Cape Town Book Fair 2010: the fun begins

I love the smell of fresh books in the morning… 😉

So, this weekend has finally arrived: the four-day stretch known as the Cape Town Book Fair (CTBF), held at the CTICC from 30 July to 2 August. A great time for publishers, booklovers, and those aspiring to work their way into the wonderful trade of print media.

I arrived there this morning at about 09:25, although I only needed to be there at 10:00. Today was just a relaxed day: meeting the other interns who flew in from Johannesburg; walking about the huge centre to look at the various stands; talking about the internship programme; and looking at possible workshops or talks to attend. The Book Fair is only officially open to the public as of tomorrow – today was merely a trade day, giving all of us a chance to scope out the ‘competition’, but also allowing us the luxury of enjoying what is on show/exhibit before having to appeal to the needs of the masses (or, perhaps, just ‘the public’, if they don’t come streaming in by the thousands) by answering questions and being polite.

They shouldn’t just come about asking for freebies, though. That would really be annoying.

I had to control myself in there, what with all… those… books… *excited squeal* I swear, I could have blown my pro rata monthly stipend (14 days’ worth) there easily. Bargain Books had beautiful hardcover copies of Dan Brown’s THE LOST SYMBOL – the only book of his I don’t own – for R99! Not sure whether I’ll find time to go back there tomorrow or the day after that; I have some workshops and talks to attend, plus two-hour stints at the PASA stand. Perhaps I should bribe plead ask some to buy the book for me, then I’ll pay them the money back… or they could present it to me as a gift… *hint hint* So, what do you think I ended up doing today before leaving the Convention Centre?

Bought myself three books, of course… all for a mere R99. At least I was shopping sensibly.

I’ll be working at the PASA stand – K16 – tomorrow from 10:00 until 12:00 and on Sunday from 16:00 until 18:00, so if you’re interested in the industry (or know me and want to come say a supportive ‘hullo’), please feel free to come around. Everyone is very friendly, and this is the one time of year the people in the industry are setting aside their time for your queries and interest. And if you’re interested in a few workshops/ talks, here are some I think will be pretty good – I’m hoping to attend most of them:

Saturday:

11:00 – 12:45 Access to knowledge in Africa (the role of copyright in Education) – Room 1.43-1.44

12:00 – 12:45 Quickfox Publishing (discussion on self publishing) – Room 1.42

13:00 – 14:00 How to get Published – Pan Macmillan stand K13

14:00 – 15:45 What is the future of the book in the Digital Age? – Room 1.41.

16:00 – 16:45 The self-publishing shift [Crink] – Room 1.41

16:00 – 16:45 So you want to be a copy editor (mini workshop) – Room 1.42

Sunday:

10:00 – 10:45 Exploring the right brain (creative writing workshop) – Room 1.42

11:00 – 12:45 South Africa in 2010: Development or Decline? – Room 1.63-1.64

11:00 – 11:45 Recurring Super Sleuth of Crime fiction – Poetry Café

15:00 – 15:45 The self-publishing shift [Crink] – Room 1.61

16:00 – 16:45 So you want to be a proof reader (mini workshop) – Room 1.62

Monday:

10:00 – 10:45 PASA; where the story begins – Room 1.41

12:00 – 12:45 So you want to be a sub-editor – Room 1.41

Scattered Brainings VIII

* I’ve read in many magazines how a snack of apple and peanut butter is good for you – filling, nutritious, and bound to fill you up better than all those nasty calorie-loaded quick snacks (like chocolate, crisps, and sweeties). You know what? The combination is delicious! They really know what they’re talking about. Hey, it has peanut butter, so I’m happy.

* I’m getting pretty sick of that Miley Cyrus song, CAN’T BE TAMED or whatever it’s called. Every time I get into the car, it starts playing on the radio…

* …speaking of which, it puts a smile on my face when I notice that other people in traffic are listening to the same radio station. This morning, the guy in the car in front of us was making silly meow clawing gestures at the girl next to him. Yip, he heard Miley on 5FM and was having some fun each time she said “tamed”.

* Maybe the second point is why I don’t listen to the radio much: they’re always playing the same songs, morning and afternoon, every day. I thought that it might be limited to the time I’m in the car on my way to or from work, yet now I’m starting to think that it might go beyond that… which is why I put on a CD when driving for leasure.

* I cannot remember the last time I was in a cinema. There was ALICE IN WONDERLAND, and then before that AVATAR… yip, it’s safe to say I’m out of touch with the cinematographic world out there. Maybe I should make the effort to go again – once there’s a decent film, that is. Or I could read. That seems to be the better option. I can wait for DVD releases.

