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 ]
As Skyhorse announced it will pick up a posthumous essay collection Random House didn't want, it's worth considering what Mailer is. He isn't canceled. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-01-06 21:32:06 UTC ]
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Norman Mailer's long-term US publisher Random House has declined to publish an anthology of his writing, with indie Skyhorse Publishing picking up the book instead, though the late author's son stressed his father has not been "cancelled". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-06 02:12:21 UTC ]
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Skyhorse Publishing's acquisition of a collection of the late Norman Mailer's essays comes after reports that his regular publisher declined it. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-01-05 21:10:06 UTC ]
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Random House has not dropped a collection of essays by the late writer as reports have suggested – the publisher declined to make an offer on the book in the first instanceNorman Mailer’s son has denied reports that the late writer has been “cancelled” over his controversialist views.Earlier... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-01-05 12:15:32 UTC ]
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Whether you're talking to a bookseller or watching a TikTok, you may be getting a rec from someone who hasn't read the book. And that's okay. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-01-05 11:37:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House has dominated the Costa Book Awards 2021 category winners, with two Viking authors among the victors—Caleb Azumah Nelson and John Preston—along with Fig Tree's Claire Fuller and Manjeet Mann, with only Bloodaxe Books' Hannah Lowe preventing a clean sweep. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-04 12:23:06 UTC ]
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The US Authors Guild, Amazon Publishing, and Penguin Random House win a default judgment against Ukraine-based 'Kiss Library.' The post Ukraine-Based ‘Kiss Library’ Under Permanent Injunction in Book Piracy Case appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-01-04 10:56:43 UTC ]
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Danny Caine, the owner of the Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kans., has sold a 49% stake in the 35-year-old bookstore to a group of seven employees. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-01-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The AAPI Communities in Conversation series launches on January 4 at 1 p.m. ET. The series is a joint effort between the University of South Carolina's Augusta Baker Endowed Chair and Penguin Random House Library Marketing, with additional media support from Publishers Weekly. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-01-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Regardless of how 2021 went for you, 2022 is another chance for all of us to make the new year better than those that came before it. We set New Year’s resolutions with the best of intentions, but it’s no wonder that so many people fail after just a few weeks – old habits die hard. Just as it’s... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-01-01 14:34:42 UTC ]
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For decades, I sat in meetings with all-white teams. The industry needs an independent body to advise on equalityI’m a literary agent and at the height of last year’s Black Lives Matter protests I was sent a list, with accompanying photographs, of the top editors working across the major... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-01-01 10:00:46 UTC ]
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He was the longest-tenured bookseller in the history of New York’s most storied bookstore, and he perpetuated its bohemian character. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-12-30 23:42:37 UTC ]
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Authors including Lee Child and John Grisham have been awarded $7.8m (£5.8m) in damages, after teaming up with Amazon and Penguin Random House to sue a number of pirate e-book sites at work in Ukraine. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-29 09:54:39 UTC ]
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An interesting dispatch from prize world: as The Bookseller reported, a new international survey conducted by Nielsen Book shows publishers, writers, booksellers and media consider the Booker Prize the “most important” literary prize. The Booker’s status isn’t completely out of left field, but... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-23 20:28:47 UTC ]
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Independent book shop McNally Jackson staged a public protest with a melodic twist in New York this week, reworking classic seasonal songs and sending carolers to perform in front of the Amazon four-star store in the SoHo neighborhood. The newly written lyrics, from agency DCX Growth... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2021-12-23 20:20:41 UTC ]
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Rob Moss has announced he will be stepping down from his role as m.d. at online bookseller Wordery. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-21 12:03:25 UTC ]
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The Bookseller is inviting independent bookshops across the UK and Ireland to complete its annual Christmas trading survey. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-20 17:57:32 UTC ]
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DCist reports that workers at DC’s indie bookstore Politics and Prose have decided to unionize, joining a growing list of bookstores (and other workplaces) that have unionized this year. If they do unionize, they’ll become the only bookstore in DC with a unionized workforce. But Politics and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-17 16:47:07 UTC ]
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Four in 10 of this year’s list of the book trade’s big cheeses are either new entries or 2021 first-timers, reflecting how the pandemic has reshaped publishing leadership. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-17 00:28:55 UTC ]
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Eight new writers have been chosen to join this year's Penguin Random House UK’s WriteNow mentoring programme, with a focus on children's writers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-15 07:50:03 UTC ]
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