Cultural Cross Sections Elena Poniatowska In this column that originally appeared in La Jornada, Elena Poniatowska considers the role of editors and talks with Diego Rabasa, founder of publisher Sexto Piso. Already precarious, the pandemic lockdown has made the plight of independent publishers and bookstores in Mexico in light of Covid-19 even more acute. To be an editor is to answer the call of the gods. It’s a vocation, a ministry, an immense privilege, to enter the Olympus of literature. To be an editor is to pick those who have talent and launch them. To be a publisher is to foretell: this one will make it. It’s also to disappoint and reject. I recall the Dutch printer Alexander Stolz in Mexico holding out to me his exquisite edition of Benjamin Constant’s Adolphe, as if it were a diamond, at the Fondo de Cultura Económica, and the paternal care that Arnaldo Orfila Reynal took with the anguished palavering of Fernando del Paso. To be an editor is to be a psychologist and to be bewildered as to how to treat each creature-author. Vicente Rojo was my editor, and we have loved each other deeply since, but I never gave him trouble. What must that genius from Pachuca named Yuri Herrera be like? What’s his soft spot? I have to handle Carlos Montemayor with kid gloves because he’s unpredictable. Federico Alvarez, director of the FCE in Spain, told me that seeing Elena Garro and Helena Paz enter the FCE in Madrid was like falling into... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2020-06-03 21:05:48 UTC ]
The merger between Penguin and Random House has been approved by the EU. The European Commission... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Random House has recently updated its BookScout app that allow it to sync up with Facebook’s improved timeline and About page. Can it capitalize on Goodreads/Amazon discontent? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Random House has acquired a debut novel called Five Days Left by Julie Lawson at auction. ... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Publishing houses are Germany's intellectual backbone. For many years, they created a culture of literary abundance and generated healthy profits. But in the age of Amazon, ebooks and self-publishing, they could be facing demise. Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2013-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has a book deal.Mr. Geithner has an agreement with Crown Publishers, an imprint of Random House, Inc. Crown announced Thursday that Geithner's book, currently untitled, is scheduled for 2014.Mr. Geithner plans a "behind-the-scenes" account of the... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2013-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Random House US has adjusted its proposed terms for authors with Random House's new digital... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The ebook is still central to B&N's strategy, but it's not selling. Barnes & Noble revealed disappointing third quarter finances this morning, including a serious decline in revenues from its Nook digital e-readers. Overall revenues were $2.2 billion, down 8.8% year on year, and its... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Random House c.e.o. Gail Rebuck and author J K Rowling are both among the top 20 most powerful... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The fate of the independent sales representative may be inextricably linked to that of the independent bookstore. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Verso Books and Random House Publisher Services have agreed to partner, beginning July 1, 2013. RHPS will provide exclusive sales and distribution across all print and digital formats in North America for Verso's 80 titles per year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Google's long had a contentious relationship with France. But it seems the Mountain View-based company has come up with a way to squash that problem: by throwing money at it. Taking to the company's official blog today, Chairman Eric Schmidt announced the creation of a €60 million Digital... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Random House has Random House Films. Macmillan has Macmillan Films. And Penguin? Although the house has been low-key about the ways it has begun to dip its corporate toes into film production, and Hollywood, it, too, is making inroads there. One way is with Penguin Development Group. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Bookateria, a new book discovery and sales site, features titles that are being discussed, reviewed and recommended by those in the industry and the media. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Lena Dunham's 66-page book proposal earned her $3.5 million in her deal with Random House. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Random House US employees will all be receiving a $5,000 bonus this year due to the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Employees at book publisher Random House are getting a little something extra in their fishnet Christmas stockings this year, a $5,000 bonus. The bonus, which will be the same for top editors as their secretaries, follows a particularly good year for the publishing house in... Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2012-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Plympton—a startup publisher of serialized digital fiction—was created as 'a nimble alternative to the major publishers and online markets,' as the founders explain. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Headline's UK and international sales director Aslan Byrne is moving to Random House as sales... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Random House UK has launched its first digital consumer campaign for Christmas on dedicated... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
It’s been a year since Steve Jobs passed away, and yet it’s still easy to be reminded of his legacy in the publishing industry. It’s omnipresent in the equipment used to create content, especially the operating system th ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this