走逛台北國際書展 (三) / Roaming around the Taipei International Book Exhibition (Part 3)

在書展看到最神奇的一幕是「剪頭髮」，德國理髮師 Danny Beuerbach 有一個用剪頭髮推廣閱讀的計畫，他說，隨著自己長大後工作繁忙，閱讀機會逐漸減少，於是某天他突發奇想，以打折優惠的方式請自己的顧客為他朗讀書籍，結果，真的有一位小孩客人到他的沙龍，在他面前很認真朗讀一本繪本換取剪頭髮打折的優惠，之後，這項計畫也推廣到其它國家，剛好，現場有位勇敢的女士，嘗試這個用剪頭髮推廣閱讀的計畫，於是在會場就有這麼神奇的一幕畫面，我的話，絕對沒這個勇氣，在眾目睽睽的情況下，理頭髮，對了，現場的理髮師，就是計畫發起人 Danny Beuerbach 本人。

桌遊攤位也是書展或各大展覽，幾乎都會看到的展覽項目，畢竟桌上遊戲也算是出版品的一種，除了常見的幾家桌遊出版社之外，有幾家獨立出版社也帶來了特別的遊戲，不要以為桌遊攤位應該較冷門，沒有甚麼人逛，其實，不管是小朋友或是大朋友都很喜歡往桌遊攤位鑽，這次停留在客人較少的獨立出版社，剛好遇到桌遊設計師鄧先生，和他聊了一下桌遊出版業的近況，本土桌遊開始推廣到全世界了，他很在乎自己作品的品質，他提到之前有國外公司代理他的作品時，打算用劣質印刷他的美術設計，被他拒絕，他強烈要求國外公司維持他原本的美術風格，要不然就結束合作，看了攤位上所展示的作品，美術設計果然是精緻漂亮，這就是創作者對於作品的要求啊。

很多桌遊攤位都有開放試玩，這也是桌遊攤位常常人滿為患的原因，只要一款遊戲開放試玩，旁邊常常會有人圍觀，有些人會在攤位找尋或選購遊戲套件，還有打折打到骨折的優惠活動，八折是基本的，通常是買越多、送越多，尤其是展覽的最後一天，不只是桌遊攤位，很多出版社攤位都會大放送，還送購物金。

「讀字公民」書區通常是整個展覽中，最特別的一個展區，我記得去年我來的時候，這個展區是以「工地」為主題，所以可以看的到約3公尺高的鷹架，掛上施工帆布，水泥手推車、大鐵桶出現在展區，場還張貼許多改編自工地常見的塗鴉與警告標語，例如「閱讀的國度近了」或「讀者眾多，小心慢行」，非常的有創意，今年則是以「遊樂園」為主題，可以看到海盜船、咖啡杯及旋轉木馬，看到講者坐在旋轉木馬上，向他們前方的聽眾分享他們的觀點，真的也是很特別，這裡也是獨立出版的大本營，可以找到多元且豐富的出版品，沒想到，在 Matters 上認識的爾思出版在這裡也有展出他們的作品，爾思出版的創辦人，其實就是我們在 Matters 上的老朋友，想知道他們是誰，去查一下就知道了，區塊鏈的世界，用戶能夠隨時查詢各種鏈上數據的。

One of the most fascinating scenes I saw at the book exhibition was a "haircutting" booth. German barber Danny Beuerbach had a project to promote reading by offering discounts on haircuts. He mentioned that as he grew older and became busier with work, he found less time for reading. So one day, he came up with the idea of having his customers read to him in exchange for a haircut discount. Surprisingly, a young customer came to his salon and earnestly read a picture book in front of him to get a discounted haircut. This project later spread to other countries. At the event, a brave lady tried out this reading-for-haircut promotion, creating a magical scene right there. Personally, I wouldn't have the courage to get a haircut in front of everyone, but the barber at the booth was none other than the project initiator himself, Danny Beuerbach.

Board game booths are also a common sight at book fair or major exhibitions, as board games are considered a form of publication. Besides the well-known board game publishers, several independent publishers showcased unique games. Don't underestimate the popularity of board game booths; both kids and adults love to check them out. This time, I stopped by some less crowded booths of independent publishers and had a chat with Mr. Deng, a board game designer. He talked about the recent developments in the board game publishing industry, noting how local board games are gaining popularity worldwide. He emphasized the importance of maintaining the quality of his work, recalling how he once rejected an overseas company's proposal to compromise the printing quality of his artwork. He insisted on maintaining his original artistic style or ending the collaboration. Looking at the displayed works, I could see the exquisite art design, showing the creator's dedication to his craft.

Many board game booths offer trial plays, which often attract crowds. People not only gather to watch but also to seek out or purchase game sets. There are usually discounts and promotions, with discounts up to 20% being common. Often, the more you buy, the more you get. Especially on the last day of the exhibition, not just board game booths, but many publishers also offer big discounts and even shopping vouchers.

The "Reading Citizen" book area is typically the most unique section of the entire exhibition. I remember last year it was themed around a "construction site" with scaffolding, construction tarps, cement wheelbarrows, and large iron barrels displayed. Many graffiti and warning signs adapted from those commonly seen on construction sites were posted, such as "The Kingdom of Reading is Near" or "Beware of Slow Reading". It was very creative. This year, the theme was "Amusement Park", featuring pirate ships, teacups, and carousels. Speakers sat on carousels to share their views with the audience in front of them, creating a unique atmosphere. This area also served as the headquarters for independent publishing, where you could find diverse and rich publications. Surprisingly, I saw the works of a publisher called Ersee Publishing here, whom I know from Matters, an online platform. The founder of Ersee Publishing is actually an old friend of ours from Matters. If you're curious to know who they are, just look them up. In the world of blockchain, users can access various data on the chain at any time.

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