How to behave at the Book Fair
WHEN TO GO
1) Choose the date well: the fair you have three weekends . The first and the last are usually from boat to boat. Actually, the three of them are from boat to boat and good people go during the week (much calmer). If you can, allow it.
two) On weekends there are many activities and signatures, yes, but during the week too and, we repeat: you will enjoy a more relaxed walk (then don't say that we didn't warn you).
WHAT TO WEAR
3) Be well equipped: water, hat, comfortable shoes and fresh clothes. There are those who come out of there roasted because among so much reading one does not realize that on this date it already hits.
4) A water bottle, neckerchief, trecking boots and cap It is a suitable uniform for those who feel warriors of culture.
5) Although his thing is to be dressed up but informal, with airs of intellectual, but with simplicity . No pedantry, please. With prescription glasses and a plaid shirt will suffice.
6) We know you want to be gimmicky, but remember that it will be hot:
7) Carry cash if possible. Although almost all booths accept cards, be a good citizen and save the bookseller the bank commission, since they offer discounts...
8) FAN that is not missing . If you forget, you will behave like a lady pushing to take one of those that they distribute free. And it can be ugly.
BASIC DATA
9) In order not to stumble and go to the opposite side of the one you like, or to be late for all the activities, a good idea is to read the program.
10) Hours: as a Madrid pro that you are, you take it for granted that at noon it is open. Mistake. Do not go at noon believing you are the smartest because there will be no one. Indeed, there will not be and everything will be closed.
Take a good look at the schedule so this doesn't happen to you.
eleven) The small and younger publishers have their own editors there , nobody better than them to advise you, recommend a title or talk to you about the divine and the human (they spend all day there, they will appreciate your conversation and you theirs).
12) Yes indeed, try not to confuse the publisher or bookseller with the writer and ask the poor man how much a book costs that may not even be his.
13) But ask the authors calmly about whatever you want, they are there wanting to meet their readers beyond the signature.
14) Booths: As in everything in life, there are categories. There are booths for the general public (bookstores that make it easy for you and bring together best sellers, cookbooks, etc.), hipster booths (small and modern publishers), family booths (children's books), booths for the conscientious (with books on politics, self-help...), and booths that no one cares about (does anyone buy from the ministries, please?).
15) The booths in the sun are also worth visiting , enough bad luck they have already had that they touch the bad side. There is one exception: those of the ministries. They don't matter to anyone.
There are all kinds of booksellers.
ATTITUDE
16) Do not complain after five minutes that it is full, or about the heat, or about how many people there are . Smile, this is the festival of culture
17) Ladies. Ladies who come to spend the afternoon at the fair with no other intention than to stroll. Have compassion. One day you will be one of them.
18) Do not entertain yourself in excess looking if you notice that you are pushed from behind. If you wanted something more relaxed, have gone during the week.
19) Don't push (even if they pushed you) . It's ugly.
20) If you decide to queue, do it elegantly , without the face of "this with the new mayor will not happen again", because yes: it will happen again.
twenty-one) Modern authors: make a face that you know them, you can say “ah, well, I just haven't read this title”.
22) Don't take your eyes off the lonely author, the one that no one asks for signatures. Don't ask him about someone else's book either. . He thinks that he feels a little embarrassed for being so exposed, envious of those who are rampaging in the booth next to him, and that it's very hot. If you're not going to buy him, at least smile at him.
23) Another option to avoid contributing to doing evil is spend another time if the book of the less famous does not interest you.
You can find everything.
24) Ask the booksellers directly if it is true that the fair is a bit of a private club and that whoever cannot pay for the stand cannot be a bit aggressive.
25) Look at the map , because if it's the weekend and you manage to reach an end between the human tide and you discover that there are only the booths of the ministries, when you were looking for the one of that new publishing house that they have told you about, you will get angry and shout that you think they are useless. Y the fair is a place of good vibes . Scandals are not well seen.
26) Bring a book from home (and not buy it) to have it signed by your favorite author is frowned upon.
27) Take a picture with him , too (in the queue behind you someone will sketch a evil smile ) . Also, when you get home, the author's face will dissuade you that he was not amused.
28) A selfie with the author yes no.
29) If you don't have money, you can take books from home and pose to make it look like you've bought a bunch.
30) If a journalist comes to ask you how the fair is going , whether you are a bookseller, publisher, author or visitor, try to be original and (we ask you please) don't talk about good or bad weather or the vaunted comeback after the crisis.
Make queues elegantly.
THE HOUR OF REST
31) You will have to fight for a hole on your terrace as if you were at rush hour in Malasaña.
32) They are often mounted picnics in the nearby meadows , adds to the experience a good feast and a cool and very appetizing rest time. Grab a basket and sign up too.
33) If you prefer bars and if your pocket isn't too full, try the **terraces that border the park**. Much cheaper.
KIDS
34)Let them look at superhero books . Don't stick books in their eyes that you want them to like. Be a respectful father (at least here, where there is an audience).
35) Yes you get nervous because the children run away and get lost in the crowd having thought about it before. Where did you think you were going? (idea to relax: write your phone number on one arm with a pen) .
36) Accept it: today you forget about healthy food and fruit, (in addition to one or several books) you will have to buy them a ice cream, candy, or a balloon , or some merchandising of the savvy people who come to the fair and are not booksellers. It is something like the revolutionary tax that must be paid for going with children.
Walk calmly (and don't push).
*You may also be interested...
- How to behave at village festivals
- How to behave in La Latina - How to behave in the Barrio de Salamanca - How to behave in Malasaña - How to behave in the Cadiz Carnival - How to behave on a plane - How to behave in a spa - How to behave on the Camino de Santiago - How to behave in a luxury hotel - How to behave on a cruise - How to behave in a museum - How to behave in a group trip - How to behave in an all-inclusive
- How to behave at a festival
- How to behave on a trip as a couple
- How to behave on a bus trip
- Things you didn't know about El Retiro - In defense of the contemporary picnic