In this interview, the SRS’s John Gallagher speaks to Professor Catherine Fletcher (Manchester Metropolitan University) about her experiences as a successful writer of history books aimed at a wide audience, including 2016’s The Black Prince of Florence and – just out this year – The Beauty and the Terror: An Alternative History of the Italian Renaissance. Catherine offers expert advice for anyone hoping to write about early modern topics for a wider audience, covering how to choose a topic, pitch a project, sell a book, and engage the non-academic reader.