In Mexico, One Bookstore per 120,000 Inhabitants, by Elena Poniatowska

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 ]

Other news stories related to: "In Mexico, One Bookstore per 120,000 Inhabitants, by Elena Poniatowska "


The Antibody: Starring Kendra Allen, Maisy Card, and Hilary Leichter

Welcome to episode one of The Antibody Reading Series, a weekly reading and Q and A hosted by Brian Gresko. Tonight’s guests are Kendra Allen, Maisy Card, and Hilary Leichter. You can buy their books from The Antibody‘s local indie, Greenlight Bookstore or from Bookshop.org: Kendra Allen, When... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-24 23:55:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Here are 10 new books to look forward to this week.

Supporting your favorite small, independent bookstore during this strange stretch is important, but what’s more important: stopping the spread of COVID-19. So, dear reader, please stay home, get excited for these brand-new books, and buy a gift card from your local indie in preparation for the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-24 14:00:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Bookseller survey: staff experiences of working through the coronavirus challenge

At the coronavirus outbreak reshapes our industry, The Bookseller is inviting staff members from across the book trade to share their experiences of working during the coronavirus outbreak. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-24 12:47:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Lit Hub Daily: March 24, 2020

THESE TIMES: Francesca Marciano on the new silences filling the streets of Rome · Want to help a bookstore? Buy a gift card · And don’t forget bookstore workers! | Lit Hub Coronavirus Coverage “We look for evidence of race not because it mattered to them but because it matters now.” Katy Simpson... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-24 10:30:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this


At the Very Beginning of the Great Alaska Earthquake

Snow was falling as Genie turned right on C Street and headed downtown to the bookstore with Wins. The city was quiet. Most people had already left work for the start of the holiday weekend. The Salvation Army had just concluded its Good Friday worship. Volunteers at the Third Avenue Elks Club... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-24 08:48:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Sales, Earnings Rose 6% at PRH in 2019

Revenue at Penguin Random House rose to €3.64 billion last year and earnings increased to €561 million. CEO Markus Dohle noted that despite the record year, the spread of the coronavirus means that the publisher will "have to endure some impact" to its business this year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


PRH increases revenues and profits 6.2% for 2019, with 'strong' performance in UK

Penguin Random House increased both its revenues and profits in 2019, according to parent company Bertelsmann, which said it would continue to expand the publisher’s businesses including through acquisition. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-23 21:48:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Weekend Reality Check: Our Bookstores and What’s ‘Essential’

The publishing industry looks for the way forward–in a world in which what's truly essential simply may not include physical bookselling for a time. The post Weekend Reality Check: Our Bookstores and What’s ‘Essential’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-03-23 14:30:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Teresa Mlawer, Spanish-Language Publishing Pioneer, Dies at 75

Mlawer, one of the most recognized and respected people in the Hispanic publishing industry in the U.S., died on March 21; 'PW' Spanish-language editor Leyhla Aquile, who worked with Mlawer, offers a tribute. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Strand Bookstore Lays Off 188 Booksellers

The Strand bookstore confirmed Sunday that 188 employees, the majority of the bookstore’s staff, have been let go in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Hi, I’m a Bookseller! Can I Take Your Puzzle Order Today? (shelftalker)

A bookseller at BookPeople reflects on a week of online and curbside fulfillment. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-20 12:00:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Bookselling at the End of the World

On the afternoon of Wednesday, March 18, 2020 I stood in an empty bookstore and cried. A friend had just sent a congratulatory text with a picture from the April issue of Alta Magazine. My wife and I were interviewed a few months ago for a profile of Point Reyes Books, the bookstore we’ve owned […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-20 08:49:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Gratitude as a Way of Life: PW Talks with Galen Guengerich

Guengerich, a senior minister at New York City’s Unitarian Church of All Souls, sets out to create a modern template for spirituality based on gratitude in 'The Way of Gratitude: A New Spirituality for Today' (Random House, June). Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


BookExpo Moves to July 22 to 26 in New York City: Coronavirus Update

A day after Penguin Random House announced it had withdrawn from the 2020 BookExpo and BookCon, the shows' organizers have moved the dates from May to July. The post BookExpo Moves to July 22 to 26 in New York City: Coronavirus Update appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-03-19 23:36:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this


PRH and Pan Mac lead British Book Awards trade shortlists

Penguin Random House and Pan Macmillan lead the pack among the shortlists for the trade categories of the British Book Awards 2020. Penguin Random House has 17 nominations and Pan Macmillan has 12. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-19 16:38:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this


B&N's Daunt: 'Books Are Essential'

While total sales have fallen slightly since the outbreak of the new coronavirus at Barnes & Noble, company CEO James Daunt is confident the bookstore chain can continue to be a profitable venture with one provision—that it is allowed to keep its stores open. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


PRH Audio partners with comic book publisher Rebellion

Penguin Random House UK has announced a new partnership between its audio division and Rebellion, a publisher of comic books, fiction and video games, in response to increasing demand for science fiction audio. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-18 22:09:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Penguin Random House Withdraws From BookExpo and BookCon 2020: Coronavirus Update

Penguin Random House, announces its withdrawal from New York City’s 2020 BookExpo and ReedPop’s associated public weekend, BookCon. The post Penguin Random House Withdraws From BookExpo and BookCon 2020: Coronavirus Update appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-03-18 19:57:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Bookshop.org to share 30 percent of each purchase with bookstores impacted by coronavirus shutdowns.

Bookshop.org, an alternative to Amazon that shares proceeds from book sales with independent bookstores, will give more money to those stores in response to the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on small businesses. Bookshop announced today that it would increase bookstore partners’ affiliate... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-18 15:09:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this


More Bookstore Layoffs as Pandemic Worsens

Denver's Tattered Cover is the latest bookstore to report job losses, putting 100 employees on unpaid temporary leave. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this