By Edward Nawotka AUCKLAND: Looking for an enhanced e-book that you can read in English, Spanish, Japanese, Italian Chinese or . . . Maori? Kiwa Media, a software developer in Auckland, New Zealand has has what you need. Throughout 2010, Kiwa Media has launched some fifteen enhanced e-books for children -– dubbed QBooks –- that function like typical illustrated e-books, …
Following Successful 2010 FIL, Guadalajara Launches New Los Angeles Book Fair in 2011
If the Guadalajara Book Fair is any indication, Mexican publishing in particular and Spanish-language publishing in general, is indeed burgeoning.
More from Guadalajara (FIL): Tequila, Models and the Future of Spanish
By Edward Nawotka You might think a book fair is a book fair is a book fair, but I have to say that my first visit to Guadalajara has left a strong impression. Not only are there significantly more publishers from smaller Central American nations than I’ve ever seen before — Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica — as well as places …
B&N’s NOOKBooks en Español Gives US Retailer Unique Position in Global E-book Market
By Emily Williams There has been a lot of talk about digital content in Spanish-language publishing over the past three years, and publishers have started the e-book ball rolling with major digitization and e-distribution initiatives, but one key link has still been missing: the final retail connection with the consumer. The booksellers in Spain seem to be dragging their heels, …
Argentina: A Nation of Offbeat Writers, Exquisite Publishers
• This year’s Guest of Honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair as seen through the eyes of one of its top literary editors • Photo: Argentina Guest of Honour presentation at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2010 By Alejandra Rodríguez Ballester (translated from the Spanish by Emily Williams) “If there is one writer that readers outside of Argentina shouldn’t miss, it’s …
Avalon en Español: iPad Brings Digital Revolution to Biblio-diverse Latin America
• Today’s launch of the iPad across South America should spark a “digital revolution” and significantly shift the Latin American publishing landscape. By Xpectro (Pablo Francisco Arrieta) BOGOTA: South America is a green continent. We have lots of areas covered by green forests, fertile lands for agriculture, mountains, flowers, thousands of different animals and insects. One of the most precious …
China, Latin America Getting iPads Tomorrow
By Edward Nawotka Tomorrow’s the day that China, as well as Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, will be getting the iPad. The devices go on sale at midnight and it will be interesting to see just how many of these relatively pricey devices move in the first few days in their respective markets. There’s no word yet on whether …
Mesmerism, Hiccups: Roberto Bolaño’s Strange Early Novel of the Occult
Monsieur Pain by Roberto Bolaño (translated by Chris Andrews) reviewed by Gwendolyn Dawson Set in Paris in 1938, Monsieur Pain is the first-person account of a series of strange events in the life of a practitioner of animal magnetism (a mesmerist). With typical élan, Pain, an eccentric bachelor, explains how he became a mesmerist after a bad experience in World …
Whatever Happened to US Spanish-language Publishing?
By Edward Nawotka In today’s lead story, we look at how one small bilingual Spanish-English publisher makes the most out of cross-border collaboration. Less than a decade ago, Spanish-language US publishing was all the rage, with new imprints opening at most of the major publishing houses? But years later, the excitement is gone, despite the fact that the Spanish-speaking populating …
The Arte Público Alternative: How One Small Press Tackles Foreign Sales and Distribution
In the lead up to next week’s BookExpo America, where Spain is the focus of the Global Market Forum, we offer a look at how one bilingual Spanish-English publisher makes the most out of cross-border collaboration. By Dr. Nicolás Kanellos HOUSTON: As the director of non-profit Arte Público Press (APP), a program of the University of Houston that focuses on publishing …