* With work taking up all my time, and weekends spent with my Significant Other (visiting family, sleeping, watching DBZ), I don’ read much now – unless it’s work-related, that is. As such, when my S.O. had to work late last night, I devoured most of the second DARK TOWER book. Absolute bliss. Only 140 pages left.

* Bad pizza is bad pizza, never mind how much you try to tell yourself that it was ‘sort of all right, actually’. I had one of those experiences last night. Too much overly salty feta cheese, and a pizza base that was half raw – no amount of spinach or bacon (the bacon highly lacking on that ‘pizza’, I’ll add) can make up for that.

* Apparently they’re still putting up some 2010 billboards and such in some regions of the country. Uhm, guys? … it’s over… really. No more soccer. But thumbs up for the enthusiasm.

* Neurologist. Cool word to say, huh? Neeeeuuuurologist… Apparently I need to go see one for these headaches/migraines of mine… Another cool word: gynaecologist. Or, basically, any profession that ends on things like –ologist/ -ist. Maybe not exactly ‘cool’, but now that I’ve got it stuck in my hand, I’ll start thinking up some silly, make-believe professions by adding those suffixes (that is what they’re called, right?) to words.

* My Significant Other pointed out that I’ve worn a different shirt to work every day for the three weeks I’ve been working here. I’m still in the early, don’t-want-to-repeat-a-shirt-I’m-being-professional-here phase of employment.

* The new HARRY POTTER film better get here fast… I’m waiting in not-yet-but-later-to-become-desperate anticipation *sigh* I’ll just have to read the seventh book… again… for the umpteenth time…

* What do you think my superhero/villain name should be, if I ever needed one?

"Who IS Mysterion?!" 😉

The benefits of a good education

Sometimes I feel like moping and whining because it doesn’t seem like my university education (of great quality!) is getting me anywhere. Okay, perhaps I should say I used to feel like that, up until the point where I landed this internship, yet that doesn’t stop me from still feeling cheated when thinking of the jobs you cannot get just because you don’t have any experience… besides, who cares if you’re an English major anyway?

It would seem that, finally, my two university degrees are going to pay off. (I’ll mention, at this point, that your basic school education – Gr. R-12 – is important, too, thus it shouldn’t be neglected or taken as a given, as a lot of children do.) When you read so many books you start wondering what kind of relevance it’ll ever have in your life. Sure, I’m able to say that I’ve read Dickens and Chaucer and Shakespeare and whoever else, but that isn’t the best conversation starter. It can actually be a mood killer, since nobody really wants to talk ‘academics’. The Classics seem to be a love only of sophisticated (read: moved on in years, i.e. older) people and university students. Isn’t that a shame…

However, I now find myself in a most wonderful situation – one I have willing thrust myself into, with as much enthusiasm as I can muster, and working at a great (but efficient, I’ll add) speed that makes the whole university experience gratifying. I am currently proofreading part of a series for a specific age group/ school phase. And you wouldn’t believe the titles I’m dealing with…

I have proofread OLIVER TWIST (Charles Dickens), KIDNAPPED (Robert Louis Stevenson) and THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) already – not the English books, though, but the translated versions thereof in Afrikaans. The books are aimed at children of about 9 or 10 years of age (Grade 3/ 4 learners). The other books for this phase include TREASURE ISLAND (Robert Louis Stevenson), ROBINSON CRUSOE (Daniel Defoe) and JANE EYRE (Charlotte Bronte).

Oh, how my inner English scholar is rejoicing right now!

I’ll admit that I’ve never read or even heard of KIDNAPPED, yet I have seen two film versions of OLIVER TWIST, and have read TREASURE ISLAND and THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES for my own pleasure. ROBINSON CRUSOE and JANE EYRE were dealt with at university (so I’ve read them), along with other Classics, thus it would seem that having a broad literary background (and a broad spectrum of reading pleasures) is really a good thing.

Now I don’t have to talk about the content of the texts themselves, but rather just the fact that I’ve been proofreading (and editing) them for younger readers to enjoy and learn from. That’s right – going for the ol’ I’m-making-a-difference-and-helping-children-with-their-education stint. I don’t really care whether or not they like the books. As long as they’re being published, distributed to schools and read in classrooms, I at least want the texts to be free of many errors.

So yes, finally I’m reaping the rewards or benefits of my (academic) education. If I didn’t possess the skills to read, write, edit, use logical thinking and have decent grammar skills, I probably wouldn’t be where I am right now… although, I’ll admit, it all depends on the individual, so I’ll allow myself a small pat on the back for having come this far.