I came across an article in The New York times yesterday about publishers that are trying to expand the US market for translated books. The American market for translations is notoriously difficult, and what the author of the article calls "the 3 percent problem" is very real - only 3% of all books published in the USA are translations and this has been the case for many years, while the German market, for instance, is much more open, with translation percentages in the double figures (I have heard as high as 40%, but couldn't find data to confirm it).
Here are some instructions on how to make a simple origami (paper folding) bookmark: Take a square of paper. It can be patterned origami paper, gift paper or even office paper, just as long as it’s easy to fold. The square should not be much bigger than 10 cm/4 inches across, unless you intend to use the mark for a big book. The images show what the paper should look like after you follow each step of the instructions. The two sides of the paper are shown in different colours to make things easier, and the edges and fold lines are shown as black lines. Fold the paper in half diagonally (corner to corner), and then unfold. Repeat with the other two corners. This is to find the middle and to make the rest of the folding easier. If the paper is thick or stiff it can help to reverse the folds. Fold three of the corners in so that they meet in the middle. You now have a piece of paper resembling an open envelope. For the next two steps, ignore the flap. Fold the square diagonally in two. Yo...
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