Carmelo Puglisi

We meet Carmelo Puglisi (Languages Buyer at Foyles Bookshop in London) over a Spanish tapas lunch to talk about books and life.

Carmelo, could we say you have a love affair with books?
Yes, books are my passion, since I was a kid I have always loved reading. I knew I would end up working in the book industry, it is actually what I have always wanted, I couldn´t be happier anywhere else.

What kind of child were you, Carmelo?
A very well read boy, and a bit fat! I read and read, while I enjoyed my mother’s cooking!

Can we still detect a soft Sicilian accent?
Yes, I was born in Sicily, where I studied literature at the University of Messina.

And what took you to London?
London is like nowhere else. I arrived 10 years ago and soon after, I joined Foyles.

And the rest is history as they say?
Indeed. I look back now and it amazes me the amount of things I’ve done. When I joined Foyles we started the first imports of Spanish literature. Today, Foyles imports fiction, art and history books in Spanish, and the Spanish language is an important one for us.

So which is the most important?
Well, Asian languages are the fastest growing connected with the interest in those markets. French is still strong, especially in schools. But the Spanish speaking community in the UK is growing, so we need to have a wide offer of Spanish titles available in our stores.

How do you know what to buy from the Spanish market?
Besides using catalogues and websites, I visit LIBER (the international book fair that is held alternately in Madrid and Barcelona every other year) to see what´s going on, and visit my many friends in both cities.

Barcelona or Madrid?
For business or pleasure?

For visiting your friends
Madrid!

Business now. What is the main difference you find between the UK and Spanish markets?
In Spain publishers are in a position of power over booksellers. We don´t have fixed retail prices in the UK, booksellers can decide the price of the book; that makes the business more flexible and beneficial for us.

And your relationship with Spanish publishers?
Great, I know them well as I´d rather buy directly from Spain, margins are already tight.

Name one Spanish publisher you like
Anagrama.

Did you enjoy being a panelist in one of our first editions of newspanishbooks?
Of course! Will you invite me again?

It depends on your answer to the next question: Do you find our website useful?
It really was something that ought to be done; I use it as a tool to get an idea of the most interesting titles available in Spanish. So yes is the answer, seriously!

OK then! So do you think translations from a particular country can become fashionable?
Yes, translations are sometimes dependent on current trends and socioeconomic aspects of the country of origin itself. The spectacular increase in sales of Spanish literature came along with the bestseller La sombra del viento (Carlos Ruíz Zafón) as it established the interest in Spanish literature among British readers. At that point translations into English became very popular, reaching a peak in 2007.

In fact, there were 93 books translated from Spanish in that year, an increase of 50% over the previous year. So where is the market heading now?
Currently, there is a great interest in Scandinavian and Chinese language and culture; customers just love exploring new themes.
Tell us about on line sales at Foyles.
Our online sales channel grew from 0% to 90% in a very short period of time, it was fantastic, but there were some fears about the direction of retailing. Fortunately, customers are back in the shop, they also like to decide what to buy with the book in their hands.

Carmelo, you read two books per week, we cannot let you go without knowing your opinion on the latest must have gadget, e-readers.
There is nothing like actually feeling, experiencing the book itself, it feels far more rewarding. The odd thing is that e-books have been thought up for people who read loads, but I think they still prefer the traditional printed versions. It is a great idea, practical and handy, but probably not for readers of my generation.

Can you recommend two books in Spanish you have recently read?
Habana Fever by Leonardo Padura, and No se lo digas a nadie by Jaime Bayly.

Carmelo, what next?
I enjoy what I do. Books are my past, my present and definitely my future.

As our interview with him is coming to an end, Carmelo is still too shy to show off his Spanish with us, so we order a sweet wine and give a toast to the future of bookselling and foreign languages.