![]() ![]() And, not only did my novel include footnotes, it included a bibliography and an extensive appendix with real primary source documents.įootnotes and other nonfiction elements of writing are rare in fiction, but certainly not unheard of. Rather than acquiesce, I decided to self-publish. When submitting my third novel, Ceding Contempt, one publisher expressed an interest in my manuscript but stated that fiction cannot have footnotes. Since that time, I have written three more novels and received similar feedback from editors and publishers. Also, the first chapter began with background, contextual information that I was asked to remove. But, the editor required that I change the footnotes to endnotes. When I submitted my first novel for publication, I submitted it with footnotes. When I moved toward fiction, I had a very hard time eliminating nonfiction elements such as footnotes from my writing. They provide valuable context and references for verification and further research. Footnotes, endnotes, and bibliographies are standard for scholarly essays. For instance, my essay The Tobacco Controversy of 1857 published by the Hindsight Graduate History Journal, has one hundred twenty-nine footnotes in just twenty-two pages. My essays were academic, complete with citations and bibliographies. My public writing career began in earnest during my graduate program at Minnesota State University, Mankato, where I studied history. ![]()
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