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 ]
In recent weeks, with much of the world under orders to stay at home, many members of the public have been twitchy about people breaking the rules. In New Zealand, a police website crashed under the weight of civilians signing on to report violators—part of what Time magazine referred to, in a... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review
[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-04-29 12:07:12 UTC ]
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One bookstore company has offered medical workers a lifetime 20-percent discount in China, as the virus pressures normal sales. The post China Bestsellers March 2020: Bookstores Buck the Pandemic’s Paralysis appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-04-28 14:51:33 UTC ]
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In “Camino Winds,” a bookstore owner and two other characters team up to solve a murder and the mystery behind it. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-04-28 01:32:18 UTC ]
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Taking a look at how the indie boom happened in the age of multi-floor bookstore chains and Amazon’s 2-day shipping. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-04-27 10:34:51 UTC ]
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Publishing industry sales had a nice start to 2020, rising 3.5% through February, according to AAP's StatShot program. Sales of adult books were up 2.9%, and sales in the children/young adult rose 6.3%. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Random House Children’s Books will launch Magic Tree House Home Adventures, an online program of activities, crafts, recipes, reading challenges, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-04-24 17:57:06 UTC ]
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Today marks the fifth week we have recognized publishers that, despite difficult challenges and uncertainty, have prioritized their community as much as, if not more than, their own business interests. We continue to be inspired by all of the gestures we’ve seen from around the industry, and we... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2020-04-24 15:33:49 UTC ]
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'Rights departments of publishing houses invariably seem the poor relation of the sales team,' says Richard Charkin. The pandemic is a prompt to reconsider. The post Richard Charkin: Let’s Hear It for Book Rights Sales People Worldwide appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-04-24 14:43:14 UTC ]
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For the past six years, Independent Bookstore Day—billed as a “one-day national party that takes place at indie bookstores across the country”—has taken place on the last Saturday of April. (That’s tomorrow!) It’s usually a fun, light-hearted, occasionally raucous spring day where book lovers go... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2020-04-24 11:00:00 UTC ]
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In a joint statement released to mark World Book Day, leaders of three organizations serving the publishing industry issued a cry to support the country’s booksellers as they struggle to survive the Covid-19 pandemic. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The independent bookstore e-commerce site Bookshop.org has seen a 2,000% increase in sales in the last month and has become a lifeline for many stores that have been temporarily closed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet despite its apparent success, the site has skeptics. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House has launched a collaboration with charity Speakers for Schools delivering a series of virtual educational events from its authors, streaming to thousands of students across the UK. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-23 20:41:22 UTC ]
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On this episode of Sheltering, bookstore owner and author Emma Straub speaks with Maris Kreizman about her new novel, All Adults Here. Straub talks about the support that’s poured in for her bookstore (Books Are Magic) and how best to support our local institutions right now. She also discusses... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-23 19:00:30 UTC ]
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Judge famous for ruling against Boris Johnson will recount how ‘a little girl from North Yorkshire became the most senior judge in the UK’ Lady Hale, who presided over the momentous decision to rule Boris Johnson’s prorogation of parliament unlawful, is set to write her memoirs, of how “a little... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-04-23 14:06:04 UTC ]
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Fundraiser for retailers facing hardship during the coronavirus pandemic reveals that benefactor is internet giant widely blamed for trade’s declineAmazon, the internet retail giant vilified for years as public enemy No 1 to booksellers, has been revealed as the surprise mystery benefactor that... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-04-23 11:37:33 UTC ]
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Amazon has been revealed as the mystery donor which pledged £250,000 to a fundraising drive to help booksellers impacted by the coronavirus crisis. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-23 04:37:57 UTC ]
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The Bookseller is to launch a series of weekly Twitter conversations with the authors shortlisted for this year's British Book Awards. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-22 18:15:25 UTC ]
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Fiction Addiction in Greenville, S.C., has re-opened after the state government gave permission; shoppers are limited to four at a time. "My concern was less for my own health than the health of the store," said owner Jill Hendrix. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Bob Loomis, who began his career as an editor at Random House when company founders Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer were still running the publisher, died April 19 at age 93. Loomis retired from Random House in 2011. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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He wielded his pencil at Random House for more than 50 years, nurturing the writing of Seymour Hersh, Neil Sheehan, Pete Dexter and other authors. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-04-20 22:42:26 UTC ]
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