A few words about eras......

In my first post, I outlined my methodology for analysis of the current historical romance market. Consequently, I will be using my second post to explain how/why I divided all of human history into the six eras I will be using.

1.) Pre-1066: This period is fairly self-explanatory. It includes any plot occuring before the Battle of Hastings. It's the Dark Ages, of course, but it also includes Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt, Ancient China, and any other Ancients you might be able to think of. The bulk of stories in this category take place in chilly, damp castles in Ireland or Scotland (never Wales), may or may not involve magic, and are fairly sensual since this was a time before social mores were set in stone--or anyway, that's what writers, editors and publishers think social mores were like in those days, and who am I to doubt their wisdom?

2.) Medieval: Technically, the middle-ages/medieval times lasted for ten solid decades between the fall of Rome(476) and the beginning of the reformation (1517), but I have shifted it a bit here for my own purposes (and sanity). For me, a medieval romance novel is one that takes place after 1066 (which is the beginning of the Norman influence in England) and runs all the way through Elizabeth I/Shakespeare, Cromwell, the Restoration, and, yes dear reader, all the way up to the American Revolution. Now, admittedly, this is a very, very, very wide stretch of ground to cover, and I could have very easily split this up into several different time periods (say, pre/post Columbus or pre/post James I), but there is no need for such a division. And why not? Because I'm willing to wager that there won't be more than a dozen books in any given year taking place during this time period. Except maybe (maybe) a few pirate books.
So what makes a Medieval? For me, a medieval is heavy on the knights and castles. It's got muddy roads, people get around on horseback, and it's an era where titles=money and power. It's a time before modern medicine and modern education, a time before serious steam power, women's rights, and the middle-class. A time before the power structure fully shifted from country/shire to city/metropolis. You get the idea.

3.) Regency: Self-explanatory and universally popular thanks to Jane Austen. It's the cash cow in the business, the cause of and solution to all of a struggling writer's problems. The men are all rich and handsome and mysterious (and sometimes a bit controversial) and the women are all witty, and witty, and really, really witty. Pre-1066 women are wordly and knowing and sensual, Samantha Jones in a drafty castle. By contrast, Medieval women tend to be a little wide-eyed, a little religious, a little Charlotte York in Aquitaine. And Regency women by and large are smart and funny, well-read, well-educated (usually thanks to their father, etc) and are basically Miranda Hobbes in Hampshire. And if we've already got Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda covered, then who does that leave?

4.) Victorian: Yep, you guessed it. In my mind, Victorian heroines are Carrie Bradshaw through and through. Or perhaps, vice-versa. At any rate, Victorian stories take place during the 19th century, the era after Napoleon, and they typically feature very, very rich people courting and gossiping, and occassionally being horrified by accidental adventures in narrow alleys. There are cockneys in these stories, and butlers, and maids, and politicians, but all of those people are just window dressing for the Big Show. And the Big Show is all about a fashionable and somewhat mouthy young woman (Carrie) who meets her match in an upper class, courageous, handsome man (Mr. Big). Row houses, dinner jackets, huge balls, excursions through Green Park, train rides, banquets, and self-made men (usually extras or villains, let's face it) serve as the background. Unless....

Unless the book takes place in America. In which case, the man is almost always a broad-shouldered rancher. And the woman is plucky and rustic and extremely smart. There are iron horses around, but the small-town setting doesn't usually give the characters much of an opportunity to ride the train. Instead, they ride horses--sometimes carriages, but usually on horseback. Hoe-downs. Calico. Shoot-outs. And sometimes plantations and slaves (but only if your last name is Mitchell). You get the idea.

5.) Edwardian: Technically, the Edwardian era takes place during the reign of King Edward VII, but for me it lasts from 1901 all the way through the start of World War I. This is the beginning of the modern era, but many of the Victorian ideas about class-structure and gender-identities, still survived. The Titanic (movie and actual event) is an excellent example of the feel of this era: excess, beauty, and style for the rich; rowdy desparation for the poor; utter confusion for the middle-class. The jazz age hadn't started yet, but it is jazzy. Peppy. Fun. And occassionally, one or two of the more eccentric characters will drive around the grounds of their mansion in a *gasp* horseless carriage.

6.) Post-1914: The Jazz Age, the Depression, and World War II. Women work and are educated, men are brave and hard working and well educated, and everybody reads all the time, listens to the radio, and worries about Hitler almost non-stop. I have never seen or heard of a published romance novel taking place during this time period.

Okay, that's about it for now.

Analyzing the Historical Romance Market.....

24.

There are only 24 different possible settings for historical romance novels. It's an easy equation, but it isn't an easy thought, is it? But look: there are only 6 Possible Eras for a published\publishable romance and there are only 4 Possible geographic locations. And 6X4 is 24, isn't it? Should I explain further?

Yes, I should.

The 6 eras are:
1.) Pre-1066 (the Battle of Hastings)
2.) Medieval
3.) Regency
4.) Victorian
5.) Edwardian
6.) Post-1914 (World War I)

And the 4 geographic locations are:
1.) England
2.) Ireland/Scotland
3.) U. S. of A.
4.) Other (there aren't too many of these, honestly).

Aaaaaannnnd, that's it.

So if you're an aspiring historical romance novelist like me, it's sort of comforting and crazy to find out that the brass ring of publication you've been chasing all these years lies hidden somewhere in the above lists. In my younger days I never would have dared evaluate the romance market as a market, but...I am no longer young any more. But I am still hungry, and I am a pretty darn good writer, and so I'm making it my business to track THE business. To figure out precisely what the latest trends are in historicals, and to figure out which books I (and by extension you, my reader) should be writing at this very moment. It won't be easy, but it won't be hard either. It's just gonna take time, energy, and a little bit of simple math.

Stay tuned.