Writing Local History Today: A Guide to Researching, Publishing, and Marketing Your Book

Writing Local History Today guides local historians through the process of researching, writing, and publishing their work. Thomas A. Mason and J. Kent Calder present step-by-step advice to guide aspiring authors to a successful publication and focus not only on how to write well but also how to market and sell their work. Highlights include:

• Discussion of how to identify an audience for your writing project
• Tips for effective research and planning
• Sample documents, such as contracts and requests for proposals
• Tips and guidance for working with publishers
• Discussion of how to use social media to leverage your publication
• Discussion of the benefits and drawbacks to self-publishing
• The second edition updates literature, databases, and websites in the field

This guide is useful for first-time authors who need help with this sometimes-daunting process, or for previously published historians who need a quick reference or timely tips.

Thomas A. Mason is adjunct senior lecturer at Indiana University-Indianapolis. He previously served as director of publications at the Indiana Historical Society.

J. Kent Calder is retired as editorial director of the University of Oklahoma Press and served as executive director of the Texas State Historical Association from 2008 to 2014.