Domínguez Departs from Rayo Children’s Division

by Adriana V. López -- Críticas, 7/15/2008 8:59:00 AM

Editor Adriana Domínguez’s layoff from Rayo’s children’s division has left the Spanish-language book industry scratching their heads. With recent reports about a Hispanic baby boom, it seemed Domínguez’s high-profile Spanish-language and bilingual book projects, such as Gloria Estefan’s El tesoro de Noelle (Noelle’s Treasure Tale, Rayo), were becoming an industry staple.

Publishers Weekly reported the layoff on June 26, not long after HarperCollins’s chief executive Jane Friedman abruptly stepped down on June 5. Harper laid off several others companywide in what may be a new plan for the publishing house.

Domínguez, considered an expert in this market, has worked with bilingual children’s books for companies such as Scholastic, Santillana, and McGraw Hill. She was also Críticas’s children’s books reviews editor in 2004. In 2005, she was hired by HarperCollins Children’s publisher and president, Susan Katz, and reported to editorial director Barbara Lalicki. As executive editor for HarperCollins Children’s Books and Rayo, Domínguez managed the children’s side of the imprint and increased Rayo’s title count to an average of 15 books per year.

While it is still unclear why the decision was made, Domínguez told Criticas, “My three years at HarperCollins Children’s Books were some of the most rewarding of my ten-year career in publishing. I learned quite a bit from the experience, accomplished quite a lot, and made some wonderful friends along the way.”

Regarding the future of children’s books at Rayo, Katz confirmed to Críticas in an email that “HarperCollins Children’s is totally committed to Rayo. We will continue to support our ongoing publishing program and to acquire new titles for the future. We have many exciting new titles under contract.” Katz added no further details other than that María Gomez, Domínguez’s former editorial assistant, will serve as editor, which suggests a net loss in staff.

Domínguez is credited for bringing in high-quality translations of best sellers to the imprint, as well as award-winning Latino authors, such as Pat Mora, the founder of El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day), for her first book on the celebration of children and books, titled Book Fiesta (Rayo, 2009). Celebrated children’s author Monica Brown also will release her first book, Pele: King of Soccer/ Pelé. El rey del fútbol, with Harper in 2009.

Domínguez also forged close relationships with both librarians and booksellers, working closely with the American Library Association’s Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), the Association of American Publishers, and Mora to help promote El día de los niños/El día de los libros. Mora founded Día in 1996 and has been supporting it ever since with the help of the Latino library organization REFORMA and ALSC, Día’s official sponsor.

Editors like Domínguez, and those who work to bring quality children’s books to Hispanics and Latinos, know there’s a long road. “There is still a need for these books, and the reports of this demographic growth only assert that need,” says Domínguez. “I hope to continue to work to make sure that these books get published, and our culture celebrated.”