"Eh~ Shi-chan, is the first volume of your new work almost finished? I didn't make any progress a week ago......"

Fujigawa Bookstore, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, an island country, an editorial office.

Machida Enko, dressed in a neat black suit from top to bottom, which is rare for an editor at a publishing house, is taking advantage of her rare time to take advantage of her time off and is ready to make fun of the author of her Kavin.

Unexpectedly, I got the news that the new work was going well.,This made Machida Yuanzi, who was ostensibly ridiculing his author.,In fact, he was concerned about the progress.。

"If you give up that title, I think I'll talk to you about what's going on." There was an impatient but helpless voice on the other end of the phone.

Machida Enko's makeup is light, the heel is slightly lower, and the hairstyle is short, but it seems to be unrestrained and active, just like her unrestrained words.

"Eh~ Shi-chan, just tell me, I'm still in charge of taking care of you." Machida Enko smiled exaggeratedly when she heard this, and said slightly exaggeratedly.

"Please make it clear, you're only in charge of 'taking care' of my work, Machida editor!" The voice on the other end of the line was high, mixed with the sound of something hitting the floor.

"Huh...... Okay, Kasumi Shiko-sensei, please tell me how the dear editor's new work is for a while? Machida Enko put away her ridicule, but her tone was still not serious.

So the other end of the phone began to narrate on her own, and Machida Enko let out pompous exclamations from time to time.

"Isn't this time TAKI's little brother? It's actually a boy?! ”

"Does that boy play the piano so well? So the new work will be biased towards the music aspect? Shi-chan: Do you have any knowledge in this area? ”

"Hmm...... Wouldn't it? It's just a skill, used to introduce the plot, not the main story? I think I can tap into the potential in this area. ”

"Eh~ That boy is still his own junior? It's really a galgame-style super expansion.,The heroine of the heavenly descending system meets the male protagonist or something......"

“…… Hehe, okay, okay, Shi-chan, you go on, I won't interject, okay? ”

“……”

"So, the stage for the new work is still in Hehe City? Is it related to the previous work? ”

"Eh~ It's just the same place, the same timeline, and the story that happened between different characters...... I wish I could have brought a little bit of the characters from the previous game into the story. ”

"Shi-chan shouldn't be so stubborn, she obviously plans to create an IP to make money...... Oh no, go get the word out and get a little bit of income. ”

Machida editor-in-chief——! The president has called you to a meeting! Suddenly, a colleague shouted.

"Ah~ Shi-chan, you also heard it, then I'll hang up first? Let's talk about your mysterious little boyfriend next time~" Machida Yuanzi said with a smile, and hung up the phone without waiting for the person on the other side to refute.

“…… Is there another meeting? It's really tiring that the newcomer reward is approaching~" Machida Yuanzi stretched and walked towards the conference hall.

By the time I arrived at the conference hall, the staff had basically arrived, and Machida Enko, as the new editor-in-chief, naturally didn't have much say in this kind of meeting that was considered a senior management of the company, and even the seats were at the far end of the president's side.

However, as a newcomer to the management team who has not long been promoted, Machida Enko did not think that she would have any say in such a high-level meeting.

Most of the time, Machida Enko plays the role of a listener, and perhaps at most she can report on the recent work in her department, which works are selling well and which are likely to be cut in half.

Then I got a nod from the president.

Therefore, the social structure of the island country is really unacceptable~ What kind of workplace is like a battlefield, this is it......

Machida Enko sat down in her own seat and stared at the pattern of the conference table in every possible way, waiting for the meeting to begin.

After a short time, the personnel had already arrived, and Kawashima Yasano, who was the president, stood up, coughed twice, and began his tirade.

Anyway, President Kawashima is in his fifties, right? It's really dedicated~ Machida Yuanzi thought nonsense.

"Colleagues, we have seen the situation of our publishing house and even the industry recently, and a large number of templated works have begun to appear in light novels recently, and readers may be able to buy for this situation for a few years, but what about a few years later? What's more, some readers have voiced their dissatisfaction with this status quo. As a publishing house, we not only need to launch popular works, but also be good at grasping the future market trend. For example......

“…… All in all, we must pay enough attention to this newcomer award, and the scoring criteria must also be improved, rather than reducing the number of newcomers and new works on the list, but also to ensure that each book has enough attractive places! I hope that you will be able to discover a work that is comparable to the last Grand Prize of the Newcomer Awards, "Love Metronome"! ”

Kawashima Yasano, who had finally finished his tirade, took two sips of the tea on the table, relieved his thirsty throat, and continued: "Editor Yamaguchi, next you will tell you about the main precautions of this newcomer award. ”

The middle-aged man in a black suit with a neat and capable hairstyle stood up, bowed slightly and said, "Yes!" Next, I will explain in detail some aspects that need to be paid attention to in this newcomer award. First ......"

Machida Yuanzi heard the end from the beginning to the end, and silently summarized the words that were obviously drafted.

First, the works selected by this newcomer award should not have too many routine articles, and it is best to have innovation, which is the first place to consider when choosing.

Second, this rookie award should have enough publicity to strive to be as good as the rookie award jointly held by Dengeki Bunko and Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko during the spring break.

Third, the selection period of this newcomer award is no more than one month, and in addition to some submissions received before the selection, works submitted during the selection process are also supported.

Last but not least, put an end to all cheating, ensure the absolute fairness and justice of the newcomer award, and technical personnel are on standby at any time to prevent any malicious behavior of swiping tickets.

Machida Enko, who was greatly shocked in her heart, looked at the old figure who was already sitting on the first seat in surprise, and even felt a little moved by his decision.

It's not just a matter of courage, it's also a deep passion for light novels.

In the light novel industry, and even in various industries, it is really rare to have a company that can be regarded as successful, taking the initiative to break the muddy waters of the industry and inject new vitality into the development of the industry.

The foresight and decision-making power of the person at the helm of the enterprise shown in this is not something that ordinary entrepreneurs can have. Even if the driving force is for the development of their own enterprises, that kind of enterprising attitude rarely appears in large companies like Immortal River.