The value of symbolic capital for independent publishers

In a previous post I mentioned not stopping Mark editorial and password, Jorge Herralde article, founder and director of Anagram, published in 2000 in the magazine Letras Libres, which advocates the importance of independent publishers. This time I promised I would talk about independent publishers in an upcoming post. I fulfill the promise.In his article, Herralde focuses on the importance of building a 'brand editorial' (which, in terms of Rafael Martinez Ales, ex-director of Alianza Editorial we call 'symbolic capital'): "A sharp image, while predictable and surprising. Creating an 'aura' that 'protects' unknown writers who inspire credibility. " Give some examples irrefutable: Sudamericana and Losada in Argentina, Siglo XXI in Mexico, ancient or Alianza Editorial Seix Barral in Spain, to which should be added the very Anagram.This mark or symbolic capital is not the exclusive property of independent publishers, but in the case of these is, often, the most capital. Herralde a projection of the publishing situation in the coming years, taking into account the increase of online publications, the emergence of e-books, the proliferation of desktop publishing, etc.. His conclusion is that, in this new context, multiplication and proportional reduction of supply channels to offer it, "the publisher must be based on knowledge of their environment, in their smell and their ability to raise brand harmoniously, in becoming a brand marks. [...] in the case of independent publishing career by definition, the compass indicates that in the dual culture and business, that makes editing, the north will always culture. Y must fight for your brand a password is so visible in the real world and the virtual one, and that his catalog, his novel-river is lush and surprising, but also structured and 'readable'. "The creation of a brand as symbolic capital is not simply the intelligent management of the catalog. One that allows the reader to guess what kind of book we will be in front, knowing if it was published by Anagram, Alianza Editorial or Planet. It is possible that our failure intiución less before an anagram book before one of Metro and that is precisely the value of symbolic capital for an independent publisher. While Planet can solve the doubt with a large advertising campaign, a lower price or a better distribution, an independent publishing house (which is almost always manages girl and few resources) only has the backing of his books already published.Therefore it is vital catalog management. The independent publisher allowed-economic problems, or worse, for friendship-publish books that are not part of his novel-river, violates his own symbolic capital, says Oliver Cohen Herralde citing "an editor should not be judged by the good books unedited but ill who published ". It is preferable to build a catalog slowly lose the compass in trouble. Among the most recent examples of intelligent management of the catalog publisher must mention the Mexican publishing, now with Spanish branch, Sixth Floor, which has built in just five years and fifty books symbolic capital that has allowed the recently published comic adaptation of Swann's Way, made by Frenchman Stéphane Heuet. One risk of this type fits into what Herralde described as a "sharp image, while predictable and surprising." I confess to having seen the French edition in Delcourt, editorial dedicated to comics and illustrated books (not particularly interest me), and did not pay any attention to the book, published in Sixth Floor, however, guess that makes me a book that deserves to be searched and read. A form a symbolic capital, a brand, and of strong, independent publisher should aspire to look all his books exist in the increasingly difficult map of the books in the world.In this regard, I recommend the book by Gill Davies Managing editorial projects. How to order and hire books (Mexico, Libraria-Fondo de Cultura Economica, 2005).