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 publishing industry is stacked with talent, writes PW editorial director Jonathan Segura. And with all the chaos coming out of Washington, this is the time, he writes, for publishers to make the most of that talent and do their best work. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-05-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A supermajority of staff at Brooklyn’s Center for Fiction have filed with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union and requested recognition from the nonprofit bookseller. A growing number of New York City bookstore employees have joined the RWDSU in recent years. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-05-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Arthur (l.), the owner of WordHaven BookHouse in Sheboygan, Wisc., is the Midwest Booksellers Association’s 2025 Bookseller of the Year. They were cited for supporting the local queer community and standing up against harassment. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-05-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, May 18, 2025, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2025-05-14 13:00:00 UTC ]
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William Stout bookstore is a legendary home to design and architecture books. Now, it’s revealing an updated brand courtesy of Jony Ive’s firm LoveFrom. Since 1974, William Stout Architectural Books in San Francisco’s Jackson Square has been one of the city’s most iconic destinations for its... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2025-05-09 13:00:00 UTC ]
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In 1987, I got a job at the famous Strand bookstore in Union Square. My ska band, the Boilers, rehearsed down the block at a place called Giant Studios, and I stopped in the Strand one day with every intention to steal a book but instead decided to ask if any positions were open. Every […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-05-09 08:58:29 UTC ]
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Amazon's lackluster response to scheduling its book sale around Independent Bookstore Day, Broadway is making big bucks, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-05-08 15:45:00 UTC ]
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More than 1,600 independent bookstores across the United States celebrated Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, April 26, and children’s books were a hot item along with reads for their parents, who swarmed indies in unprecedented numbers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-05-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, May 4, 2025, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2025-04-30 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Attorneys for the plaintiffs in Penguin Random House LLC v. Gibson argued that their clients “have suffered First Amendment injury” due to book removals in classrooms and libraries facilitated by Florida House Bill 1069, which was signed into law in May 2023. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Hasbro veteran, who has a background in both books and comics, was tapped to lead the storied comics house following its acquisition by Penguin Random House last year. And he has big plans for its future. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A historic Midtown building is up for auction after years of financial trouble.The Charles Scribner’s Sons Building, which opened in 1913, is set to be auctioned off Wednesday after it went into foreclosure late last year. The building is the former home of publisher Charles Scribner’s Sons’... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2025-04-29 18:48:19 UTC ]
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We’ve got the latest round-up of collection news for librarians: publishing world updates, new book announcements, adaptation news, and a ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-04-29 10:00:00 UTC ]
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At the more than 1,600 indie bookstores that participated in Independent Bookstore Day 2025, five titles in particular—a mix of new releases and backlist, nonfiction and fiction—consistently flew off the shelves. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-04-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A new press will be “focusing initially” on publishing male writers, reported The Bookseller today. Finally, a space for guys to be guys. The press is called Conduit Books, and will be run by novelist and critic Jude Cook. There’s not a lot of information on their website—they’re still looking... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-04-28 18:00:53 UTC ]
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Amazon "oops sorry" all over indie bookstore day, a really scary proposed Texas law, and more of the day's book news. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-04-28 15:15:00 UTC ]
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More than 1,600 indie bookstores across the country celebrated this year’s Independent Bookstore Day, reporting strong sales and high turnout overall despite Amazon’s coinciding book sale. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-04-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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