First, writing military history will not make you rich. In point of fact, it isn't a living.

Second, I would recommend finding a publisher. I've had three-all in the UK.

Next, assembling the material takes awhile and you do have to read a lot doing research. Archival research is best-next best is to assemble primary material along with credible secondary sources. With the now-presence of Google Books much primary material is available for download online.

When I wrote my first book, I probably spent about five thousand dollars on research and did not take any time off work. The support of family and friends is essential for this task.

If you would like any help at all, please feel free to ask. Bob Burnham, along with others on this forum, are also published authors. Also feel free to email me at home, first through the site here. I've done some work on the War of 1812 and have visited some of the battlefields and will do so again this coming summer. If you've taken a course on historiography it will be very helpful.