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How to steal at a book fair

PLUS: Laws of Simplicity, Just stop drinking ad, mmm ice cream so good & many more...

Prado 🔑

Jul 22, 2023

gm 👋 Prado here

We are 4173+ interesting people reading these letters every week.

Every Friday, I publish one essay & 10 interesting things that will help you become healthy, wealthy and wise 👇

Essay of the week 👇

This friday, I was stuck with writers block and couldn’t figure out what to write about for the essay of the week.

I realised that I need to find inspiration from somewhere else. That’s when it hit me that I saw this IG reel of a book fair in Bangalore. Looked exciting to me.

After tweeting this I spent an hour finishing the 10 things from InterestingRoad.com section (scroll down) and then took another 30mins pondering what to write.

I said enough and left for lunch. Had lunch at California Burrito (same Paneer Salad and a mini chocodilla) and then left for the book fair.

I walked in the mall and every side I turned I could see women wearing pink clothes and going to watch barbie. Caught a few bois accompanying their partners as well. cuties.

Actually, IMO if the guy went to watch Barbie with his lady before watching Oppenheimer. He’s a keeper.

Anyway, back to the book fair. I went to the 4th floor and it was kinda expected.

Minimal crowd as it was 3.30-4PM (In Bangalore, it usually rains so people leave the houses after) and I was right. It rained around 4-4.15PM. Perfect.

I started doing my thing, took the smallest box, spent the next 2.30hours and closed the box.

They had three boxes:

Green/Black - ₹1,199
Red - ₹1,999
Pink - ₹2,999

Here’s everything I bought 👇

Here’s the breakdown of the cost 👇

found this in the kid’s section. Had to take it.

How to steal at a book fair:

Let me share the steps I usually do whenever I visit a book fair

Scan the whole book fair if you can (spend the first 10-15mins just knowing the layout)
Take notes on top priority. Places you’d like to spend more time.
(Non-fiction, Self help, Science fiction, etc)
This book fair was a mess. No partitions, no sections, nothing.
Just thousands of books just waiting to be picked.
Easiest hack is to look for the Hardcover books.
Hardcover books don’t go bad very soon and only selected and top books take up hardcover option.
Look at the places where no one is looking at. I went to the kid’s section lol.
Go through the big books. Big books completely cover the small books that are stuck between them. Those books are hidden gems.
Look under the table. I found the Ogilvy’s On Advertising under the table.
Go through the books and you’d find some bookmarks and other fun stuff.

I found an author signed book too. I got super lucky with it. I found a how to make a mummy poster and a mask too. Had to take it.
Look for books you can gift to others. When I say gift it does not mean wrapping them on a giftcover. I mean when someone visit you in your house and they check out the bookshelf… it’s a good habit to give them something.

Now, I’m a selfish person and don’t want to give books with my highlights on them. If someone really wants a book, I tell them that I’m using it often for research so I’ll send you a new copy.

But sometimes you don’t want them to go empty handed. You can pick a book you bought at the book fair.
Have a good time. That’s the goal. You can go back home without buying anything but the feeling that you explored a new world of books, that’s more than enough. That’s the experience.

Arunima was right though… have less expectations and drink lotta water.

Enjoy your time at the book fair. Prado out.

Thanks for reading Pradologue Newsletter! Join the 4173+ curious folks for FREE and fulfil your curiosity every week 🙌

10 things from InterestingRoad.com 🙌

1. I read this blog called “Nobody reads your blog” and in that I read why you should still write it though.

2. Something from my Twitter👇

Tweet link

3. mmm ice cream so good… gang gang… yes yes yes (if you don’t know what I just said, I’m happy for you)

Click here to check it out

It’s cringe Pro Max but I guess eventually this will be very common.

Real humans acting like Virtual Avatars and Virtual avatars acting like real humans :)))

4. stu.xyz/mantras - I’m absolutely in love with this website 🙌

5. Interesting ad of the week:- Just stop drinking ad. (Click here)

I hate that Twitter doesn’t let tweets being embedded on Substack.

6. Question of the week:- what’s the point of doing anything if you can’t spend time with the people you love?

caption from a post on my personal IG account.

7. Picture of the week: Laws of Simplicity

8. Current read: apart from buying 13 books, I didn’t read much this week.

9. Meme of the week:

10. Quotes of the week:

"But who prays for Satan? Who, in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most?"- Mark Twain
(Tweet this quote)
You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.” - Margery Williams The Velveteen Rabbit
(Screenshot this and post it on Twitter) Don’t forget to tag me @pradologue :)
The artist’s job is not to succumb to despair, but to find an antidote for the emptiness to existence. You have a clear and lively voice. Don’t be such a defeatist.
(Tweet this quote)

I came across this quote on an IG reel

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Check out some of my previous newsletters:

Diderot Effect (Read)
Life’s Lines of Closeness (Read)
How far did Elon Musk go to fulfil his curiosity? An untold story (Exclusive)
Cathedral Thinkers (Read)

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Copy Link: prdo.xyz/bookfair

Personal Announcement 🚨

This week I spent sometime cleaning and clearing things up. I factory reseted my mac and uploaded the pictures on my personal IG (which was on a hold for the past 9 months) I hope you are doing well and if there is something I can do for you. Feel free to get in touch. Would love to help you out in anyway possible.

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