Rocío Martínez Velázquez (Tlaxcala, 1980) has assumed the editorial direction of Siglo XXI in Mexico with the mission of attracting young readers to a project that since its birth, in 1965, has set itself the task of disseminating critical thinking, philosophy, social sciences and scientific dissemination. Martínez Velázquez wants to preserve that legacy — a catalog that includes voices like Eduardo Galeano, Rosa Luxemburgo, Paulo Freire, Antonio Gramsci and Karl Marx — but make it more attractive to young people. He says that the era of multi-volume works is over and that it is time to turn that old technology called a book into something attractive, because it competes for attention with social networks or videos on the Internet. It is necessary to attract young people, he says, especially in times of great polarization, like the one Mexico is going through. “It is very important to preserve the plurality of ideas. A publisher has to be, in a certain sense, neutral, making room for voices that seem relevant to us to contribute to the discussions, giving readers tools so that they can have a critical vision,” explains the editor in her office, in addition to analyzing the health of the publishing industry and the role of women in it.
Ask. You assume your position alongside another woman, Rayo Ramírez, in charge of the general management of Siglo XXI. He has said that it is time for women.
Answer. It is the first time that we are two women in charge, although there has been a female editorial director before. Feminist struggles have been going on for a long time, but I think that now the change is being noticed, at least in my generation and from my perspective. And I want to transmit that spirit of change to the publisher.
P. How do you intend to convey that change?
R. Continue with this idea of rescuing classics for a new generation, with new prologues and more pleasant covers. The idea is to try to connect with new generations. And I have the mission of increasing Mexican authors in our catalogs.
P. Would it mean expanding the names of women in your catalogue?
R. Of course! There will be a line of Mexican authors and authors from other countries, because it is important to bring thinkers. That is part of the rescue, because I believe that there are authors who at the time did not have the diffusion they deserved. And, of course, also edit contemporary voices, because it is important to have young voices that draw the present.
P. You have a career in the publishing world in Mexico, do you think that the circumstances for women have changed, that there are more spaces for them in the industry?
R. The book industry has always had many women working within it, but never in management positions. When you review the history of publishers like Siglo XXI you see that all the managers were men, but the ones who corrected, the ones who sent the messages, the ones who answered the phones were women. Women have always been there making the book industry work, but never in high positions. I think that even today, if we look at the structures, there may be several editorial directors, but perhaps the management of publishing houses is still in the hands of men, in terms of the most executive part.
P. What’s wrong, because there is the idea that the publishing world is more open, more progressive?
R. The same as in all industries. We had too normalized the heteropatriarchal part of the most important director of a company being a man. I think that is changing little by little, but it is changing from below. Women were in other positions within the publishing industry, but we have begun to rise and occupy the positions that we deserve in the sense of recognition, of work, not only because of gender. Since we are in that fight, we still have to win battles saying: ‘There are more women missing here.’
P. The publishing house was created with a strong progressive impulse. They have published works by Eduardo Galeano, Rosa Luxemburgo, Paulo Freire, Antonio Gramsci and Karl Marx. Will you maintain that path?
R. Yes, because that is the spirit of the publishing house. This is not a political issue, but more ideological. We have always been a publisher that is on the side of human rights, progressive causes such as feminism, LGBT communities. All that matters for the human being in this humanistic perspective is the spirit that we have to rescue and continue.
P. We have the rise of social networks and with it hoaxes, conspiracy theories, lies and manipulation. Young people also read less and watch more videos, according to a report by the Reuters Institute. Can the publisher fight this trend?
R. We are in a fascinating moment, because so much has never been read and written. There is a circulation of a world of ideas that we should not look at as categories, that is, we cannot say: ‘It’s too bad that you get information from TikTok.’ That would be not understanding the new generations. Yes, it is necessary to have that, but also a book that allows us to delve deeper into the ideas and not be left with a headline, the Facebook news or the meme that made us laugh. We do not have to choose between TikTok and the book, but we can have both, including that special place that the book has, which is a much broader vehicle of knowledge.
P. This is a publishing house that disseminates Philosophy, ideas in the field of humanities, social sciences and scientific dissemination. How will you attract a young audience to these topics?
R. Our classics have to continue being tools, but we have to adapt to new times. I would like to continue our entire historical catalog as a vehicle of thought, but in a more direct way for young people, fewer quotes, less academic, much more informative, essayistic, narrative. That they are books that are much more pleasant to hold in your hands, that it is easier to enter into the themes, because that can open up a much broader field of readers for us. The era of volume one, two and three is over, maybe with 250 pages we are fine, but let them be books that people continue, that don’t leave us on page 10.
P. How do you assess the health of the book in Mexico?
R. A little over a decade ago there was a great discussion about whether the electronic book was here to stay and even displace the printed one, but we can see that this has not happened, as it has happened with other media, such as magazines, the press. With books there is a special affection from readers and authors. I think there is a lot of health in the printed book. That health means there are plenty of potential readers out there trying to find their ideal book. I see many young people reading books.