The editors' secret weapon and a Sant Jordi news story

BarcelonaI infiltrate a meeting for booksellers, convened by Edicions del Periscopi to present their new releases for Sant Jordi's Day. As if we didn't already have enough of a sense of the booksellers' work, it turns out they're meeting on a random afternoon in a central Barcelona hotel to discuss plots, influences, and their best bets. Since this publishing house has won eight Llibreter Awards and two Òmnium Awards in its thirteen years of existence, I suspect these meetings might be their secret weapon. It also gives me the opportunity to do some laundry and find out one of the Sant Jordi headlines: the bookstalls won't be able to go down La Rambla due to construction, and will be moved along Portal del Àngel to the Cathedral. So, we'll be able to walk the two and a half kilometers from Gràcia to Plaça Nova, browsing books and dodging people.

During February and March, booksellers plan their Sant Jordi purchases and finalize their Excel spreadsheets of signing lists. These days, many publishers are inviting them to breakfasts and lunches like today's, with editors or writers, aware that if there's any trick to selling more, it's booksellers. Èric del Arco, from Documenta, shows me his Google calendar with three or four commitments a week: "You have the double pressure of wanting to be there, but at the same time you can't leave the bookstore unattended. Going there is really useful for selling and even means you don't have to read all the books cover to cover."

I take it for a walk The controversy of the week Regarding the supposed books that don't sell a single copy—which everything points to being a journalistic misinterpretation of a survey—no one dares to chime in. "Is the problem that too much is published? People have been saying too much since the 19th century!" Del Arco counters. Large publishing groups are the main contributors. Booksellers claim they aren't pressured to buy or not buy certain titles, but volume discounts do exist, and large retailers rent out their prime shelf space to the highest bidder, just like supermarkets do. The commercial machinery is working overtime. "We already know what the Sant Jordi top 5 will be... but there can always be surprises," says Lídia from Casa del Llibre, who receives commercial proposals with new releases every week. Every single week.

The Recommended Books Counter

"Overwhelmed by the avalanche of new releases, the hardest part is deciding what to highlight and what to keep on the recommended books table," says Ada de la Finestres. Recommended books are what tell you everything about a bookstore, what make you return or boycott it. And these square meters are the target of publishers and in-person events like this one. Editors Aniol Rafel and Marta Rubirola take turns explaining the strengths of the six titles from Periscopio for the next four months. Spider stitch Nerea Pallares's work is expected to be "one of the surprises and joys of the year." Keep an eye on Jeanette Winterson, who returns "in top form." Eider Rodriguez's stories "are excellent, a pleasurable and triumphant read for an editor." A family matter Claire Lynch is a bit like Maggie O'Farrell and "does a lot to create a book club," they say. They also announce that they will be releasing a line of premium paperbacks to monetize the copyrights of titles that are still in development but that they cannot produce due to current publishing costs. trade (Solenoid either Don't say anything(for example). Same quality, 40% cheaper.

"The publishers' approachability, very friendly and approachable with booksellers, says a lot about the publishing house, but basically it's that they have a nose for literature," say Rosa and Carmel from La Odissea bookstore in Vilafranca. "We're aware that this event is marketing, that they have to promote it, but their catalog is so good, that's why it works," confirms Haizea from La Font de Mimir in Horta. "They choose authors very well who can reach a wide audience while maintaining literary quality. They have a bold and recognizable design. And, since they've earned our trust, they can take risks with some titles and support certain authors without being slaves to what's new," says Ada from Finestres. So, the trick wasn't the canapés.