I’m currently wearing my sales hat. It is a very fetching tricorn affair which comes with some not-so fetching dredlocks and a bumper pack of black eyeliner, but enough about that. I’m wearing the sales hat to help me ponder over an email from one of the wholesalers about their forthcoming promotions.

Some are very straight-forward: Back to School is a theme that you’ll find across the whole high street now, from school uniform shops to purveyors of shiny new pencils, paper and protractors, so it was no surprise to see that this was one. Likewise, following the gut-busting season of goodwill you won’t be surprised to see a focus on books selling you a virtuous lifestyle come 1st January every year. But I must admit to doing a double-take over the line of the email which read: Talk Like a Pirate Day – 19th September.

You may be puzzled like I was, or you may be one of the growing army of people that have celebrated this date on the calendaarrrr for a few years now, who knows, but I was arrested by how fabulous a hook this was for a book promotion. And avast! what perfect timing it is, as September will see the release of the latest in Laurie R King‘s Sherlock Holmes & Mary Russell series Pirate King. So come on landlubbers, get preordering and if you fancy yourself a wordsmith, poet or artist, check out the three pIrate-themed competitions on our Competitions & Giveaways page! Aarrrr…

Lesley-Anne Crooks, Sales & Digital Manager