Ofelia Grande, the Director of Publishing House 'Siruela’ and ‘Alevosía', will be one of our next guests in 'the chat'. To get to know her better, we have published this interview with her before your first encounter.

Born in Salamanca in 1970 to a family dedicated to publishing, she got her Degree in Law and Business from the 'Universidad Pontifica de Comillas' (ICADE) in 1993 and completed her Masters in Legal Business at The Institute of Business in Madrid.

For three years, she practiced law in Paris, London and Madrid, until 1997 when she shifted her focus to her family's Publishing Business, taking up the post of Deputy Marketing Director of 'Anaya Education' and Deputy General Director of Alianza Publishing House.

After attending The School of Arts in Madrid (1996-1999) and completing a Publishing Course at Harvard University (2000), she began to take up the duties of Publishing Coordinator at 'Siruela Publishing' http://www.siruela.com/  where she is currently CEO and Publishing Director. She is also Executive General Secretary of the 'Germán Sánchez Ruipérez Foundation', Advisor to CELESA (Centre for the Exportation of Spanish Books), guest professor in varied Publishing Masters and Cultural Management, and she has been a Member of the Board of the Publishers Guild for more than ten years.

What advice would you give to a young author who recently finished their novel?

Let it sit, and reread it with a critical eye.

When you are convinced that this is the novel you want to write, give it to people in whom you confide, whose criticism you can trust, who have different perspectives and literary interests, in order to gain different opinions. Once you are sure of your work, or as sure as a creator can be, it is all about moving it in the appropriate circles. Do not indiscriminately send it to every publisher; instead be clear about which of them you see fit for publishing.

I would also give the same advice if you were looking for a literary agent.

What influence does a Publisher have in the work of an Author?

This is not a question that can be responded with one answer, because it depends a lot upon the Publisher and the Writer.

If both the Publisher and the Author are good, curiously, there may be a bigger influence, because there will be a more constructive exchange of opinions, which benefits the work's final result. There needs to be trust and respect in the relationship between Author and Publisher; to know how to focus on possible suggestions for the text, and to know how to both accept as well as reject them. It is a beautiful, but not always easy, relationship.

What is the selection process you go through in ‘Siruela’ as well as ‘Alevosía’, when publishing a novel, story or non-fiction?

It is a long process, and largely depends on the type of work and the Author. In a Publishing House such as ours, in which we try to practice a 'Copyright Policy', it is normal to publish the subsequent works of Authors already in the company, even if it doesn't always happen.

For new Authors, Publishers study the recommendations of Collection Directors, Literary Agents, Foreign Publishers, Journals and other authors, as well as manuscripts that authors send to the Publisher. This process decides upon which books are then published. They are always read by someone from the editorial board who then defends the work in a weekly meeting. After studying their economic possibilities (and ours!), the offer is presented to whomever owns the rights.

How would you rate all of these years at the forefront of publishing?

Being a Publisher is a marvelous job in which you constantly meet interesting people from whom you learn something new every day. When you also have the joy that a book works well in the market and it has critical success, the satisfaction is great. We can't forget that a Publishing House is a company that, although has specific business features, it also has to obtain economic results that will guarantee its survival. This is not an easy time for books; however, whilst there are content, creators willing to share their work, and people interested in them, there will be Publishers.

What have been your most significant contributions?

I don't know if they are significant, but I feel satisfied with the opening of some editorial lines in ‘Siruela’ that complement the wonderful catalogue and Editorial line that it already had when I joined twelve years ago. Since then, we have opened a collection of Contemporary Fiction (New Times), one for thrillers (New Times/Policiaca), one for Non-Fiction (The Eye of time)  and the stamp of ‘Alevosía’. This opens us up to new readers with a different line that so far, we have not touched upon, or we had done it in within existing collections of Siruela.

How is the Publishing World adapting to new technologies?

We have had a somewhat 'slow' start, but I think now all Publishers are aware that e-books are not the future, but the present; without excluding of course the paper book, which still has a long shelf life. Although the e-book market is still beginning, it has also grown enormously. Today there are more readers who still prefer a paper book, yet e-book readers are growing at a much higher rate...everything is just a matter of time. For us, as Publishers, we would have to call it even. The important thing is that there are certain readers who want to read the content we offer, and our work is to offer them this in the format they want to receive it.

In what ways are you involved in the opening of the new 'Casa del Lector' in the Matadero Centre?

I am the General Secretary of the Germán Sánchez Ruipérez Foundation  which is the driving force of the 'Casa del Lector' . My involvement is relative, although sadly my daily commitment is much less than it should be…

What are the objectives and the Programme for the 'Casa del Lector'?

'Casa del Lector' is a place in which you can experiment with and promote reading, from its new trends to the training of its newest followers -- a space in which to combine the general public and the professional world; adults, youths and children; and words, images and art. For all cultural experiences, one must be able to read to fully appreciate them.

Exhibitions, conferences, training courses, creative workshops, music festivals, film and Arts Theatre, along with applied research, will contribute, among many other proposals, to the fulfillment of a reader that understands, assimilates, shares and interprets the world, society and his or her time, because they read. Here is a video about the 'Casa del Lector':

A book you would recommend to us this month at The Art Boulevard?

A book that I especially like, that we published a while ago: 'Back Roads' by the North American Author Tawni O'Dell. It is one of those titles that we are delighted to have published, and an Author that we believe is worth publishing again.

Any advice for a young writer?

Read, read, read.

I have a publisher friend who was asked one day:

"Why do you think people in Spain don't read?" And he replied:

"Because they are all busy writing."