BLA Amading Valdez’s Book Qualifies for International Publication

(taken from a blog of Former Philippine Daily Inquirer Columnist/Veteran Columnist Belinda Olivares-Cunanan)

Many interesting things happen during this lengthening quarantine period in Manila. Take the case of my kumpadre, lawyer and former longtime Dean of the College of Law of the University of the East, and former Chair of the Social Security System, Amado “Mading” Valdez. Bored with the quarantine and having to stay home for prolonged periods 24/7--- something he is unaccustomed to do---he was inspired to start writing his memoirs. After finishing it, his ever-loving and oh-so-devoted wife, Nellie, thought of sending her husband's memoirs to a publishing house in the United Kingdom. After two days, an editorial assistant emailed back to Nellie, to send the whole manuscript for evaluation by their senior editors.

After two weeks, Nellie received communication that Mading's manuscript has been accepted. A little note said that the publishing house in UK normally receives hundreds of submitted works in a week, many of which it normally rejects. Mading's book belongs to the 3% that they are accepting for publication. The communication explained that considering the whole process it will go through in production, it will take the company 290 working days before they could release it to the global market.

The manuscript's title, as submitted by author Amado Valdez, is: “That a Man dies ignorant, who has capacity for knowledge, is Tragedy.”

The over-joyed wife, my kumadre Nellie Valdez, confesses that more than the paragraph on royalties, what she values more is item No. 12 of the agreement, which reads thus: “THE COPYRIGHT ACT: The PUBLISHER shall deliver a copy of the WORK to the British Library in accordance with the law and thus ensure the inclusion of the title in the British National Bibliography, and shall also deliver one copy of the WORK, upon demand, to the UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES AT OXFORD, CAMBRIDGE, EDINBURGH, ABERYSTWYTH and DUBLIN.”

I'm most happy for my kumpadre and kumadre, Dean Amado Valdez and his lovely wife Nellie for this marvelous development. How many Filipinos have had the luck of having their work accepted by a reputable publishing house abroad? This is also great for our country, which is rather short of works published by Filipinos abroad. For Mading and Nellie Valdez, this is a marvelous legacy that they will be leaving for their children and children's children down the line. Hearty congrats to you both, and I cannot be happier for your good fortune, which will also redound to the credit of our country as one that produces a most literate people.. Mabuhay!