Six Figure Historical Romance: Ancient World: Six Figure Historical Romance, #1

By Kat Campbell

Historical Romance is a daunting genre, and one that so many authors wish that they could write…

But the secret is, anyone can write it.

 

Writing successful historical romance isn't about luck. It's about knowing the market, finding a niche that you love, hitting the tropes that readers want, and (most importantly) doing the research to put you at the top of the game in a tough market. 

 

Historical romance is a popular genre with multiple subgenres and secret pockets in each category. Beat the gatekeepers and get your secrets from an insider who knows the market and isn't afraid to help others get their start in a tough genre. 

 

In this volume:

• Explore the Ancient World with key historical events from major civilizations across the globe (not just the Western ones, either)
• Discover tips and tricks for research and writing craft relevant to historical romance
• Find detailed trope lists and market relevant research for Ancient World romance
• Ancient World specific title and keyword suggestions

• Language: English
• Publisher: Publisher's Garden
• Release date: Sep 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215143803

Book preview

Introduction

My name is Kat, and I’m a historical romance addict. 

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Like many voracious readers, I was raised on a steady diet of historical smut that I stole from my mother when she wasn’t looking. 

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Wait, was that just me? Don’t tell her. 

Fast-forward a few (cough) years and I’m still a historical romance addict, but now I have a few ancient history and archaeology degrees behind me. Those degrees, combined with a steady diet of historical books, movies, and TV has led me to combine that obsession with my passion for writing.  As a result, I’ve self-published over 200 titles in the historical romance genre since 2013. At this point in my career, I’m well-versed in both wide release and KDP self publishing.

I’ve tried to write contemporary. Really, I have. But historical romance is where I live, and I can’t imagine that’s going to change anytime soon. Was I born in the wrong era? Probably. Would I have died a horrible death at a young age if I had been born in another era? Definitely. But historical romance isn’t about realism, is it? It’s about escaping into another world where there are no cell phones, no TikTok, baking bread is more than a lockdown hobby, and romance is just around the corner whether we like it or not. 

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When I first started writing and publishing, what struck me the most about the romance author community is how generous and welcoming it can be. But here’s where I’m going to ruffle some feathers. In my experience, historical romance authors can be difficult to work with, and I’m putting that as mildly as possible. The gatekeeping, elitism, secrecy, and ownership that surrounds writing about these historical periods is astounding. And I’m tired of it. 

Historical romance is for everyone. And I mean everyone. And there is so much room for authors who are willing to take the leap and add their voices into the genre. If you’ve heard that historical romance is only for ‘smart authors’ or ‘smart readers,’ that’s a dirty lie. It’s hard work, but it’s not impossible, and I’m going to show you how.  

1

The Ancient World ~ A Timeline

The best part about writing historically inclined novels, whether they’re heavy on romance or not, is the fact that historical events and settings can inform your characters, drive the action of the book, and even take the place of a character or villain in the story. 

The second best part is that history isn’t about opinions. History is about facts. Of course there are several very many ways to interpret an event from different points of view, different social classes, etc, all of which are extremely important. But what’s never up for debate is the event itself. You can wax poetic about the effects of the eruption of Vesuvius and the reaction to it, but you can’t deny that the mountain exploded and ruined everyone in Pompeii’s day.  

The major events of each specific era aren’t limited to the Western World, either, and for anyone who thinks that history puts limits on your stories hasn’t been paying attention. 

The Ancient World is also made up of more than just Egypt, Greece, and Rome, and your time period is important. And in the case of this category, it’s broad. If you’re anything like me, you grew up reading Clan of the Cave Bear and devoured the entire series when your mother wasn’t looking. Just me? 

Pushing aside (for just a moment) the fact that it was written alongside the sensibilities of the 1980s, Clan of the Cave Bear is a prime example of taking a historical period, applying modern romance elements and tropes, and going hard on research to create a captivating series. At its core, Cave Bear is speculative fiction about a young girl’s survival and resilience in an elaborately imagined authoritarian society. The heroine’s struggles, her otherness, and her will to overcome is mirrored in modern day novels and story arcs that power blockbuster franchises. 

So, what I’m saying here, is that writing historical romance novels is never limited by the time period, only by your willingness to apply what you already know about writing romance to the subject matter. 

With that said, let’s dive into our (somewhat simplified) timeline.

Your assignment? Choose an era, and a historical event to serve as the backdrop, maybe even the motivation for your story. It might look daunting from here, but if you can choose one or two events that really catch your eye, you’ll already have the foundation for a great story.

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deep breath.

Note — This is obviously just an overview of the ‘greatest hits’. If there is something that catches your attention, I highly recommend falling down a research rabbit hole for that particular event. 

BIGGER Note — You’ll notice that the historical timelines all seem to stop at a certain point. This ‘certain point’ is where the events overlap into another category timeline. For more, see the next book in the series!

Prehistoric Period

The Prehistoric Period—or when there was human life before records documented human activity—roughly dates from 2.5 million years ago to 1,200 BCE It is generally categorized in three archaeological periods: the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. When we were kids, it was explained that the various ages were aligned with the tools/weapons that were used, but that’s not the case anymore. So… maybe just forget about that part. 

The