Say hello!

I’m looking for someone to ghost write an historical novel set in the Napoleonic era. I have done a great deal of research & need someone to help me tell the story, which is more or less writing itself.

Just finished “The Last Battle” and a worthy ending to the series. Congratulatiions Nick on a very readable set of characters. Best wishes from New Zealand.

I read all your books on Agent of Rome, including the 7th. Wonderful and gripping. I loved every sentence of it. Very good. Please continue with these (kind of) series.

I loved the whole Agent of Rome series, in fact I like all your books and short stories. Bring me more please!

Dear Mr. Browne

I have just finished reading “The Last Battle”, having followed Cassius through all seven novels, and readily confess to shedding a tear at the end of his journeys with Simo and Indavara. These novels bear more than just comparison with the best within the genre, those of Simon Scarrow, Ben Kane, Anthony Riches, Harry Sidebottom and ,latterly, Adrian Goldsworthy. I do so hope that you continue to write similar novels in your brilliantly readable style, if not in the Agent of Rome series, then in a similar period with new characters. Congratulations on the conclusion of a wonderfully exciting series.

Derek Patience

dear Mr. Browne

As a Flemish professional historian I read your novels with pleasure. The last battle in my opinion is one of the very best of the series. “Never say never again”. There are still six emperors to go before Rome calms down with Diocletianus. So I vividly hope Abscantius will retire and cede his place to an older and wiser Corbulo. I’m sure too that after a few years Indavara will be bored and shall happily respond to Corbulo’s call for assistance. OK, time to start Marik’s Way.

Dear Nick, I have just discovered you! I have loved roman historical novels for many years and was looking for a “new” author. I really liked to two books I’ve read so far but I think Indavara is my real hero! What a star. I am really looking forward to reading a load more Agent of Rome books so a big thank you for all your research and wonderful writing.
Ginny Goodall

Hi Nick, Where can I find “Agent of Rome” book VII (The Last Battle)? I note that you posted on “27th Feb 2017 that you had started writing it. Now almost finished book VI (The Earthly Gods) and I’m keen to know what happens o the trio.

Hey, love your books. Is there any change book IV trough VII will be translated into Dutch?
Greetings, Joost

Hi Nick,
Whats happening with the next book? You suggested it might be out this year and may be self published…….. GREAT series and would love to support the ‘final installment!

Dear sir, I was having so much fun, but can’t find Agent of Rome Tome 7 at least on Kobo or Amazon. Is it almost finished, or finished or near printing? Rare to find a good read involving ancient geography, Roman civilization and whodunnit. Wish I had had that, fifty-odd years ago, to supplement Latin, Greek and Ancient History lessons in my far-off corner of the (ex) British Empire. keep it up, keep it up!

Yours, truly

Anne-Louise Ratté

I’ve been forlornly checking your website intermittently since I read the bad news about Hodder, and so I am absolutely delighted to learn that you’re writing a new ‘agent’ book. You are such a good writer. Your ability to create characters and write dialogue is second to absolutely no-one in the Roman fiction field. Self-publishing seems to have worked a treat for S J A Turney!

My name is Cindy Doty and I am a freelance proofreader. I specialize in fiction/non-fiction works and am looking to broaden my client base. I invite you to visit my website to view my rates and projects I have worked on and see what others have said about my work – http://www.dotyproofreading.com. I believe that proofreading is not an expense but an investment in your project, and I would love to help you present a polished manuscript ready for publication.

Thank you for your time and consideration, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Mr. Brown, It looks like the latest 3 books are not available digitally via Amazon. The just is not an option.
Andrew

I’m referring to the Kindle version.

Ave Nick,

Well, no it’s not really very good advice, since creative writing guides fail to draw the distinction between Roman-period historical novels & non-Roman historical novels in their blanket descriptions of ‘look for an agent who represents the genre you are writing in’. And perhaps if they made the point which you’ve just done – that no agent is going to want to ‘double-up’ on authors in any one genre/period – then it might be a little clearer and more helpful to the rest of us. In which case, I would never have wasted my time months ago submitting to Conn Iggulden’s agent. And anyway, if an agent happens to be interested in a particular historical period, there’s no telling that they might be interested in any other. So submitting to agents representing any *other* historical period than Roman Britain is going to be virtually a lottery, and far less targeted or specific than looking for agents representing Roman Britain. For example, I couldn’t care less about the Tudor period, as it’s boring and already even more hackneyed than the Roman period has ever been (never a year goes by without we get yet *another* TV or movie adaptation about – yawn! – ‘Henry VIII & his six wives’ 🙂

And I was particularly referring to individual agents, rather than agencies, since many Roman-Britain authors do actually list their own agent on their websites (it’s how I found Simon Scarrow’s agent in the first place, after all). You, of course, only mention your agency (rather than individual agent) but it looks like they’re one of those agencies who are either on the way out or don’t like to be contacted, as they don’t seem to have a website…

