The last time indie publisher Europa Editions had a booth at BEA was in 2011, according to editor-in-chief Michael Reynolds. Last year, the house exhibited as part of the Translation Market, and, he recalls, “we enjoyed the energy.” So this year, Europa is back, with its own booth (3124). “We returned because BEA is evolving and flourishing, and because we are celebrating our 10th anniversary.” The house publishes more than 30 titles a year of quality general fiction and high-end crime fiction.
Multiple anniversary celebrations included a party Tuesday evening at Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn. Today Reynolds moderates a 9:30 a.m. panel, “Europa Editions: 10 Years of Independent Thinking,” followed by an in-booth author signing at 11:30 a.m. to launch Jennifer Tseng’s debut novel, Mayumi and the Sea of Happiness, and tomorrow, beginning at 2 p.m., there’s an in-booth galley giveaway of the fourth Neapolitan novel by Europa’s bestselling author Elena Ferrante.
Founders Sandro Ferri and Sandra Ozzola Ferri, who live in Rome, will also be on hand, together with their daughter Eva Ferri, who has been working as an editor for the Italian side and is coordinating international sales. Reynolds believes that Europa has thrived largely because of its dual location. “The fact that we have one foot in Europe keeps us connected with European publishing, literature, culture, and thought,” he says. “Given that our mandates are to bring that to American readers, it’s important to have that connection. Then in America, we have the ability to evaluate the market here. I think that’s been absolutely essential.”
The BEA panel was Reynolds’s idea. “The more I thought about the history of Europa, the more it seemed to fit into an ecosystem of independent businesses. I’ve watched companies like Melville House, Akashic, Archipelago, and Soho have hit after hit. It seems like it’s a great moment to be an independent publisher, and also a great moment between independent booksellers and independent publishers.”
