To shed more light on the rapidly growing Spanish-language book market, Críticas (published by Reed Business Information, as is Publishers Weekly) has just launched a monthly national bestseller list for books in Spanish. (The list appears on p. 26.)
"Currently, there are a few regional lists, published by newspapers and bookstores, but no regularly published national list," said Adriana Lopez, editor of Críticas. "We expect that the list will have an effect similar to other bestseller lists. Bookstores and libraries will stock against it, and customers will use it as a list of recommendations. Further, the simple act of displaying the list in a store or library will help to publicize that books in Spanish are available there. It's circular—you can't know if there is demand for books in Spanish unless you offer a reason for Spanish readers to come through your doors."
The list was featured last Friday on a new monthly book segment on Univision's popular morning talk show Despierta América (Wake Up, America). The segment, "Despierta Leyendo (Wake Up Reading)," is hosted by evening news anchor Jorge Ramos. Called the "Tom Brokaw of Spanish-language television," Ramos was personally interested in creating the segment to encourage reading among Hispanics and to give Spanish readers more information on what is available. "Contrary to what many people assume, [Spanish speakers in the U.S.] read in Spanish," Ramos said. Ramos said that while he is the first to talk specifically about books on Spanish-language TV, he is sure others will follow. Ramos's own book, The Other Face of America (Random/Mondadori) appears on the list at #4 (his autobiography, No Borders, will be published in both Spanish and English by HarperCollins's Rayo imprint next month).
The list is dominated by titles written originally in Spanish, rather than Spanish translations of popular American authors, like John Grisham or Danielle Steel. "Latinos are bilingual, so they may be reading these books in English," Lopez observed. As do U.S. English-language bestsellers lists, the Spanish list reflects the power of the media. Ramos is joined on the list by fellow Univision anchor Maria Antonieta Collins's Dietas y Recetas (like Oprah Winfrey, Collins has battled her weight on air) and a book about Univision talk-show host Don Francisco (Mario Kreutzberger's Don Francisco: Entre la espada y la TV [Life, Camera, Action!], both from Random/Mondadori.
The international bestseller Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone also appears on the list. Why aren't Latinos reading this in English? Lopez explained, "I'm sure they are, but some may be encouraging their children to read this in Spanish to help hone their Spanish skills. And some English speakers who are learning Spanish may be using it for the same purpose." Since Críticas is a bimonthly, Lopez said that in the off months, the list will appear on the magazine's Web site (www.criticasmagazine.com) and in PW. In the future, Lopez said, Críticas plans to produce two lists—one for children and one for adults. "Bookstores say that Latino parents are very willing to spend money on Spanish titles for their kids. A bestseller list in that area would be a very useful tool," she said.
