Europe Trip (part 1) - Bologna
Book fair, books, pizza and wine... and more books.
I know, I know, this newsletter should have already been sent, that was the plan, but it took a little while to get my life back in order. No more excuses, here I am to tell you a little bit more about my trip to the Bologna Book Fair.
Visiting the Bologna Book Fair is a dream for every author or illustrator of picture books, and it was not different for me. In 2019, as I had books published outside Brazil, I decided it would be important to be at that fair in the following year to make more contacts and open new possibilities for my work. Then I bought the tickets, booked Airbnb, and checked the last details of the trip. I was ready. Then the COVID-19 pandemic came!
In the following years, the book fair started to be realized in attendance. I had considered going there but decided to wait until the event had more people participating. Interestingly in the meantime, my work was published in some other languages, and going to the fair became inevitable. I really wanted to meet these publishers who let my books be known in other languages, as well as Véronique, my literary agent who has represented me at the fairs since 2017.
On March 3rd, my wife and I flew to Bologna. After a full day of traveling, we saw ourselves in an old, historic and full of life city.
The historic center of Bologna keeps the original architecture, with its shades of brown, cobblestone streets, gigantic doors, and porticoes for several kilometers. As a university town, the streets are always busy and noisy.
Bologna Children´s Book Fair
The fair day had arrived. We had prepared to arrive in advance, but on the bus, I realized that I had forgotten my badge. Luckily, as there was a crowd arriving for the first day, showing the ticket on my cell phone was enough.
And the first person I had the chance to meet was Véronique, after 5 years of video calls and millions of e-mails.
Those were three days of many meetings, however, despite the full schedule, we had the opportunity to talk and meet some of my editors and get feedback on my work. One of the nicest things was to see how each country (and why not, each publisher?) receives and relates to different kinds of stories and artistic styles. You may have already noticed that from one book to another, I like to explore different styles and not always keep the same artistic line. Each project is so intense for me that for the following one, I need to change and try something new. At some moments this can be good, but at others not so much. So, to have this feedback from the editors was enriching.
Now imagine you been allowed to be in the red carpet of the Oscars and to talk to all the artists and celebrities you are a fan of. That's how I felt in Bologna. It was unbelievable how easy was to meet my idols in the hallways. Despite my shyness, this was an opportunity I could not miss. So, I got up the courage to talk to some of them. Pictures don't let me lie.
I also had the incredible opportunity to participate in other events, such as an exhibition by Beatrice Alemagna and a dinner with great names in literature promoted by the Emilia Institute.
Needless to say, I came back from Bologna with a few extra kilos and a suitcase packed of books! If you want to see some of the books I brought, check out this live stream (sorry it's in Portuguese):
In the next newsletter, which, I promise, won't take so long, I'll tell you a little more about how it was visiting London and the experience of launching a book in a country with another language and different customs. See you soon!