Picture the scene: you’ve spent years working on your novel about a historical figure never immortalised in fiction. And then you discover someone else is publishing a novel about them.
This situation is unique to historical fiction writers: when we fictionalise real historical figures, there’s no guarantee the same person won’t have inspired someone else – perhaps simultaneously. Equally, the urge to re-examine a misunderstood character may have struck someone else too: this year sees two feminist retellings of Medea from Rosie Hewlett and Eilish Quin, while Annie Garthwaite’s Cecily and Anne O’Brien’s The Queen’s Rival came out within twelve months of each other. Depending on where you are in the writing cycle, you might be tempted to ditch your project entirely; if contracts have been signed, you may not have that option. And of course, you might not want to – in which case you’ll need to pitch and market a novel that sounds similar to another writer’s forthcoming book.
How do you keep going?
Discovering another novelist has written about a character you’ve come to view as your own may feel disheartening. But it’s important to recognise that there is no definitive version of a historical figure, even in non-fiction. Your characters are an interpretation of their historical counterparts. CJ Sansom depicts Catherine Parr in Lamentation as an enigmatic, quietly dignified woman, whereas in Philippa Gregory’s The Taming of the Queen Kateryn’s role is less a trigger for a mystery plot, and more a pioneer of early female literature. Meanwhile in Queen’s Gambit Elizabeth Fremantle’s Katherine is vulnerable, surrounded by danger. There’s room in the literary landscape for all these Katherines (and not just because the authors spell their names differently), and perhaps more. What might surprise readers, even those familiar with the period?
Reworking your material
If you decide to shelve your novel, permanently or temporarily, your research doesn’t need to go to waste. Could you tackle the same story from a different angle instead? Given the depth and success of Wolf Hall, it’s going to be harder to pitch a novel centring Thomas Cromwell for a while. But one from his mistress’s perspective? His son’s? His daughter-in-law’s? Those might be very appealing to readers of Wolf Hall.
Practise self-care
Knowing the market is undeniably invaluable, and all good writers are keen readers. But do you really need to be reading that other book – or frantically stalking that other writer on social media? Will the potential toll on your well-being be worth it?
Like many authors, my first novel wasn’t my debut novel: shortly after my book about Arbella Stuart died on submission, Elizabeth Fremantle’s The Girl in the Glass Tower came out. I’m a huge fan of her novels but feared reading her take on Arbella would prove too painful. In the end, I chose to read it – but only once I’d moved on to other projects. My version was largely chronological and first-person – which, given Arbella spends a lot of time alone, was quite restrictive! Fremantle’s, however, used two viewpoint characters and a dual timeline structure to give Arbella’s escape attempts greater prominence, thus enhancing tension throughout. For me, this was a valuable process: looking at other writers’ interpretations of your figures can bring new understanding of your own work’s strengths and weaknesses.
However, with my debut, I’ve taken a different approach. When I started writing The Burnings, there were no novels in print about the North Berwick witch trials; now there are at least three others – Jenni Fagan’s Hex, Danielle Devlin’s Burnt Offerings, and Kate Foster’s The King’s Witches. So far, I’ve avoided reading them – I’m imagining novels so stunning that I lose all faith in my own. At present I’m too emotionally close to my novel: I’d feel vulnerable and paranoid. I’m a firm believer in mood reading, and I’ll be in a much better mood to read The King’s Witches next year, when I’ve moved on to promoting my second novel.
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What makes your novel unique?
When readying your novel for submission or publication, or marketing your work, be mindful of how to pitch it. What genre elements could be played up? Is there a supernatural element, aspects of crime fiction, or a parallel with modern society? For instance, in Rosie Hewlett’s Medea, Jason’s behaviour has clear links to gaslighting, adding poignant resonance for today’s readers. Hypothetically, a novel about Eleanor of Aquitaine might portray her marriage with Henry II in the style of a domestic noir, exploring gender and manipulation: Gone Girl meets Macbeth. Another might take inspiration from Succession, examining her relationships with her many rebellious, rivalrous children. Elevator pitches are crucial for many stages of publishing, from pitching to agents and editors, to booksellers persuading customers to buy your book. Thoughtful comp titles can distinguish your novel from others about the same figure.
Publishing isn’t a competition!
Appreciating this can be hard, particularly if you’re on the wrong side of the submission process. Other writers’ trajectories may seem ever-ascendent, while your own writing languishes unseen. But for readers, marketing trends translate to lots of books to devour! Cathryn Kemp admits her heart sank on realising Anna Mazzola was also writing about Giulia Tofana, a female poisoner in seventeenth century Rome. However, Kemp says “Penguin weren’t unduly concerned, saying that it wasn’t uncommon for two authors to arrive at the same period in history and write their own versions.” Indeed, A Poisoner’s Tale and The Book of Secrets take contrasting approaches: Kemp says “The legend of Giulia and her circle of female poisoners, witches and occultists became my focus, while Anna’s book centres on the investigation by Stefano Bracchi. As both books have been published, read and reviewed, the similarities feel as if they’ve fallen away as two writers create two very different stories, albeit connected at source.”
Celebrate Other Writers
Above all, do not be tempted to post bitter online comments comparing your books’ merits! It’s important to be a positive voice within the publishing community. You’ll find Jennifer Saint’s endorsements celebrating Costanza Cosati’s Clytemnestra and Claire North’s Ithaca, even though she covered similar ground in Elektra: her generosity is a model to follow. As Cathryn Kemp says, “I believe whole-heartedly there is enough space for all of us writers, debut or established, mid-career or global bestseller. The more voices we raise up and listen to, the better it has to be for publishing as a whole.” I fully agree – having devoured Isabelle Schuler’s Lady Macbethad and Val McDermid’s Queen Macbeth, Ava Reid’s Lady Macbeth is calling out to me more, not less. If retelling old stories in new ways was good enough for Shakespeare, it’s good enough for all of us.
Naomi Kelsey is a guest contributor to The History Quill. Her debut novel, The Burnings, was published by Harper North in 2023. She is the winner of two Northern Writers’ Awards and of the HWA Dorothy Dunnett Competition 2021. Her fiction has been published in Mslexia magazine and shortlisted for several further awards including the Bridport Prize and the Bristol Prize. She posts about books, history, and the chaos of writing around small children and teaching English on Instagram as @naomikelseybooks and on X as @naomikelsey_
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