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 ]
Every now and then I encounter people who can’t suspend disbelief. They ask how I can write about ‘such terrible things’Feeling unappreciated is your lot as a writer. Few readers; no readers. Scathing reviews; no reviews. Publishers saying, “Don’t call us, we’ll call you” or not taking a punt on... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-11-03 17:00:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this
As the writing challenge turns 20, it’s time for the publishing industry to challenge itself. Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2019-11-01 09:45:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Ann Patchett reveals the route to her bestseller and how she'll battle Amazon. (Shop dogs help.) Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-10-31 20:02:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The publishing industry was up in arms over the summer when Google officially closed the loophole in its Chrome browser that allows website owners to detect whether a visitor has enabled Incognito mode to view their site. The complaint? It effectively undermined publishers’ efforts to prevent... Continue reading at Publishing Executive
[ Publishing Executive | 2019-10-31 16:47:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this
We do not know who owned the manuscript before 1928, when A Most Rare Compendium was sold to the Wellcome Library by the Viennese antiquarian bookseller V. A. Heck for 1,200 Swiss francs (48 pounds sterling). Heck’s sales announcement describes it as an “exceedingly curious” and “artfully... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-10-31 08:48:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this
More than 33% of students at UK schools are from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, but only 4% of the protagonists in children's books in the UK are BAME. The publishing industry has made big claims about its push for inclusivity both on and off the page, but some believe progress is... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-10-29 10:10:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Welcome to Ad Age’s Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing, media and digital news. If you're reading this online or in a forwarded email, here's the link to sign up for our Wake-Up Call newsletters. You can get an audio version of this briefing on your Alexa device; sign up... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-28 10:22:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Atlantis Books on Santorini has become a popular tourist attraction and one of Europe’s most enchanting bookshops. Just don’t believe everything you hear. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-10-27 09:00:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this
An indie bookseller urges publishers to pay more attention to the way they ship their cargo. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-10-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Stormzy’s Penguin Random House imprint is set to expand, with Lemara Lindsay-Prince appointed to the newly created role of commissioning editor for #Merky Books. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-25 01:15:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The weather is cooler, the pumpkins are here, and it’s time for people with opinions to start publishing articles announcing what to watch for in the media and publishing industry in the coming year. There are many others like it, but this one is mine. The media industry is experiencing a flood... Continue reading at Publishing Executive
[ Publishing Executive | 2019-10-24 12:50:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Welcome to Ad Age’s Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing, media and digital news. If you're reading this online or in a forwarded email, here's the link to sign up for our Wake-Up Call newsletters. You can get an audio version of this briefing on your Alexa device; sign up... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-24 10:29:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Podcasts are ever so slowly pivoting to subscriptions. The broad move to consumer revenue in the publishing industry is spreading to podcasts, as publishers like Slate and The Athletic look to use the loyal audiences podcasts attract to drive paying subscribers and monetize this platform in new,... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2019-10-24 04:01:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Chantal Noel has been appointed group rights director for Penguin Random House UK, after 11 years as rights director for Penguin. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-23 20:57:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Managing those dreaded credit rep calls in an indie bookstore can be stressful. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-10-23 12:00:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this
On Sunday night, Interabang Books, Dallas’ largest independent bookstore and only full-service indie bookshop, endured a direct hit from a tornado that barreled through Dallas’ commercial districts, tearing a wide swath through local shops and national chains alike. The bookstore, along with... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-10-22 19:23:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A buyer circles back to talk sell-through on bookseller favorites. Plus, a holiday preview! Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-10-18 12:00:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A novel featuring a 110-year-old character has won the £20,000 Daily Mail and Penguin Random House First Novel Competition, now in its fourth year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-18 05:17:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Twin Cities area bookstores Excelsior Bay Books and Valley Bookseller have entered a unique collaborative relationship that is attracting A-list authors to their premises and bumping up both stores’ sales. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-10-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The following excerpt is from David Heatley’s graphic memoir, Qualification. * __________________________________ Excerpted from Qualification by David Heatley. Copyright © 2019 David Heatley. Excerpted by permission of Pantheon, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-10-16 08:47:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this