Photos on Instagram with stacks of books next to a cup of coffee, excerpts, favorite pieces, lists of suggestions, bookmarks so that we do not get lost… and a question: Do Greeks finally read so much? Or did he catch them due to quarantine? Except for the SMS with code 6 that turned them all into athletes o coronavirus finally made citizens and "bookworms"?
Of course there is the other side… The firm view that the book can become man's best friend, "travel" him, raise his psychology and of course make him forget. Things that especially in this period, the restrictions, the confinement and the general sadness that prevails are more necessary than ever. After the question "Bookworms or not?" and the "masked men" who keep their distance so as not to crowd and wait patiently outside the bookstores from the moment they reopened the shutters, we said to do our own research.
We spoke with Vasiliki Manousaridou, a bookseller, president of the Panhellenic Federation of Publishers and Booksellers (POEB) and a member of the Association of Booksellers of Athens Suburbs (SVEAP). He explained to us what exactly happens in bookstores, if the Greeks threw it in the reading but also which books were in greatest demand during the period of the first as well as the second quarantine.
"When the bookstores opened after a relatively long lockdown where the charge and mental fatigue of the world was now evident, the traffic seemed increased. In the week before Christmas, the number of visitors to the bookstores was really reminiscent of previous years, "explains Vasiliki Manousaridou.
«The book has always been, apart from being a means of training and educational manual, the means that helped the human spirit to expand, that stimulated the imagination, that provoked and then fed the spiritual hunger of man, that spread ideas, knowledge and facts.. In this age we live in, which is of course difficult but manageable, the readily available media (internet and television) seemed to be insufficient to meet the need for search, enjoyment, relief and even daydreaming of the necessarily self-limited world. We quickly realized, I think, and much more those who have direct contact with the reader, that his need to read was greater - of course - than when he was able to be away from home. That is why POEB, through this experience, has planned some actions, but this is something that we will discuss in the future, when there can be a kind of "normality" in society and the market, "he notes.
«Both children and adults showed that books were one of their favorite companions these days of quarantine.Emphasizes the president of the Panhellenic Federation of Publishers and Booksellers.
- Do consumers prefer online shopping or visiting bookstores?
It is normal for consumers to prefer the physical market to the online one and this is not because they are not educated or familiar with it. The reality is what we all now understand: The choice of a product is based on criteria that can not be evaluated without physical contact. In addition, the reality with remote sales has proven that it is impossible for any organization in terms of transport, postal and private delivery to cope when 100% of the population is forced to make any purchases in this way.
In a bookstore the reader will browse between the shelves and will definitely have more individual choices than the one advertised and the appropriate algorithm has chosen for him, and they are displayed through online sales methods. In the bookstore, one can see all the available books, flip through them, check the font, or how the book is written, meet other customers or the bookstore employees themselves and exchange views, pave the way for them. A visit to the bookstore is often a way of psychotherapy, communication, but above all an opportunity to make the right choice based on the personal opinion or need of the reader, and information.
- We saw that when the bookstores opened there was a great demand. Did queues really form?
Queues were not formed in our stores, with few exceptions and for a specific time. The fellow booksellers showed responsibility and prudence, adhering to the measures and protecting themselves and their customers. Queues and gatherings were created in stores that tried to operate by click away, and this showed how difficult and insufficient, at least for such periods, this way is. Nevertheless, yes, the movement and the demand were really important and this should be an encouraging indication of how the book and reading should be treated by all of us and especially by the state.
- Were the sales and choices of the readers affected by the outbreak of the pandemic?
Not particularly. This happened initially, during the first lockdown, where people turned to books which had to do with epidemics, conspiracies, etc. Now the people are pressed and tired of the daily bombardment of the virus and everything that arises from it and its preferences moved within the framework of its previous, normal choices.
- Were there "champions" of quarantine?
Many. After all, we do not only support the champions but all the "competitors" in general. All books have their reader and every reader -thankfully- has many choices. Apart from humor of course, this is indeed our point of view. The bookstore supports multiculturalism and pluralism in both subject matter and authors. In our country, in addition to the robust manufacturers of best sellers, we also have several courageous publishers who offer us books that would be characterized as less selling, which provide them and the other contributors with a great business risk, but in our culture and the reading public they offer a great gift. However, there were some books that stood out, such as the ones we mentioned above.
- What did the Greeks read in the first and second lockdown?
What everyone usually reads. A little more, perhaps due to current events and a variety of publications, they turned to Greek history and the Greek Revolution. Otherwise, however, the choices went as usual.
It is of course too early to have an overall picture, but from our own store and from some colleagues who managed to communicate our news, it appears that literature "got its head" with the following titles:
Books about history were
Books of psychology, self-improvement
The children's books that moved the most
- What are the book selection criteria in your opinion and experience?
This depends on many factors. Communication now plays a big role and what is projected by the media, ie the financial ability of the publisher to announce and promote a book. But as you can see, this is not the right way to choose a book. For example - and without discrimination - once a reader, a customer in our bookstore, seduced by the intense advertising, but with a theoretical education, asked me for "The Parrot Theorem" by N. Getz. for the same. When I explained to her what it was about and showed her what the book was, she certainly changed her initial choice and bought a book that would actually satisfy her. Otherwise he would have made the wrong choice. If you ask me how serious this is, I will answer that these days the financial capacity of the majority of the world is clearly limited and they might not have the extra money to buy another book. Confidence in the book itself may also have been shaken. Books are available for all readers. The issue is a) the reader to find and trust a bookseller - fortunately there are many in the whole territory - who will be able to help him choose the book that will meet his OWN needs, without limiting the horizon b) to see as many books as he can before coming up with one.
