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 ]
Vignette Books is new online bookstore based in Austin, Tex., cofounded by a former employee at Book People. It has attracted an audience willing to gamble on buying used and vintage books based solely on their categories, without knowing exactly which title will arrive. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Greta Livraria in Lisbon and Rare Birds in Edinburgh are among the new stores dedicated to women’s writingWith its neatly arranged tables and shelves laden with books written by women, Greta Livraria’s small space masks its big ambitions. Since opening earlier this year, the bookstore in Lisbon... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-12-28 05:00:25 UTC ]
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Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, December 31 Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-12-27 14:00:47 UTC ]
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In one of Electric Lit’s most-read essays of the year, “Black Women Are Being Erased From Book Publishing,” Jennifer Baker examines the publishing industry in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. She holds the publishing industry accountable for appointing high-profile Black... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2023-12-21 12:15:00 UTC ]
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Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, December 24 Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-12-20 11:00:18 UTC ]
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In talking about my debut story collection, House Gone Quiet, with friends and family, I’ve often found myself pitching the merits of the short story form itself. Due to habit or book marketing or a lack of exposure, it’s simply the case that most fiction readers who enter a bookstore are... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2023-12-19 12:00:00 UTC ]
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The Association of American Publishers is giving its International Freedom to Publish Award to all publishing houses in multiple countries and regions of the world that continue to publish despite increased government pressure, harassment, and threats. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
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When e-readers like the Amazon Kindle burst onto the scene, they were predicted to bring about the death of the print book — and maybe the independent bookstore too. But publishing sales data and on the ground observations from booksellers indicate that neither prediction has come true. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2023-12-17 09:00:00 UTC ]
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Mitchell Kaplan has been an influential fixture in publishing since he founded the bookstore chain Books & Books in Miami in 1982. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
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PW’s outgoing editorial director reflects on how tech and consolidation have reshaped the publishing industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Jim Milliot, PW’s outgoing editorial director, has been awarded the first-ever Frederic G. Melcher Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades of work covering the publishing industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Even in a year that saw scores of departures from the publishing industry of well-known figures, booksellers around the country were stunned when Hachette Book Group announced in June that its longtime head of field sales and account marketing, Karen Torres, would retire in mid-July after a... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, December 17 Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-12-13 14:00:02 UTC ]
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Hay House, founded by the late Louise Hay and acquired by Penguin Random House, has offices in Australia, India, the States, and UK. The post Penguin Random House Acquires Self-Help Publisher Hay House appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-12-13 03:58:01 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House has acquired the self-help and health and wellness publisher, which puts out roughly 100 books a year and boasts a 1,500-title backlist. CEO Reid Tracy will continue to lead the house. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The publishing world made plenty of news in 2023, but not only because of the books themselves Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2023-12-08 14:55:07 UTC ]
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PW looks back at the library stories that captivated the publishing world this year, and what they portend for 2024. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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A deep bench of experience, from Penguin Random House and Disney to TikTok and YouTube, is on Simon & Schuster's new board of directors. The post Simon & Schuster Names Its New Board Members appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-12-07 21:21:07 UTC ]
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These prolific children's book authors have written hundreds of books over decades working in the publishing industry! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-12-07 11:30:00 UTC ]
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