For more years than I can remember we have been trying to bring the story of Britain and the US Civil War to a wider readership. Crossfire, and latterly Vedette, certainly have led the way for our researchers, and we have also supported our growing number of published authors. I have no hesitation in saying that we can hold our own on this side of the pond.
We can now announce that we have been approached by Chris Mackowski and the ECW in conjunction with Savas Beattie to compile a series of stories of Britain and her complicated role during that time. They approached us so they think there is potential in this idea.
We have, to say the obvious, an “open book”. We can tell the story the way we want to tell it. There are clearly some things that we are compelled to write about and there are some of you who we will want to hear from. We have compiled a list of ideas, but we want your ideas about what to write and what you want to write.
The format will definitely be similar to the ECW series. A narrative giving an overall view rather than the complete detail. The ECW series are very much “intro” books. We envisage 8 or 9 chapters, 3500-4000 words each, with images in each one. We also plan for some appendices of 1000-1200 words (perhaps lists?). We also would like a list of ACW sites and before and after images. There is also the opportunity to come up with a snappy title!
So over to you. We want to invite you to submit your idea of chapter and send it to me by 31 October. A sub-committee will consider the submissions and produce a short list for consideration by Chris and Savas. The final selection will lay with them.
This is a commercial venture, but I am sure that you are aware how fickle the publishing market is. We see it as an opportunity to showcase our talent and tell our story. Any profits will be ploughed back into the RT, but I am sure we might stretch to a celebratory pint at conference.
This is open to every member of the RT extant at this date. This is an opportunity to bring your research to the forefront. Don’t miss out just because you feel it might not be good enough, if we think it is a good idea, we will support you.
We remain in great anticipation of something special,
Greg Bayne on behalf of the Committee
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