Nor was I actually seeking a ‘recommendation’ from anybody (I would never have mentioned your name to an agent without your permission, of course 🙂 However, you might be interested to know that – on the website of none other than Bernard Cornwell, no less – that author not only lists his agent, but actually (and I couldn’t believe this, myself) *offers to help any aspiring author to find their own agent*! Yeah… ‘Boom’, I thought, and immediately emailed him to take up his kind offer. He duly replied (or at least, his PA did, in his name) recommending an agent in New York. So there we are, it can be done. (I think it helped that I buttered him up about his Arthurian trilogy and said that it would be nice if he could mentor me as his successor 🙂 However, the agent he suggested I contact was not – of course – his own, nor did they work at the same agency. So I think my experience with Cornwell confirms what you have revealed to us: that no author is going to recommend their *own* agent to any potential competitor (despite the fact that most of them do advertise their agents on their own website).

Anyway, it’s back to contemplating self-publishing for me, if I can save-up enough pennies (and that’s what I’d advise to anyone else these days 🙂

Vale,
Mike

Ave Nick,

Many thanks for the prompt reply, and for the sympathetic comments (not that any of it is news to me, but it helps to know that everyone has the same problems finding an agent 🙂 But while it may be normal for agents not to want to take on any competitors for their existing clients, then why the heck is it that every creative-writing guide, (including the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook) every editor & website blithely advise us to ‘find an agent who represents the genre you write in’ when that seems to be the *worst* possible advice given the reality of the situation? 🙁 I mean, we’re all just being jerked around, here. And on the point of your own experience, I take it that the agent you eventually found did *not* already represent any authors in your genre, is that so? In which case, it wouldn’t help anyone else if you did mention their name, anyway; albeit that several other writers in this genre actually do mention their agents by name on their websites, so it can’t be forbidden to do so. (Actually, your website does mention your agency, though they no longer seem to have a website – if they ever had one).

So the advice we’re being given by the industry is worse than useless, and we may as well just go for any agent who currently promotes Mills & Boon style romances or children’s books, and we’d have better luck, wouldn’t we…

Anyway, on the subject of self-publishing, that’s something I’ve not only been seriously considering for a long time, it’s what I’d personally advise anyone else to do if they can afford it. Because it literally seems to be the only option left these days. And as I said to Simon Scarrow’s agent, I only wish I’d been born 50 years earlier, when the ‘market saturation’ for Roman fiction (as well as every other kind of novel) just wasn’t there, and it was so much easier for anyone to get published. Anyone own a Tardis? 🙂

Vale,
Mike

Dear Nick,

Ave! As an aspiring author of Roman novels, myself, the general advice we get given by almost everyone is to: ‘find an agent who represents the genre you write in’. Which sounds logical enough, but in the real world, that advice doesn’t seem to work. I’ve just got a reply from Simon Scarrow’s agent saying that (without even looking at my novels and despite my novels being set in the 5th c. rather than the 1st) she couldn’t even consider representing me in case of a potential conflict of interest between me and Simon…! So resisting the temptation to shout back at her: ‘Temet Futue!’ (A quote from the novel: ‘The Last Legion’) I explained the evident failure in validity of advice I was getting from everyone else, and complained about how disheartening the situation is that the publishing industry seems more intent on protecting its current investments than in making any newer (potentially better) ones. So my question to you is: How the heck did you ever manage to find an agent and (if you didn’t mind telling me) who are they? 🙂

Regards,
Mike

Eisley even

Hi Nick, I am reading The Dead move Fast. Can you please tell me what Syntagmatarchis and kiros mean please. its driving me daft not knowing and I have tried hard to find out to no avail. thanks

Hey Nick,
Please to meet u at goldboro books night and writing this from the seat in front of you on the train lol.
Drop me a message back and catch up over a pint one night.
Andy.

Hi Nick,

I’ve read the first three books in Dutch and enjoyed them very much.
Do you have any idea when book IV and V will be published in Dutch?

Greetings,

Tom T. Beune

Hi,
I’m a long time History addict – History graduate, military historian and (now retired) History teacher, who has always had a particular interest in the ancient world. Also an avid reader of pretty much everything – though I very much enjoy the recent wider availability of Roman based fiction such as Scarrow, Riches, Turney, Breem, Sidebottom, Wishart, Maddox Roberts et al. So basically as far as history and historical fiction go, I guess I could claim to “know my stuff”. So that’s the context for my praise. However, I’m not in the habit of writing to authors but felt I had to drop you a note to say how much I have enjoyed reading your Corbulo series – which I’m sure you get told all the time! But also specifically to say thank you for writing the sequence at the end of The Black Stone, where Corbulo attempts to come to terms with what has happened and how it has affected him. This was so well done. Thank you so much for writing it.
Steve

Hi

My name is Simon Walpole, I’m a freelance illustrator with an interest in Ancient History, and in particular Ancient Rome. I have recently had some illustrations in Ancient Warfare Magazine as well as some some upcoming books by Gordon Doherty, SJA Turney and Griff Hosker.

