By Maria Fernanda Rodrigues
São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro take turns in hosting Brazil’s biannual national book fair, the Bienial do Livro. This year was Rio’s turn and 670,000 people (of which 145,000 were children) visited in September searching for good deals, new releases and some pleasant chat with their favorite writers;
On September 7th, the day Brazilians celebrate their independence, no less than 110,000 turned their backs on a sunny day at the beach and filled the three pavilions. This was the most crowded day in the history of the book fair, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2011.
According to Sindicato Nacional dos Editores – Snel [National Union of Editors], 76% of the visitors bought books, averaging 5.5 books per person — a rise from 2009, when visitors bought 4.8 books each.
In all, publishers sold 2.815 million books, worth at total of R$58 million ($34 million), an increase of 12% compared to 2009.
More than 950 exhibitors took part this year’s fair. Some 120 authors spoke, including foreign writers such as William P. Young, Hilary Duff, Anne Rice, Alyson Noël, Marc Levy, and Michael Connelly. Approximately 1,000 new titles were published to coincide with the event.
The next edition of the will be from September 5th to 15th, 2013 in São Paulo.