“People are losing their ability to listen”, says bookseller Pedro Herz

The first LiderCom in 2018 was held on January 31 at Aberje with Pedro Herz as speaker. Mr. Herz, the owner of bookshop Livraria Cultura and author of the “O Livreiro,” talked about his life and professional path. He also discussed the current situation of the book market. Antonietta Varlese, VP of Communication and Sustainability at AccorHotels and chair of LiderCom, introduced Mr. Herz to the audience.

The book market is going through one of its most challenging periods, according to Pedro Herz. “Reading is an essentially solitary activity. You sit and ‘listen’ to what the other wrote. People are losing that ability to listen today.” He commented on the competition of activities available in urban life, a phenomenon that affects not only Brazil but the whole world. “How do you attract a person who works all day, waste a lot of time in traffic and compete with other forms of entertainment such as mobile devices, movies, games, restaurants, etc.?” His response was immediate: “Honestly, I still do not know.”