Lack of liquidity affects the entire publishing chain: Eduardo Rabasa
This August, the Mexican publishing house Sexto Piso celebrates 23 years as an independent imprint with a notable presence in the country's book market, with several of its publishing offerings that have sparked the most conversations among its readers and national public opinion.
In its more than two decades of existence, but particularly in the last six years, like other links in the book production chain, Sexto Piso has had to adapt to market fluctuations, for example, in the cost of paper or printing services, as well as withstand the complications and specific transformations that other links in the chain, such as bookstores, have had to deal with.
“Sexto Piso was a project that began with a very idealistic approach. Initially, it was a project of four friends. We were very young. Perhaps innocently at the time, we had the idea of starting a publishing house to be like the publishers we liked. The first book we produced, which is very good in its own right, was 'The Twilight of American Culture' by Morris Berman, but our publishing had many opportunities because we didn't really know anything about the business,” says Eduardo Rabasa, editor and co-founder of Sexto Piso, in an interview.
“We didn't know much, if anything, about editing or the publishing world; we just did things as we saw fit, and then we learned that it wasn't supposed to be viable in Mexico to have a publishing house that published translations, that books don't sell here. But since we didn't know all that, we just did it (...) 23 years later, this project has consolidated, but on the other hand, there's the situation of these last few years, which have been very, very complicated.”
The effects of the pandemic persist
Making a comparison with other publishing markets around the world, the editor and writer comments, “where the pandemic left the deepest scars is in Mexico and other Latin American countries. I mean, I see how there's been a publishing boom in England, the United States, and Spain in recent years, but not here. Many difficulties remain, many liquidity problems.”
The health emergency affected the publisher's translation efforts, and it had to focus much more on Spanish-language authors, particularly those from Mexico. "We are much more cautious about translations, due to the cost involved. We have also somewhat set aside illustrated books for the same reason. We continue trying to remain faithful to our editorial line, but economic and financial difficulties have limited us. Unfortunately, we have had to reduce our number of publications. Before the pandemic, we could publish between 45 and 50 new releases a year. Now we are at roughly 18 to 20 new releases per year."
For this reason, Sexto Piso has learned to optimize the titles it promotes each year. Rabasa emphasizes that, despite the reduction in new releases, it decided not to compromise the quality of its releases, and the label is focusing its tools and strategies more on promoting its established titles, and the strategy has worked.
“For us as a publishing house, it's important to maintain the quality of our books. Although the price of paper has indeed increased, and the costs of making a book have also increased, we are aware that we can't pass all this on to the reader's pocket. That's why we've made these decisions that allow us to maintain a balance.”
In the last decade, there has been another radical change in the demand for titles. "It's no secret that many more books written by women are selling these days, and these are fortunate developments because they reflect a shift in mentality."
For example, to date, around 80% of the books recently published by Sexto Piso are by female authors. Titles by writers such as Dalia de la Cerda, Aura García-Junco, Olivia Teroba, Elisa Díaz Castelo, and the three editions of "Tsunami" are constantly being reprinted.
Bookstores and public policies
“Within the book chain, those who have fared the worst in recent years are the bookstores,” Rabasa points out. “There are very large bookstores, heavyweight chains, that operate with many difficulties. And these are no longer current difficulties; rather, they are ones that have been dragging on from the pandemic. The reality is that the sector has not recovered. There are many payment delays, and we understand that. We all try to close ranks, to show solidarity, and to continue supplying books. Although there are sometimes payment delays, it will always be better for books to continue selling, but it is a challenge because chains of non-payments accumulate,” the publisher points out.
Finally, he is asked about the effectiveness of public policies benefiting the book market, for example, the 36-month extension of the single price for books, or one of the major outstanding issues facing the publishing chain, the implementation of a zero VAT rate for bookstores.
"The implementation of a zero rate on bookstores would be a great relief because while books are exempt from this tax, points of sale are not, as they have to bear the costs of operating a business," Rabasa comments, adding:
“The single price for books is a never-ending debate; it hasn't fully taken hold. Suddenly, you can go to large digital sales platforms and they have (unfair) discounts, and it's a never-ending story. I know there are large publishers that even hire services with algorithms that detect (unfair competition in prices), but we can't do that. If we complain, sometimes they listen to us, other times they don't. The single price system is imperfect, but it's still better than it was before. Without a doubt, it's better than nothing.”
Sixth Floor
Some emblematic titles
- "Sound Desert" (2019) – Valeria Luiselli
- "Black Holes and Gravitational Waves" (2019) – Carlos Herrera Corral
- "From the Holes" (2023) – Dahlia de la Cerda
- "Tsunami 3" (2024) – Gabriela Jáuregui et. to the.
- "Why Some Men Hate Women" (2025) – Vivian Gornick
"There are very large bookstores, very powerful chains, that are operating with great difficulty. These are no longer current difficulties; rather, they are ones that have been dragging on from the pandemic."
Eduardo Rabasa, editor.
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