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 ]
How Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rose up and won an underdog political victory. | Lit Hub Politics Lauren Groff talks about what it’s like to open a bookstore in Florida right now. | Lit Hub Selfishly curated experiences: İnci Atrek on how planning trips can inform novel writing. | Lit Hub Langston... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-01-11 11:30:15 UTC ]
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Novelist Lauren Groff joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss the new independent bookstore she and her husband are planning in Gainesville, Florida. The Lynx, which Groff aims to open this spring, will feature banned books, an act of resistance in a state where more... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-01-11 09:04:26 UTC ]
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The former editorial director of Bantam and Ballantine and founder of Villard Books at Random House and an eponymous imprint at Houghton Mifflin, whose long and storied career in trade book publishing lasted into his final hours, died on December 31. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Tamara Megrelishvili, founder of Georgian bookstore Prospero's talks about the impact of diminished tourism, war, and political unease. The post In Tbilisi: Bookseller Tamara Megrelishvili on Sales Trends appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-01-10 17:45:34 UTC ]
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Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, January 14 Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-01-10 13:00:07 UTC ]
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Improving psychological safety, clarity around corporate strategy, and more attention on professional development are the three areas of focus Penguin Random House will prioritize over the two years, according to a memo from global CEO Nihar Malaviya. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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In addition to announcing changes to its executive committee, the Book Industry Charitable Foundation this week named three new board members: Christian publisher Chriscynethia Floyd, former Abrams CEO Michael Jacobs, and Vermont bookseller Emma Kaas. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble followed up sales increases in 2022 with more gains in 2023 and CEO James Daunt said the bookseller is "entering a period of significant growth." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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My longtime girlfriend is a longtime bookseller. Her relationship with bookselling predates ours three times over. It is a surprisingly taxing career path—one that asks of the body, and of the mind. There are the bad days, where she brings home the classic bookseller gripes: failed hand-sells,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-01-05 09:56:55 UTC ]
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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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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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