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 ]
Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Mon, 17/10/2011 - 09:18 Hot Key Books has hired HarperCollins' head of children's sales as its new sales and marketing director. Kate Manning will join the publisher on 2nd January 2012 and will be responsible for a fiction list comprising between 30... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Thu, 13/10/2011 - 09:02 The UK is the worst country for protecting its high street chains, which are essential for the long-term health of the book trade, the chief executive of Hachette Livre has claimed. Arnaud Nourry was speaking yesterday (12th... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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While its natural to worry about how the publishing industry is going to attract the next generation of leaders, the fact is the industry is already seeing a demographic shift, with younger people taking on more leadership roles. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Thu, 06/10/2011 - 14:17 Google eBooks has launched its e-bookstore in the UK. The store can be found at Google.co.uk/ebooks with frontlist titles including The Fear Index by Robert Harris priced at £9.06 and Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson priced... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 05/10/2011 - 12:08 Random House has acquired the autobiography of Grammy Award-winning rock 'n' roll singer and musician Rod Stewart, with Stewart promising to "hold nothing back". The Random House Group UK and Random House US jointly... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Swiftly and at little cost, newspapers, magazines and sites like The Huffington Post are publishing their own version of ebooks. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2011-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 16/09/2011 - 09:21 Virago has bought rights to a satirical novel set at a top-class university. Associate publisher Ursula Doyle bought UK and Commonwealth rights to Penelope by Rebecca Harington from Jane Finigan at Lutyens &... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Although book historian Martyn Lyons has already published a half-dozen titles about books and reading, he still uncovered surprises about the subject while researching his forthcoming Books: A Living History, an illustrated overview of books in every form as well as the growth of the publishing... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Random House is the latest publisher to replace paper catalogues with digital editions. Random will begin the transition with its Random House Children's Books division's summer 2012 list which reps will start selling in January. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-09-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Wed, 10/08/2011 - 15:07 Granta Publications has put its books onto the iBookstore, with all digitised titles from Granta Books and Portobello now made available. Marketing and digital development director Iain Chapple said: "We are committed to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 29/07/2011 - 11:22 Random House has acquired the memoirs of long-time US Vogue creative director Grace Coddington, in a Transatlantic deal for a reported $1.2m (£700,000). The memoirs will be simultaneously published by Random House in the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: M J Deschamps in Ottawa Publication Date: Fri, 22/07/2011 - 15:02 Canadian publishers have attacked the decision by Indigo Books & Music, the country's biggest bookshop chain, to stock fewer books and evaluate returns on a shorter time frame. They claim it is putting extra... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital editions, the oft-dubbed Wild West of the publishing world, may be charted in the near future. Many publishers are investing large amounts of time and resources to navigating user behavior in tablet editions of magazines, and this data is being used in a variety of ways. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Since social media was identified as a relevant tool to the publishing industry, magazine publishers have devoted many resources and an abundance of energy to finding and implementing the best strategies to solidify a presence in the sphere. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Fri, 08/07/2011 - 13:33 Suffolk County Council has drawn up plans to put the financial management and staffing of its libraries under a central organisation in a bid to reduce costs and save any libraries from closure. Ideas for how the "vision"... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 08/07/2011 - 08:40 Will Sulkin will be retiring from his role as publishing director of The Bodley Head in April 2012, with Stuart Williams, editorial director at Harvill Secker, to step into the position. Sulkin's retirement in 2012 will... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Arts editor Will Gompertz's second report into the impact of technology on the publishing industry Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2011-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 21/06/2011 - 08:32 Penguin General has combined its publicity and marketing teams into a single communications department, with publicity director Amelia Fairney becoming communications director of Penguin General. The role of marketing... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 09/06/2011 - 09:19 Private equity firm Najafi Companies is reportedly in discussions to buy Borders in America. The Wall Street Journal said "people familiar with the matter" said the firm, which usually makes investments of $1bn or less, is in... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It's been two years since PW took the first snapshot of the publishing world on Twitter. In May 2009 we looked at the followings 16 imprints and publishers had on the social networking site. At the time, a lot of imprints weren't even on Twitter, and we thought the word "twittering" was an... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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