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 Department of Justice has sued to block Penguin Random House’s proposed acquisition of Simon & Schuster, arguing that it "would result in substantial harm to authors." Lawyers for PRH said that they expect the case to go to trial sometime in 2022. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The shortlists for the 2021 FutureBook Awards have been revealed, featuring the likes of BookBar, the Feminist Book Box, Bad Form Review and the Working Class Writers’ Festival as well as a strong showing for Penguin Random House across various categories. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-02 02:31:37 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Bookseller‘s recent Climate Issue (October 15th) successfully addressed the intertwined problem of commercial and environmental sustainability from a range of perspectives. This is vital to encourage broad engagement and hopefully commitment to change. But is the action the publishing... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-29 20:27:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Rebecca Fitting, co-owner of Brooklyn’s Greenlight Bookstore, is leaving the store she cofounded with Jessica Stockton-Bagnulo 12 years ago, and has sold her stake in the business to Stockton-Bagnulo. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
My father, John Hitchin, who has died aged 88, was a marketing and publicity specialist in the publishing industry who spent three decades with Penguin Books, where he was responsible for a number of innovations, including the first paperback gift set and the first display “dump” bin. As... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-10-28 19:33:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Here are the best bookish things that happened this week, from library chickens to literacy funding and, of course, WonTon the bookstore cat. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-10-22 10:42:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Anyone who has worked in a bookstore knows only too well that moment when a customer approaches by saying, “So I don’t remember the title, or the author, but—.” And we’ve all been on the other side of the counter, trying to pinpoint something we can’t quite describe at a bookstore (“It’s a... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-10-21 08:55:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A bookstore visit to address supply chain concerns and share top picks for the season. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-20 14:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Reimagining Bookstores, a two-day online gathering of booksellers and publishing industry professionals, came to a close on October 19 with a clear mandate to continue building a movement to develop strategies that will lead to a more diverse, sustainable, and equitable bookselling trade in America. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The following bookstore profiles are from Bibliophile: Diverse Spines, by Jamise Harper and Jane Mount. * LOYALTY BOOKSTORE Silver Spring, Maryland, USA / Washington, DC, USA Instagram: @loyaltybooks What began as a pop-up shop has since become one of the most treasured bookstores in the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-10-19 08:55:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Pittsburgh’s White Whale Bookstore celebrated its five-year anniversary on October 15 with something special: the grand opening of its newly expanded space. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Though Covid-19 isn't going anywhere and challenges remain, new independent bookstores are opening up and doing well. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Penguin Random House chief executive Markus Dohle is to be interviewed at FutureBook 21, The Bookseller's publishing conference, as part of an expansive programme of talks and panels that will take place on 19th November. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-12 10:46:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Penguin Random House Children’s has appointed David Sprei to the new role of commercial director for Penguin Ventures. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-11 17:43:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this
“Silverview” features a young bookstore owner in an English seaside town, caught up in an investigation involving two cunning spymasters. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-10-11 09:00:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The New Futures Initiative - launched at the end of September and announced in The Bookseller - is a scheme to reach out to individuals from underrepresented groups and encourage them - through mentoring and tangible support - to open a bricks and mortar bookshop. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-07 16:15:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this
While exhibitor and visitor numbers are expected to be well down on pre-pandemic figures, a number of trade professionals have indicated to The Bookseller that they will return to the Frankfurt Book Fair. But what will the new hybrid fair look like? Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-01 09:11:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this
I used the term ‘sensitivity readers’ for the first time the other day, and I immediately felt angry at myself. It’s a concept (or service) that I’ve been involved in for a few years now, and yet only recently have I learned of the now well-established title of the ‘sensitivity reader’ in the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-01 05:57:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A major move for women in leadership in the English-language book publishing markets, Prior moves from Penguin Random House UK to helm Pan Macmillan in London. The post Joanna Prior Succeeds Anthony Forbes Watson as Pan Macmillan CEO appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-09-30 13:15:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Penguin Random House is offering enhanced two-day shipping for independent booksellers starting October 1 and running through March 1, 2022. The company is waiving the minimum-retail-value requirement for orders. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-09-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this