A Visit to the International Book Fair

In this edition, I will only report my first immersion in one of the coolest events that takes place in Brazil every two years: The International Book Fair of São Paulo, where I ventured among thousands of books displayed in the Anhembi pavilion.I arrived after 5 PM. However, it was actually good, as it was no longer as crowded as in the earlier hours.
The entrance was quite smooth, and after my registration, I could see the magnitude of the event with various stands set up in every corner of a gigantic pavilion, well organized and with plenty of signage between the “streets”. A guide of all the stands set up at the Fair was also made available.
In addition to meeting partners in this literary endeavor, I also had to pass by several stands where hundreds of books were displayed with tempting prices. Therefore, if you are going to the Fair to “have a blast”, be prepared, as the offers are many and irresistible.
The first stand where I introduced myself as a partner of the Literary Saga was that of Grupo Autêntica. Then, more stands with overwhelming offers and temptations that test the limits of any mortal. Books and more quality books at very good sales. You could find the complete GOT collection + t-shirt, or Star Wars boxes with three books each (the closed box) at mind-blowing offers. Another cool example of prices was finding books from the first era of Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, biographies like Paul McCartney’s (The Intimacy of Paul McCartney) or Bob Dylan’s (The Ballad of Bob Dylan) for absurdly low values. But, I believe the biggest bargain I saw was the book The Two Towers by Tolkien, in the 2002 edition, which I found for a mere pittance.
The Harper Collins stand was the second on my list of partners where I introduced myself, where I took several photos of the stand that was very beautiful and also had several tempting offers from their catalog, as well as some launches. Tolkien’s new house will surely make fans of Middle-earth proud in Brazil, given the care they demonstrated for the Fair audience.
As no one is made of iron, the stop for food was necessary but frustrating at the same time. It was nice because there was a great variety of options to satisfy hunger, both in the food court and in other locations scattered throughout the Fair’s streets. The frustration comes from the prices, always above the average of any place outside an event. However, it was to be expected. Be warned, as there is nothing cheap to eat and drink there. Be prepared.
Later, I arrived at the Martin Claret stand, which was very beautiful and full of wonderful books. The good old slogan of the publisher, “The Classics You Love Most,” came in very handy, as they were all present at the Fair. The publisher also kept some “surprises” announced and brought some launches directly for this year’s Fair, such as four editions of the world’s most famous detective: Sherlock Holmes and the Valley of Fear; The Hound of the Baskervilles; A Study in Scarlet; and The Sign of Four. They also launched Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne and three books by Jane Austen: Emma, Persuasion, and Northanger Abbey. I can say that readers were very satisfied with these new editions, which are all breathtaking, that is, beautiful.
Publisher 34 also made its presence felt at the Fair and brought its catalog with some discounts on the cover price.
Close to 10 PM, I found Grupo Pensamento, as after so many digital conversations, I finally got to meet the people responsible for this great partnership. The publisher had several books from its catalog and some launches as well, all at very inviting prices. One cool thing at their stand is that on the sides there is space for photos of the book The Zodiac Killer on one side and Diary of an Alchemist Girl on the other.
Before heading home, I stopped by the Aleph publisher’s stand, and I can say that the mothership was stunning. I traveled through the space between the publisher’s catalog, which had discounts on all the books on its shelves. It was really cool to see some boxes released by the publisher available to the public. There I found the boxes of the Sprawl Trilogy, the Jurassic Park duology, and the Foundation Trilogy.The Record publisher also made its presence felt at the Fair with a very good and beautiful stand. They excelled in the quantity of books.
Finally, I can say that this was my first time at a Fair, and it was very rewarding, not only for having met people I have been talking and interacting with for a long time but also for the well-organized scale of such a large and important event like this in Brazil.Jeffa KoontzLiterary Criticwww.sagaliteraria.com.br