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 ]
A Rioter not only got to visit the romance bookstore of her dreams, L.A.'s The Ripped Bodice, but also got a slew of recommendations from a co-owner! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-07-02 10:36:13 UTC ]
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A Wisconsin indie has launched a fundraising campaign to benefit for RAICES, an organization that aids immigrants detained at the U.S. border. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-07-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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What to do while you wait for Netflix’s Sarah Dessen Adaptations: Obviously, get thee to a bookstore and read her ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-06-29 10:31:00 UTC ]
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Investigation led by Julia Neuberger finds Spanish edition of How They Rule the World has ‘echoes of Jewish conspiracy theories’Penguin Random House has stopped short of demands to withdraw Pedro Baños’s How They Rule the World from sale, but will print no further copies of the book after an... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-06-27 13:01:37 UTC ]
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Book Culture, based in the same Queens neighborhood where Amazon wanted to set up shop, says it will be forced to close if the city or state doesn’t offer assistance. In New York City’s Long Island City neighborhood, down the road from where Amazon tried (and failed) to build a “second... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2019-06-26 15:56:45 UTC ]
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A bookseller packing list for attendees of ABA’s Children’s Institute 2019 in Pittsburgh. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-06-26 12:00:38 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House has developed a free online resource on how to get published, offering practical information and inspiration for unpublished writers on the publishing process. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-26 04:08:02 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House UK has ceased publication of Pedro Baños’ How They Rule the World: The 22 Secret Strategies of Global Power (Ebury) after an external review investigating allegations of antisemitism found the publisher should "have asked more questions and conducted deeper due diligence to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-26 02:11:46 UTC ]
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Publishers hit by surprise 5.4% fall in 2018 – but warn against proclaiming terminal declineUK book sales fell for the first time in five years in 2018, despite the success of bestsellers such as Michelle Obama’s autobiography, Becoming.The UK publishing industry was hit by a surprise fall of... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-06-25 23:01:37 UTC ]
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UK publishing industry revenues overall stood at £6.05bn in 2018, down 2% on the £6.15bn revenue of the previous year, according to the PA Publishing Yearbook 2018, just released. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-25 05:53:24 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House division Puffin has acquired a picture book about a day in the life of two gay dads and their adopted daughter, by WriteNow mentee Gareth Peter, illustrated by Garry Parsons. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-25 03:54:45 UTC ]
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Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election has become something of a publishing phenomenon, with several book versions of the report flying off bookstore shelves. Now a San Diego publisher is planning to release a version of... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-06-24 19:00:00 UTC ]
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Describing a gradual decline in revenue for the US book business, the AAP's StatShot annual report estimates that the industry made $25.82 billion in 2018. The post AAP Issues Its Annual 2018 StatShot Look at the US Publishing Industry appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-06-24 03:19:46 UTC ]
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Popular novels, technical tomes and self-published books are pirated and sold on Amazon. That may actually be helping the company extend its grip on the book business. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-06-23 21:06:40 UTC ]
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Timothy Greenfield-Sanders' new documentary tells the story of a pioneering book editor, the first female African American senior editor at Random House, who brought to print such distinctive voices as Angela Davis, Gayle Jones and Muhammad Ali, as well as popular and influential collections... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-06-21 15:30:00 UTC ]
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Anticipating the Apollo 11 anniversary, a bookseller appreciates the power of a great book about space for kids. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-06-21 12:00:33 UTC ]
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No stranger to the unconventional, REI is at it again: The outdoors retailer is discontinuing its print mail-order catalog and debuting a magazine. Called Uncommon Path, the print publication will run on a quarterly basis and include stories focused on the outdoors. Kent, Washington-based REI... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-06-20 19:50:29 UTC ]
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They turned down Ulysses and Animal Farm, but still shaped 20th‑century literatureAll publishing houses have archives, but for anyone interested in 20th-century literature the archive of Faber & Faber is a fabled treasure house. This is the firm that was, as Toby Faber puts it, “midwife at... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-06-20 11:00:08 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House UK has revealed the nine winners of the 2019 Student Design Award, following a record-breaking number of 2,313 entries. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-20 05:29:44 UTC ]
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During Independent Bookshop Week, author Clare Mackintosh pens a letter in praise of bookshops and booksellers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-19 07:08:54 UTC ]
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