@CatherineHaines  

Well, how about two basics? What are some upcoming releases you are excited about, & what are some Voyager “hidden treasures”?

Hi Catherine!
This is an easy one… as I’ve just started, and as publishing works months – if not years – ahead, most of the books that are coming out in the next few months from Voyager are ones I’ve loved as a fan and not as an editor (trust me, when you’ve been a fantasy book lover all your life you still squeal like a fangirl when shiny new books come in, even if it’s your job!). I’ll start with hidden treasures… we’re rejacketing a lot of the old classics on our list to bring them up-to-date. Some of the most gorgeous recovers are from the Ray Feist and Janny Wurts Empire trilogy – they’re due out in September 2010 – and they’re an amazing epic fantasy accomplishment, fraught with political intrigue in a rich, exotic world.

As for upcoming releases… I’m so happy that the first three Downside Ghosts series (Unholy Ghosts, Unholy Magic and City of Ghosts) from Stacia Kane are now out (or imminently coming out) and generating some great buzz. It’s really hard to get noticed in this crowded market so for Stacia to make the Times Sci-fi/Fantasy Summer Reads pick is fantastic. Plus, she really deserves it – the books are fab and get better with each new title.

Can I also say that 2011 is shaping up to be the most kick-ass fantasy year ever? Not only do we have some great debuts to look forward to but new books by the legends: The Inheritance by Robin Hobb – an amazing collection of shorts written by both Robin Hobb and Megan Lindholm (same person, two very different voices, and an explanation from Robin about how she switches between the two is well worth a read in itself if you’re interested in the writing process); The Omen Machine by Terry Goodkind – bringing us back to the well-loved world of Richard and Kahlan; and, of course, A Kingdom Besieged by the inimitable Ray Feist. Cannot. Wait.

There’s even a whisper… a very delicate whisper… that we might get A Dance with Dragons in 2011… but don’t look too closely or the rumour might disappear on the wind!

@Choisooyeon

Congratulations Amy! What are you most looking forward to as the new assistant editor?

Thanks for the congrats! I’m really looking forward to working closely with my authors and getting to know everyone in the sci-fi and fantasy world a lot better. The great thing about this genre is how involved everyone is – the fans, the authors, the editors – it’s a business but it’s also very close-knit. A true community.

@cherrymischivus

so, what exactly does an assistant ed do? (other than being a general dogsbuddy)

Good question! Let me go ask the other assistant eds… every job title in publishing varies wildly in terms of role but because Voyager is such a small team I consider myself luckier than most. I’m here to support Emma, our amazing Editorial Director, but I have my own authors whose books I project-manage through the editorial process (acquisition, cover art, copyediting, typesetting, publication, etc.). I go to lots of editorial meetings to shout about Voyager books and help develop marketing strategies. I read submissions and write up reports giving my opinion and whether I think Emma and Jane (the Publishing Director of Voyager) should prioritise a certain submission on their looong reading lists. I’m also in charge of the Twitter and keeping this website/blog up-to-date so look out for lots of changes coming as quick as I can manage them!

@susankmann

How do you go about choosing the books you publish? Do you just see a ms you like or do you have a genre in mind beforehand?

We get all our submissions in from literary agents so they’re generally very high quality to begin with. It is all about intuition and whether a manuscript is compelling – if I want to read on to the end even when time is tight and I’ve got a million other things I could be doing, I know it’s special. It could be any sub-genre within the sci-fi and fantasy field – we’re not fussy if the quality is there. But certain things do come up on our radar or sometimes we’re keen to fill a gap in our list. For example, we really think horror (of the truly terrifying kind) is long overdue for a comeback so we might take a special interest in horror manuscripts.

I hope you enjoyed this edition of question time! I might try and make it a regular thing on the blog so if you have any questions at all you can tweet, comment or e-mail me and I’ll try to answer.