homsher, Frances Hunter and Nan Hawthorne are also members of Yesterday Revisited, and join us for the first time. Deborah and Frances have written about intriguing mysteries in American history. Nan's alterego lives in Anglo-Saxon Britain.

And we also welcome Brandy Purdy for the first time. Brandy has written a fictional biography of Piers Gaveston, the notorious favourite of Edward II.

And, yes, I’ve finally succumbed and decided to tell you a little more about myself. Yes, I know, the photo is a bit out of date, but it’s the only one I have of myself that I actually like, and, unlike most flattering author photos, this one’s not fooling anyone!

You won’t see very much about authors like us in your daily newspapers or weekly magazines. Most reviewers are wary of self-published books. They seem to have this strange notion that anything of any value at all will immediately be picked up by a publishing company and therefore anything that hasn’t been mustn’t be worth reading. But those of us who have tried getting published know it’s not that simple.

Even the publishing companies will tell you that there are many reasons, apart from the quality of the writing, which might prevent them from taking on your book. They are dealing in a very competitive field so they have to choose their books with an eye on the mass market. Unless your book is about a popular subject, or you are an established author, the publishers will send you a polite rejection slip.

But nowadays that is not the end of the road. Digital printing and the internet have made all sorts of possibilities available to authors like us to get our books out to the public without the backing of a big publisher.

Admittedly, since our books have not been passed through the filter of the established companies’ editorial processes, readers are taking a bit of a gamble with us. But let’s be honest, readers can’t always be sure of the quality of the books they buy in the bookshops. There’s an awful lot of rubbish out there!

With us, the readers are putting their faith in our faith in our own work. With us, they know that by publishing our books ourselves we have enough faith in our own work to shoulder all the personal and financial risks self-publishing entails. That is the best guarantee we can offer.

The Romance of History is dedicated to supporting such authors and to that end, this Special Edition is a precursor to an exciting new venture. The Romance of History will soon be reborn in a new format – as both a library and a bookshop.

The library will offer an ever growing collection of stories and articles about historical fiction and non-fiction. All your favourite pieces from our existing archive will be there, but the library will always be open for more. So, if you have something to say about historical writings, or a story to tell, this is the forum for you.

The bookshop will continue the work begun in this edition. It will be a showcase for these authors and many others like them. The Romance of History bookshop will provide a one-stop-shop where you can find a whole range of historical fiction and non-fiction which you won’t find in your local bookshops. You’ll be able to see the books, meet the authors and read reviews. The bookshop will not actually sell the books, but will provide links to where the books can be purchased.

So, I extend an open invitation to authors of self-published historical fiction and non-fiction, who would like to be seen in the bookshop, to please contact me.

And if you want to make sure you don’t miss this new venture, please contact me and become a subscriber to The Romance of History.

If you are a new reader, take time to explore not only this edition, but also our Archive. To see what else is on offer on this site click on Home.