The world of publishing went digital this year, as publishing events around the world were cancelled one by one. We all hope next year we will get to return to in-person events. Fall regional trade shows for booksellers were largely digital as well, as Publishers Weekly reports, with California booksellers especially grateful: “Beset by unprecedented fires and seven months of pandemic disruption, the virtual setup allowed California booksellers to participate without having to attempt near-impossible travel.” The online format is not without its perks however. Authors from around the world are able to participate in online events without the expense of travel and without the added stress of getting a visa to travel to the U.S. (not always granted.) For Catalyst, this may give us the opportunity to showcase our authors from the continent of Africa. Publishing will eventually return to its preferred in-person events but perhaps we’ll always retain an allowance, even an appreciation for, digital appearances by authors otherwise unable to appear in person.
Publishers Weekly also reports on an important collaboration between Freebird Books in NYC and Books Through Bars, which puts books in the hands of prisoners. The Covid-related lockdown in prisons around the country has made prisoners more “desperate” for books and demand has grown this past year. Graphic novels are especially popular, according to one of the volunteers: “We receive letters that tell us that the comics and graphic novels remind [inmates] of home and childhood. They also serve as an entry point to read other books and serve as part of the educational mission of Books Through Bars.” Hear hear for graphic novels all around!
Curious to see the political affiliations of book buyers? See the breakdown from a recent survey here.
Like hip-hop? Grew up with the Wu-Tang Clan? (OK, some of us here at Catalyst definitely did. At least two of us.) Hip-hop icon Raekwon has signed a book deal to tell his life story, the timeline from his past as “drug dealer” to becoming a “hip-hop godfather.” It also relates the story of Wu-Tang Clan’s “early growing pains in an industry that wasn’t ready for their success.”
In Catalyst news, huge congratulations to Niki Daly, author of our Lolo series of books for beginning readers. He was nominated for the 2021 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award! The award is an international children’s literature prize that honors “authors, illustrators and narrators, but also to people or organizations that work to promote reading.” Past winners have included author Maurice Sendak, South African literacy organization PRAESA, and Jacqueline Woodson. Niki is one of “263 nominees from 69 countries spread over 6 continents,” and we couldn’t be more excited. Learn more about the nominees here, and learn more about Niki’s Lolo series here!
In the Shelf-Awareness quote of the day, legendary City Lights principal buyer Paul Yamakazi reminds us that bookstores can be “as central to some people’s private lives as local houses of worship or their homes….” and that bookstores are “central to the fabric of shared values and interests that make towns and cities vital.” Let’s hear it for local, independent bookstores!
