Colman says that the idea for his novel came as he was attending a lecture at King's College, London where the lecturer made a comment on how past societies could have been governed with just one rule.[3] Colman worked on the idea and book while studying and working as a corporate lawyer in London. He then submitted it to HarperVoyager's open submission process for sci-fi and fantasy. 15 books were selected from 5,000 entries, including The Rule.[4]
The Rule is set in a Viking kingdom called Hellvik. It was released on e-book and paperback in 2015.
