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 ]
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The Aspen Institute has just announced the winner of their 2020 Literary Prize: Christy Lefteri, for her novel, The Beekeeper of Aleppo, which tells the story of Syrian refugees in Great Britain. The Aspen Words Literary Prize was established to celebrate a work of fiction that spotlights a... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-16 22:00:41 UTC ]
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Exemplary among many markets for its early testing and responsible distancing regulations, Germany looks will let bookstores begin reopening Monday. The post Coronavirus: Germany Is To Follow Italy in Potential Bookstore Openings appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-04-16 15:02:15 UTC ]
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‘”Confessions of a Bookseller’” and other wonderful titles remind us of the joys of shelf-browsing. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-04-15 15:59:07 UTC ]
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Bookstore sales ended a long monthly losing streak by posting a 0.8% sales increase in February over February 2019, but numbers are certain to fall again in March, when the impact of the new coronavirus on sales is reflected. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent Bookstore Day has been rescheduled for August 29 from its original date next week. In lieu of postponing the event entirely, organizers are hosting what they call a virtual party, and are working with stores on promotions to run all next week. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Several indie bookstores that launched GoFundMe campaigns in March are reporting that the funds raised on that platform are not being disbursed to them as promised, despite repeated inquiries. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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One of the world's most famous bookstores was forced to close because of the coronavirus outbreak and asked for help to pay the bills Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2020-04-12 16:59:42 UTC ]
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The best-selling author and co-owner of Books Are Magic discusses how her store is weathering the crisis while supporting writers, staff, and other bookstores. For years, independent bookstores fought to stay in business in the face of big box stores and Amazon’s unstoppable growth. Now, they... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2020-04-10 10:30:03 UTC ]
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Flyleaf Books’ owner reflects on running an "essential" business during a crisis. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The plight of independent bookstores during the coronavirus pandemic has brought an outpouring of public support—but, along with it, an often-overwhelming deluge of messaging about whom to support and how. A new app, Save Your Bookstore, is trying to pull more of it together in one place. Save... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-09 16:59:54 UTC ]
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The Snow Girl by bestselling author Javier Castillo came out two days before Spain's coronavirus lockdown. So his publisher Suma took his 30-city book tour online—where thousands of fans were waiting. The post Spanish Author Javier Castillo Meets 60,000 Fans Online During Coronavirus Lockdown... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-04-09 14:00:21 UTC ]
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We surveyed nearly three dozen bookstores with more than a thousand years of bookselling experience between them to find out how the new coronavirus outbreak has altered the work that they do. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Here is the shortlist for this year’s Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize. In its fifteenth year, the Dylan Thomas Prize is one of the UK’s most prestigious literary awards, as well as the largest literary prize for young writers (that means age 39 and under). Congratulations to the finalists!... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-07 13:39:50 UTC ]
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Even for people who have lost jobs or income during the coronavirus epidemic, there are books and reading material available online for free. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-04-03 09:00:21 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial Mexico has shifted to teleworking and added new digital workflows, and is offering online classes prioritizing the sales of e-books, much for the first time. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Half Price Books has laid off or furloughed 2,146 people, representing 78% of its workforce of 2,752. The company operates 126 stores in 17 states, all of which are closed. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Author James Patterson is spearheading a group that includes Reese Witherspoon, Reese’s Book Club, the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, and the American Booksellers Association in an effort to raise millions of dollars to help save independent bookstores. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Save Your Bookstore points you to the best way to get cash to shuttered booksellers near you. As COVID-19 has forced small bookstores to close, many are wondering how they’ll survive—though a surge in support from communities placing online orders is helping. A new app is designed to let you... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2020-04-01 14:00:29 UTC ]
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Starting this week, Washington D.C.’s Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe is using Postmates, an app largely used for food delivery, to get books in the hands of readers in the D.C. area. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Sixteen-year-old Porter Square Books is the first New England bookstore in more than a decade to receive this honor and the second bookstore in Cambridge, Mass. Texan Bob Barnett, a sales representative for 25 years, was named Rep of the Year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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