56 years ago, in February 1967, editor Francisco Porrúa was expecting a large mail at home: the 1,300-page manuscript of ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’. “Tear it off if you don’t like it. I’ll forget this novel.” added a note Gabriel Garcia Marquez. We know very well what happened to the Macondo and Buendia and how they contributed to changing the course of Latin American literature.
Since then, the city of Buenos Aires has grown in prestige, not only as a prominent place due to the weight of its own authors, but also as a double reference point in relation to its publishing industry and abundant bookstores. This political and economic cycles But from an unstable country like Argentina, it has had an impact on the industry time and again. Activity has been reborn from its ashes many times. Small publishers and bookstores not only do they continue to fight at the disadvantage, but they are also redesigning their relationship with the city itself.
The Argentine capital, despite all the crises and spasms, bookstore rate per capita (23/100,000) this has almost no world precedent. There are some streets that are still full, such as Corrientes. Another of the traditional arteries, Santa Fe has an imposing appearance. Grand Splendid Athenaeum. Designed by Catalan architects Manuel Torres Armengol and Rafael Peró, it was once one of the most impressive cinemas and theaters in the city of Buenos Aires. He was applauded in his lodges and stands. carlos gardel. National Geographi’c considers it the most beautiful bookstore in the world.
From the center to the neighborhood
But that old cinema-theatre is not today’s hallmark. The great innovation that emerged from the quarantine and pandemic days, neighborhood bookstore, even in areas far from the streets. Inside chas parkA neighborhood known for its circular streets that invites getting lost before Google Maps has risen bad head, Perhaps a former anarchist of Italian descent, but also to pay homage to his owners: You have to be stubborn to make such an attempt.
In the Villa Crespo district, My home. “If you’re looking for rare, out-of-print author books or want to know what’s going on in the local literary scene, you’ve come to the right place,” they warn on the networks. Owner Nurit Kasztelan has identified a requirement for customers. You can only visit by appointment..
Another great phenomenon is Independent Publishers Fair (FED). Years ago there were only 15 publishers. Today there are dozens and dozens. Thousands of people visit here and in addition, they buy in bulkunlike what happens at the International Book Fair, which is actually a march with limited consumption.
The activity expands on a winding road and is always close to the abyss. InflationReaching triple digits in 2022, it consumes purchasing power and the sector itself. The average salary is the same as in 2003. His big downfall began in 2016 with a right-wing president. Mauricio Macri, deepened with his successor, Peronist. Alberto Fernandez.
check the little ones
But there is another big problem these days, the rise in paper prices has taken the publishing industry, especially the smaller ones, under control. “You have to reprint, that’s fine. Printing costs, how bad″, Victor Malumián, from the Godot company and one of the founders of the FED, wrote on social networks. Reprint costs are 352% higher than two years ago. Last December, a traditionally favorable month for the industry, sold up to 20% less than in 2021.
If the price of paper, which is more than 50% of the total price of a book, 200% increase only between 2021 and 2022. Illustration paper for the covers and insides of children’s books increased by nearly 300%. The main reason for this increase is only two cakes They impose the rules of the game and import is a problem in a country where there is no dollar. Inflation is also felt throughout the production process. The value of entries skyrocket, forcing publishers to control their plans.
According to Argentina Book Room (CAL), the average circulation of a title is 1,100 copies and the price is 4,000 pesos (about 10 euros on the black market). And they will follow the path of ascension. “Those who took three now take two, “There are people who buy two get one and stop taking it,” said Adriana Fernández of Planeta in Argentina. Small publishers were the most exposed.Economic forecasting was impossible last yearComplains Gabriela Halac of DocumentA/Escénicas. What is remarkable is that in the face of such challenges, the almost book-like adventures sprout, always in solitude and without a 100-year guarantee of existence.