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 ]
Penguin Random House has confirmed the death of Sonny Mehta, editor in chief of Knopf and chairman of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Mehta died yesterday (30th December) in Manhattan at the age of 77, from complications from pneumonia. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-30 16:18:01 UTC ]
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In the 2010s, the publishing industry finally wrestled with its problems with diversity. Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2019-12-22 13:00:22 UTC ]
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Pearson is selling its remaining 25% stake in Penguin Random House to Bertelsmann, as its c.e.o. John Fallon prepares to retire next year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-18 01:20:40 UTC ]
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Julia Cowlishaw has been named the new CEO of Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, Calif., and Book Soup in West Hollywood, Calif., She begins on January 6. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Picador commissioning editor Kishani Widyaratna (pictured) and Influx Press co-founder Kit Caless have launched a fundraiser for people in the publishing industry to donate money to the Trussell Trust with nearly £4,000 raised within five hours. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-16 19:29:32 UTC ]
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‘Tis the season of realizing the limits of your spacial awareness! “Measure twice, cut once”? In this economy? Luckily, UK bookseller Waterstones has opened our eyes to a new way of rectifying our (easily preventable) gift-wrapping fuck-ups. Behold: This is a public service announcement 🎄 📚... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-12-16 16:31:30 UTC ]
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Did you know that master fantasist George R.R. Martin opened his own movie theater in Santa Fe, the Jean Cocteau Cinema? Well, now he’s opening a bookstore next door, Beastly Books. As Martin writes, on his blog: We’ve been doing amazing author events at the Jean Cocteau Cinema ever since we... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-12-16 16:24:28 UTC ]
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Malorie Blackman sold her life story to them, other hot authors are lining up. What makes Stormzy’s imprint so different?In a glass-walled meeting room on the fifth floor of Penguin Random House headquarters in Pimlico, Theophina Gabriel is talking about her love of reading while laughing at her... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-12-16 08:00:15 UTC ]
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Earlier today, the employees of the New York City-based indie bookshop McNally Jackson voted to join the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU). RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum says, “We’re proud to welcome the workers of McNally Jackson into our union. Tonight, they showed that... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-12-13 20:10:34 UTC ]
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TweetSomeone came up to one of our children’s specialists the other day and asked if anyone had ever retrieved the $200 Harry Potter boxed set that had been accidentally knocked into the hollow column next to the Harry Potter section during our storewide inventory in July. Since no one had... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-13 13:00:27 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle’s annual letter to company employees emphasized the acquisitions the publisher has made across the publishing world this year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House c.e.o. Markus Dohle has hailed the company's acquisitions and investments and called on the firm to leverage its "unique role in the world as a force for good", in a year end letter to staff. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-12 04:25:11 UTC ]
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The Bookseller is to create a Rising Stars-style listing of individual booksellers to coincide with the Booksellers Association Conference in September 2020. The Bookshop Heroes special, supported by the BA and sponsored by HarperCollins, will be published to coincide with the annual conference. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-11 22:52:50 UTC ]
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In the publishing world, it seems like winning the Nobel Prize just isn’t what it used to be. A Deutsche Welle interview with Lucien Leitess, director of the Swiss publishing house Unionsverlag, explored the business of predicting a Nobel laureate’s commercial success. The controversy... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-12-11 19:54:24 UTC ]
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Now more than ever, the publishing industry finds itself on a quest for more effective ways to make money. For the past few years, the industry has been working through a regular cycle of taglines and keywords: ‘metered models,’ ‘memberships,’ ‘registration paywalls,’ dynamic paywalls,’ and so... Continue reading at Publishing Executive
[ Publishing Executive | 2019-12-11 16:35:15 UTC ]
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Paul Bogaards, longtime head of publicity at Knopf and Pantheon, has been promoted to deputy publisher of the two Penguin Random House imprints. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Linda Cannon, co-owner of Parson Weems’ Publisher Services and a longtime bookseller and sales rep, died on December 5 following a brief illness. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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On December 5, New York's trade publishing community packed the TimesCenter in Manhattan to hear a who's who of authors remember the highly regarded Random House publisher Susan Kamil, who died suddenly on September 8 at 69. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-06 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House has a new UK-built D2C holiday gift selector, and ups its donation to longtime charity partner First Book. The post PRH Uses UK Designer for Holiday Campaign, Adds 300,000 Books to Donation appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-12-05 08:30:52 UTC ]
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