I was more than a little lost before writing my first book. For a year after I had the idea for the book I did some preliminary research and then nothing else because I didn’t know how to do what I wanted to do. How was one supposed to get an agent? What even was an agent?

I didn’t know how publishing worked let alone how to write a book vs academic writing, nor how to organise my research and the various sources. I am ashamed to say I was a trained historian who hadn’t even been in an archive before nor had I been shown how to use one.

This blog contains reflections on what I have learnt along the way, things like: tips on using archives for research, how to organise yourself when writing non-fiction, using beta readers for non-fiction, writing a non-fiction book proposal. It also contains resources to find out more about the stories included in The Shoulders We Stand On.

It is my hope that you find information here that will help you on your writing journey and further research into the amazing stories contained in The Shoulders We Stand On. (And it will provide useful reminders for myself for book number two.)