A book devoted to an historical subject must be authentic, otherwise it won’t get published. If you publish it yourself, it won’t be read by many people. In order to be authentic, you must employ facts. When it’s historical fiction you don’t have to cite facts, but you must incorporate them subtly into your story. Fiction emphasizes character and your central character is usually “created” to carry out some theme of the story. His or her moral dilemma is the basis of the story. Narrative nonfiction has to cite facts and is a bit trickier medium. An excellent example of narrative nonfiction is The Greater Journey by David McCullough. It takes up a number of American people’s stories which occur in the eighteen thirties and forties in Paris. Notable Americans went to Paris to be educated in the arts and in advanced medicine.I can only advise writers to approach research in the manner I did. You will be able to understand research in American history. I began with my state’s historical library which is frequented by many people who choose to research their own family’s roots in the state where they live. A state’s history library will have an interlibrary loan department which shares documents with other state history libraries throughout the U. S. When you need a certain book, microfilm, or document it can be ordered through this department.
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