I am sure that you have had many enquiries of this type, however, I am starting out as a freelance historian and writer. If you have time, some brief advice on how you got started, with some do’s and don’ts would be gratefully received.

Many thanks and I hope to hear from you.

Yours Sincerely,

Gareth H Griffiths BSc (Hons) MSc
Griffiths Brothers Enterprise Limited
www.griffithsbrothers.com

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Dear Gareth,

Thank you for your email.

I expect it all depends on what sort of history you want to write. I sent speculative articles to the (many) family history magazines now on sale in places like WHSmiths (Practical Family History, Family Tree Magazine, Your Family Tree, Ancestors and Family History Monthly). Each has its own particular way of working, so its important that you get a few copies of the magazine and try to understand the readership before sending off an article. Once I had had a few articles accepted, and had established a relationship with the editors, I found that they then asked me to write on particular topics and sent me commissions. I have gone through the same process with a number of literary magazines, educational magazines and magazines of more general interest. Always remember to stick to their deadlines and word count and to include pictures where possible. In fact, an article without pictures is unlikely to get published, so find out how to send digital images if you don’t know already.

I also found it useful to join some local historical societies (namely the Portico Library and the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society). Through these I have met people with an interest in editing, publishing etc and, through them, I have managed to gain various leads. One person (a designer and typsetter) was looking for an editor to help her with some work from a university publisher; several other people have asked me to edit memoirs or histories of one kind or another.

I have also joined a couple of writers’ societies: The Society of Authors and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. These have provided invaluable advice on how to obtain writing commissions.

I hope this has been helpful. Good luck with your writing career and thanks for your interest.

Regards

Ruth A. Symes