CAMAGÜEY.- Ácana Publishing House is entering the digital market through the Ruth Publishing House platform, with three books that represent a commitment to diversify formats and ensure that its catalog is accessible to more readers.
Available on ruthtienda.com are the essay Association of Blacks and Mestizos in the City of Camagüey (1879-1961): Their Contributions to Social Development by Kezia Henry Knight; the poetry collection She Who Touched Your Mantle by Yunexis Nobalbo Aguilera; and the children’s story The Unusual Hen house by Guillermo Villavicencio Flores.
Maikel Sardaña, the director of the publishing house, explained to Adelante Digital how they have navigated challenges and shared plans for the institution's future, especially in the digital realm: “We have eight ready for commercialization. By the next Book Fair, we hope they will be available.”
The crisis in the publishing industry in Cuba has put many publishing houses, including provincial ones like Ácana, in jeopardy, facing technological obsolescence, a lack of resources, and widespread precariousness.
One recent milestone was the publication in print of the poetry selection The Luminous Clay, curated by Roberto Manzano. “This book has been at a printing house since 2019. It belongs to a special plan of the Cuban Book Institute, but it was not produced locally,” Sardaña explained.
Production was delayed due to a lack of resources and logistical problems that have affected the industry in recent years. However, difficulties are not limited to delays in book production.
The printing press of Camagüey's publishing house faces serious technological challenges, as the director detailed: “We have supplies, but we still have the Rizo printer broken, and the ink, which is nowhere to be found in Cuba. Additionally, a power phase went down, leaving us in the same conditions as a few years ago when we had to produce books using hammer and nails, binding with wire along the spine.”
Given this situation, the transition to digital production emerges as a necessary, albeit still nascent, alternative. However, this shift to digital presents new challenges, including the urgent need to update legal frameworks that protect copyright.
Although they strive to digitize the catalog and reach a wider audience, the commercialization structures remain insufficient, limiting access and benefits for authors and publishers.
The ideal scenario is a more efficient and equitable ecosystem so that all involved—authors, editors, and readers—can navigate a market still lacking the necessary conditions for survival.
Translated by Linet Acuña Quilez