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 ]
Aspiring writers and directors now have a rare chance to impress producers and publishers with time on their handsCameras have stopped rolling, book launches are postponed and actors are all “resting”. It looks as if nothing is moving in the world of entertainment and storytelling, yet from... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-04-18 13:05:09 UTC ]
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Former First Lady Michelle Obama will be reading children's books in a weekly series of videos for Penguin Random House and PBS Kids through May 11. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-04-17 20:08:16 UTC ]
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An hour’s drive away from my sleepy college town, there is a magical place. It is the place my friends and I would run away to whenever we were having a rough go of it, or quite frankly, whenever we just didn’t feel like going to class. (If any of my professors are reading this… […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-17 19:16:30 UTC ]
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It’s not a particularly hopeful time for literally anyone right now (unless maybe you’re getting a $1.7 million tax break?) but that doesn’t mean we should stop trying to help people whenever we can. I’m getting pretty tired of washing my clothes in the bathtub and have been sorely tempted to... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-17 15:09:39 UTC ]
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Random House Business has acquired Poles Apart, "a major new analysis of political and social tribalism" by the presenters of the podcast "Changed My Mind". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-17 07:14:51 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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In post 11/8 America, the citizenry became more aware, more active, more willing to submit themselves to self-examination. Yet while the world of journals both print (Freeman’s), and online (Guernica, Lit Hub, Electric Literature), have increased their commitment to the exploration of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-16 08:49:50 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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Bluemoose Books founder Kevin Duffy has called on the publishing industry to rally behind its smaller presses at this time of crisis and to establish a fund to help independent publishers survive what Duffy said had been a 90% reduction in revenue as a result of the lockdown. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-14 17:49:26 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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Penguin Random House UK is the latest U.K. publisher to take cost out of the business in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House UK has revealed it is furloughing "some" of its staff across the business, extending to staffers in its London office. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-06 23:18:38 UTC ]
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James Patterson has a long history of helping independent bookstores. In in 2014, he donated $1 million to indie bookstores, and staring in 2015, his Holiday Bonus program has given payments between $500 and $5,000 to bookstore employees each year. Now, as bookstores struggle to keep afloat... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-03 14:23:07 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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For the first time, a spate of new and forthcoming titles written by people with disabilities across the United States suggests that the publishing industry may finally be amplifying their voices and stories. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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For what seems like since time immemorial, Penguin Random House Children's has been by far the biggest beast in British kids' publishing. That might have changed this morning with HarperCollins' announcement that it will acquire Egmont UK, plus Egmont’s Polish and German children’s book... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-02 02:11:04 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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