Please take a look at my website: http://swalpole6.wix.com/handdrawnheroes with a view to my possibly doing some illustrations for any current or future projects you may have. My rates are reasonable and as a goodwill gesture I will do a small chapter heading illustration or frontispiece for free.

Thankyou for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.

Simon

When is book 6 of Agent of Rome series coming out

Hello from Warsaw!

i’ve been a fan of your books for years and just checked your website. I live (and have lived for the past 5 years) in Warsaw. Inicidently, I also lived in Brighton, close to the Marina (2002- 2005)

Hi Nick,

I have been enjoying your books a lot and saw that you have written a few short stories in the Agent of Rome world. I have a weekly feature of short fiction review and wanted to ask if you could send an pdf of your short fictions so that I can review them on the blog? Thanks for you consideration!

All the best,
Jasper

Hi Nick . Just to say how much I have enjoyed your books . The detailed description of events & people makes you feel that the charactors are alive & you the reader are there with them . Great writing & story line . Looking forward to you next book .
Two questions for you if I may .
1 . Would you & the publishers consider shorter chaptors ? I read your books in bed before settling for the night saying : ” I’ll just finnish this chaptor” then fall asleep drop the book & wake up ! Hence the request .
2 . Is there any way to get details of your book signing’s ? I buy your books from Amazon normally to add to my collection of your H.B. books , sadly not one of them is signed by you .
Regards
John

Hi Nick.

I have read pretty much all of the Roman novel authors out there, ben kane, scott, riches, iggulden you name it I have read it. I was trying to find more to read and I found yours.

First book was great
Second book perfect
Third book…. Just as perfect.

Loved everything about the books cant wait for the 4th which I Have preordered. The story behind Indevara is very instersting, Possibly a Thracian?. I would like to know his past. It creates alot more depth to the story I am glad you havnt had him remember anything keeps his story going.

Also I am still waiting for Cassius to actualy fight someone with his damb gladius. Or was it a spartha the longated officer sword? He seems to be such a weak character when it comes to battle but then on the otherhand he takes control and actualy seems quite brave.

Overall great books and your a great author. Cant wait for the next.

I would like to see how Cassius’s boss (forgot his name starts with A though!) reacts to everything which happened in the far shore.

Kindest regards

Lewis.

Love your books Nick, wish I could write like that. You have joined my favorite authors, Simon Scarrow, Harry Sidebottom and Bernard Cornwell. Just a trivial note: The Far Shore, page 270 five lines from the bottom “unbelted tunic” then page 271 15 lines up “Cassius grabbed his belt” – that a typo? Anyway, great entertainment that will be reread many times. Thank you. Regards, Dave K.

Just found out about your book “The Black Stone” while researching the black stone of Emesa. Might give it a try, but is it stand alone, or must you read the others in the series first?

I did read one of your books (paperback). I liked it. So i tried to buy e-books (at bol.com in dutch). Well i could buy them and i payed for it but i cannot read them because the digital right protection gives problems. i was busy for over 2 hours. this is the wrong message for people that want to do things right. just want to let you know that in this way your rights as an author are not well protected.

HI NICK
Are your books in audio CD ?

Dear Mr Brown,
love Your books , Do you have any idea when the “Far Shore” Will be released on Kindle in the US.
Thanks for your time
William Kulhanek

Wanted to say I love your series and just begining The Far Shore. Vvery sad that I will have to wait for futher books as they are a great read and I love the characters.
Best Roxanne

Greetings and salutations from Nick to Nick.
I am currently reading your excellent work “Siege”; very enjoyable.
I was an Armourer for many years (26) and have been a keen archer for the last few years shooting longbow and horse-bow with Penicuik Archers.
I will point to a small error commonly made by historical authors and the public in general.

The term “fire” when used with archery of any kind, including the horse bow (I have one) is only used to describe the shooting of incendiary arrows! The term “fire” only came into common usage with the advent of firearms when the operator would apply fire to the primer powder or fuse in order to ignite the main charge to launch the missile (a ball of lead or “round”)

The proper term when using a bow is “SHOOT” or “LOOSE”
I hope this is useful to you and you have not taken offense.

I only point this out because it is almost as bad as that American aberration of a phrase “Lock and Load” which to those that know is a complete impossibility.
The term should be “Load and Lock”!!!!!!!!
A useful place to visit for research is The Royal Armouries at London or Leeds.

Cheers Nick M

Is Imperial banner going to come out in paperback? If so, when?