Michael
Welcome to the Shire Journal!
February 2, 2009 12:00 AM
Welcome to the Shire Journal - our online blog or digital diary. The Journal is the place to come for information about all of the latest news from Shire, information about new and upcoming book releases, and special offers or discounts. It is also a way for you all to get a glimpse of what it is actually like to work for Shire, and what it is like to write for Shire.
The people writing entries for the journal are a diverse bunch - some work in the Shire editorial team, some are Shire authors, some work in the Shire marketing team, and some are just people who love reading Shire books.
As well as writing about Shire we will also be posting bits and pieces of news that we think will interest you, interesting articles that we have found and let you know about the books that we love to read. But, most importantly, this is the place where we can get to meet all of our wonderful customers, ask your opinion on various subjects and get your feedback on our upcoming books.
And, if you want to meet and debate a subject with other Shire customers, why not pop across to the Shire Noticeboard - our online forum where you can post topics, debate subjects or just chat about your favourite Shire book.
I will be running the Journal, so if you have any questions or suggestions, drop me a line. So, all that is left for me to say is...Enjoy your time here, and I hope you will visit us again soon!
Mike
COMMENTS
I'm new to this but love the idea!
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Glad you like the idea R McCoy, stay tuned for more bits and pieces every week!
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How do you decide what new Shire works to commission? Do you think of a topic and find a suitably qualified person to write it or do you wait for a prospective author to contact you? If you ever get stuck for topic ideas, I can think of hundreds of titles I would like to see! - SB, Manchester
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We often conceive titles and then search for a suitable author from whom to commission the work, but just as often people write in with suitable proposals for a book. We usually ask people using the latter method to submit a sample of their writing, and a letter explaining what the book will do that is different from other books on the subject, and the gap in the market that it will fill. Then we assess the viability of the book, and, if we think it works, we agree to publish it.
We also welcome suggestions for titles, but as we get so many suggestions we do have to pick and choose. It often also depends on us securing an author who knows a sufficient amount about the subject.
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