An espresso with Debbie Bibo

What are you reading at the minute, in what medium (print, e or audio), and how do you rate it?
Cuore nero by Silvia Avallone. The print edition was gifted to me on my birthday and I finished reading it last night! The question at the heart of the book is whether an evil action can ever be redeemed or forgiven. It was a cathartic read and I cried at least four times while reading it (once while having breakfast in a hotel restaurant).

If you could have been any famous writer, whom would it have been, and why?
Bob Dylan. For his punch and poignancy. How many other poets, living or dead, have had the influence and reach that Dylan has had over billions of people from all corners of the world?

What is your favourite film based on a book?
I’m a huge film buff and have several favourite adaptations. Here are a few in no specific order: Dersu Uzala, The Outsiders (read the book and saw the movie in Junior High School), The Godfather, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Notebook (how I love Gena Rowlands!), Stand by Me, To Kill a Mockingbird (of course).

What do you consider to be publishing’s greatest opportunity at the minute, and why?
Children’s picture books in translation! There is an incredible wealth of picture books being created around the globe by remarkable artists whose works are highly regarded in their own countries yet almost unknown abroad. The more I travel, the more I realise just how many great picture-book artists there are in the world and how only a fraction of them ever get translated.

What do you consider to be publishing’s greatest threat at the minute, and why?
Politically correctness and book banning. The first because applying “PC standards” to books is a form of censorship that “pre-judges” (the root of “prejudice”) and prescribes what “should or should not” be written or depicted. In the same way that book banning limits the free circulation of books and the freedom to read, politically correctness limits the freedom of expression of book creators. Not only is it patronizing to authors and illustrators, it underestimates the intelligence of readers, no matter their age. We could learn a lot more by listening to and engaging with young readers about their book preferences.

What one thing would make your job significantly easier?
A forward-thinking, tech-savvy, problem-solving assistant

Biography

Debbie Bibo runs the eponymous Debbie Bibo Agency, a small picture book Agency with big ideas. Debbie also speaks on the How to Sell Rights and Understand Licensing in Children’s Book, on the eve of the fair annually.