Roberto Banchik on Publishing, Mexico, Collusion and Identity Politics

Roberto Banchik-Rothschild, to use his full, official Mexican name, is the CEO of Penguin Random House ( PRH) Grupo Editorial in Mexico. He also leads the company’s publishing activities in Central America, and is responsible for the Hispanic market in the U.S.He is a charming man, a book-lover who believes that publishing has the power to change society, and people’s lives, for the better; in its noble capacities. He’s also a company man, who, here, ably parries the piñata-full of criticisms I crack open above PRH during the course of this conversation. I interviewed Roberto in a sound-studio at his offices in Mexico City.For some reason I had the high-profile 2022 anti-trust case involving Penguin Random House (PRH) and Simon & Schuster on my mind when I walked in. It might have had something to do with the fact that I’d just read these two damning articles, one by Elle Griffin, the other by Ken Whyte. I voice some of the concerns they raise about today’s publishing climate, and the Big 5, during my conversation with Roberto, among them: lack of competition; collusion, greed, wokeness, greatness, private interest and public service, monopsony, diversity. We also talk about the b*******s of good, alienated mid-range straight, white male authors; watered-down backlists; identity politics, sour grapes, meat-lovers, the freedom to publish, and the freedom to read. As Roberto has it, Mexican publishing floats far above most of the mess painted by Griffin and Whyte.Not surprisingly, I suppose, given how everything, not just publishing, seems to be going pear-shaped in the land of liberty these days. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebibliofile.substack.com/subscribe