I’m a history geek. Favorite historical figure: Teddy Roosevelt. Favorite historical event: the Defenestration of Prague. (Go ahead, Google it.) I love writing about history because it allows me to indulge my passion, travel back in time, and constantly learn more about humanity’s incredible backstory. And writing about dead people means never having to worry about your subjects returning your phone calls.
If history lurks around every corner, so do outlets for writing about history. Here are just a sample of some of the opportunities available for history writers:
Magazines: In addition to a handful of magazines dedicated to history—The History Channel Magazine, American History, and nearly a dozen other magazines published by the Weider History Group for example—publications such as Smithsonian and Mental Floss regularly cover history-related topics. Beyond the general-interest publications, however, opportunities abound with regional and alumni magazines to write about local history. Keep your eyes peeled for anniversaries. Editors love pieces with a time stamp. When Fenway Park celebrated its centennial last year, I was able to sell a piece on the ballpark’s first game, which featured Harvard University, to Harvard Magazine.
Newspapers. In just one recent Sunday edition of the New York Times, I found a travel article on the aftermath of a volcano eruption in Java, a magazine feature on the history of the Ferris wheel, an arts article on film and racial politics in the 1950s, and a sports article on the former home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Ebbets Field. Clearly, newspapers are great for these multiple entry points. For the Boston Globe alone, I’ve written history pieces for the Sunday magazine and the opinion pages. My regular Back In Time column for the travel section explores historical landmarks in New England, and I even cracked the food section with a piece on a molasses cookie recipe from the Revolution.
Books. By one estimate, there have been more than 15,000 books published on Abraham Lincoln alone. That’s a testament not only to the Great Emancipator, but to the enduring popularity and health of the history book market. An added bonus I’ve found as a history author is the supplemental income I earn from speaking fees from libraries and historical societies as well as publicity through radio and television interviews.
Online. From Grantland.com to TheAtlantic.com, web sites of all types publish history-related pieces. Two of the more popular history-related sites—Smithsonian.com and History.com—rely on a stable of freelancers. Of course, you can also launch your own blog or podcast. (Check out The Bowery Boys site on New York City history for a great example.)
If you’re eager to write some history, join me, Richard Zacks, Kenneth C. Davis, Pamela D. Toler, and Keith Wallman at the ASJA conference on Saturday, April 27 at 11 a.m.