January 31, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

As tectonic shifts continue to shake the publishing world, there’s yet another sign that things aren’t the way they used to be. At 79 years of age, Carmen Balcells, the queen bee agent to Spanish-language literature’s biggest lions, just completely over passed book publishers to make a deal with a digital book publisher. The Spanish company Leer-e currently has rights to approximately 12 classic titles from Balcell’s agency’s list  for downloading onto your Kindle or ebook. The number will eventually grow to 120 titles, from authors such as Gabriel García Márquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, Rosa Montero, Julio Cortázar, Juan Marsé and Juan Goytisolo. Relato de un náufrago, by García Márquez; Viaje a la Alcarria, by Camilo José...Read More

January 30, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (3)

Over these eight wonderful years the magazine has had incredible people on board adding their brilliant two cents to the pot. A wealth of tireless librarians, distributors, publishers, and academics that were always on call and ready to lend a hand. People like David Unger, Teresa Mlawer, Linda Goodman and Rueben Martinez, who could hear out an idea we had, and come back with a way to make it work for our Spanish-language publishing community. And we were fortunate to be able to tap the greatest of talents from its sister magazines in-house as well. Because of these writers, editors, art directors, coordinators, sales and marketing people, Crítcas became the little magazine that could. Here are only some of the faces behind the names you’ve seen and heard of throughout the years. Other contributors who we are also thankful to are listed below, though I&rsq...;Read More

January 28, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

For those who haven’t heard yet, Reed Business is suspending the publication of Críticas.

These are tough times all around, I know. But I believe that if enough of us write and respond to this decision, there will be reconsideration.  Or if not, at least assurance that Spanish-language books and media will still receive a sufficient amount of coverage in Library Journal, School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. Write your comments on why Críticas is important to you to Francine Fialkoff at fialkoff@reedbusiness.com and Ron Shank at rshank@reedbusiness.com.

In response to the Críticas closing and Publishers Weekly layoffs, the group's publisher Ron Shank said in a Publishers Marketplace interview:

"The most response I have received ...Read More

January 25, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (2)

I'm reporting to you *live* from my living room, regarding the winners of this year’s Sundance Film Festival. My last blog included a list of all the other Latino interest films competing in each category and their description. I must say it was a good year, with six awards going to new talents from all over Latin America and the U.S. And there was even a Latino on one of the juries for The Alfred P. Sloan Prize: the filmmaker, Alex Rivera. Rivera’s Sundance award-winning film from last year, Sleep Dealer, opens in theaters nationwide this February. Check out my blog from last year ...Read More

January 23, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

The only quasi Latino thing to celebrate at the Oscar Awards this year is Penelope Cruz’s nomination for best supporting actress. Personally, I think she deserved it more for Almodovar’s Volver than the shticky Woody Allen dramedy, Vicky Cristina Barcelona. While we’ll have to wait a few weeks to see if Cruz takes it, we can check out new talent in Latino filmmaking at this year's Sundance Film Festival finishing up this weekend. Here’s this year’s Latino related competitors under the categories they appeared in. Go the Los Angeles Times for the complete list and I'll check back in to let you know if any of these titles win big. See you at the movies.

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION:
 
The General" ("El Ge...Read More