Full transcript
0:03I wrote this video from the heart . I'm
0:07Bento and this is the bookstore and "
0:08Bento Leva " channel . Welcome . I'm not
0:11much of one to talk about myself . When
0:13I decided to start this channel , I made
0:15some choices . First , I decided I'd make
0:18more direct videos , because I think
0:20Booktubers talk too much . Oh , a new
0:23video from Lera is out . It's good , good
0:25, good , good . 50 minutes talking about
0:29a book without spoilers . Suspicious .
0:32It's not malicious , I know . They love
0:35to talk , but it irritates me when they
0:37sit in front of the camera , don't edit
0:39a second , and ramble endlessly . In the
0:42process , they drop a ton of spoilers
0:44without even realizing it .
0:46Stop talking .
0:47Booktubers are egocentric creatures ,
0:48aren't they ? Hello girls , how are you ?
0:51Today I'm going to film a video showing
0:53my bookshelf .
0:55Nobody , not even your parents , would
0:58want to see that . But that's a topic
1:00for another video . And nothing against
1:02it . I know many people like it , and
1:05that everyone is free to make content
1:07their own way , but I really respect
1:09your time , man . I don't want to waste
1:13your time , because the time you're
1:14spending with me isn't coming back .
1:17Second , when I decided to start this
1:19channel , I said : " The books will be the
1:21protagonists , I'll just be the one to
1:23introduce them , like a father
1:24introducing a dear child . " And note
1:27that only third in importance did I
1:29make this channel to promote the
1:31bookstore and Bento Leva . I knew many
1:34people don't buy used books , and others
1:37only read PDFs .
1:39Think I'm offended ? I'm a pirate . But
1:42the most important thing would be to be
1:44friends with you . It's very hard to
1:45find reading friends . Usually , people
1:48read one thing or another three or four
1:50times a year , but they aren't hard
1:52users . So much so that when I found a
1:55real reader as a friend , there was no
1:57choice , right guys ? I had to marry her .
2:00And the most incredible thing is that I
2:02worked in bookstores and CEOs for years
2:04, and even the people inside don't read
2:06. And I think that explains a lot about
2:08our country's situation . I used to joke
2:11that my boss was the only illiterate
2:13bookstore owner . Oh , if only he were
2:15the only one . Unfortunately , all the
2:17bookstores around me were the same .
2:18They were run by owners who knew book
2:21titles like no one else , but knew
2:23nothing about the contents of those
2:26books . They worked with books only for
2:28the money , because it was the trade
2:30they learned in their youth . And I know
2:32it seems hypocritical of me to say I
2:34started a channel to get straight to
2:36the point and I haven't even reached
2:38the topic of the video yet , but I'm
2:39actually answering it . That is one of
2:42the reasons that made me open a
2:44bookstore with 90 % used items . I never
2:49had much money to buy new books , so
2:51that's how I managed to get a job at a
2:53used bookstore . Since I went almost
2:56every weekend to buy books and more
2:58books , the owner of the shop liked me
2:59and offered me a job . At the time , I
3:02had just left the worst job I'd ever
3:04had in my life . Not because the work
3:07was bad , but because I failed big time .
3:10So , working at the bookstore would be
3:12the perfect environment because there
3:15I'd be surrounded by items I'd admired
3:17my whole life , I'd meet interesting
3:19people and could succeed again in my
3:21marketing profession . And I thought I
3:25knew a lot about books , but there are
3:26things you only discover about the
3:28literary market when you're inside it .
3:31And that boss taught me a lot . Although
3:35he was a total jerk , I need to be
3:37grateful to him . What would Dante be
3:40without Lucifer , right ? Later I had the
3:42opportunity to work with new books , and
3:44then came that moment in life that many
3:47of you will experience , and others
3:48already have . The moment you stop
3:51spending your ideas on the company you
3:53work for and start saving them for your
3:55own future business . And please , look
3:57at me kindly . Don't see me as that
4:00employee who gets paid to pretend to
4:02work . I was just tired of bringing in
4:04new ideas and them always hitting the
4:06traditionalism of those who don't want
4:08to change . Sometimes I would spend the
4:10whole afternoon setting up a thematic
4:12display for some holiday , like Mother's
4:14Day or Father's Day . Then , when I
4:17arrived the next day to work , my boss
4:19had already taken it all apart without
4:21giving any explanation . Man , that just
4:24drains your will , it clogs up your
4:25creative vein . I worked there in
4:29downtown São Paulo , and those who know
4:31the city know it's the best place in
4:33São Paulo to buy books . Before I
4:35forget and start talking too much ,
4:37click like because you know it's
4:39important to boost this video for more
4:41people . And if this is the first time
4:43we've met , consider subscribing to the
4:44channel . I have many interesting videos
4:47to show you . In the future , I can make
4:50more content related to the bookstore .
4:53I still don't know if you guys like
4:54videos like this or if you prefer me to
4:56keep being that machine that makes
4:57lists of bizarre books . So , please ,
5:00comment below if you like this type of
5:02video , if you want me to bring more
5:03conversational content like this , okay ?
5:07And it might not seem like it , but all
5:09those bookstores and used bookshops
5:11downtown are connected by a sort of
5:13unspoken bookseller code . So I ended up
5:15meeting everyone in the area and
5:17everyone helps each other out there . So
5:20, as soon as I left that job at the
5:22bookstore , I received several offers to
5:24keep working in the area . And a friend
5:27who owns a bookstore went further ; he
5:29said , " Man , take this stock of books
5:31here to start your business with a bang
5:33— new books , in this case , because
5:35every bookseller who wants to start a
5:37business knows the best way is to have
5:39a stock of Rich Dad Poor Dad , The
5:40Psychology of Money , and Harari’s
5:42Sapiens ; your bookstore will be booming
5:44in a month . " But before I was an
5:48employee at that bookstore , I started
5:50my journey as a reader , frequenting the
5:52city center to acquire second-hand
5:54reads . So I decided to start my
5:57business in the same way that Bento
5:59from the past used to do , with used
6:00books . That Bento from the past would
6:03make a list of half a dozen books he
6:06wanted to read , with a 35 - reais budget ,
6:08and would head out to all those shops
6:10with my wife , who was my girlfriend at
6:13the time , to see if I could find the
6:15best deal on that reading list . JFR ,
6:18Mania de Cultura , Messias , Ga de
6:20Alencar , Oficina do Saber — these were
6:22all the places I used to frequent , and
6:24I became friends with the people who
6:26worked there . So I returned to that
6:29Bento of my origins , put many ideas
6:31into practice , and here we are . Just
6:34like me , many people need to turn to
6:37used books to keep this reading habit
6:39alive . Then there are those people who
6:42want a specific edition of a book that
6:44they found beautiful , or whose
6:46translation in that edition appeals to
6:48them more . And on the other side , there
6:51are people who need to get rid of their
6:53collections for a variety of reasons .
6:57So the reason " Bento Levou " exists is
6:59to be the bridge between the person who
7:01needs to part with this used book ,
7:03which still has stories to tell , and
7:05the person who wants to house this book
7:07on their shelf and in their heart . And
7:10that is where the answer to everything
7:11comes from . Honestly , I have no desire
7:14to make " Bento Levou " a bookstore for
7:16new releases . I won't say never , but it
7:19could happen in the future . I envision
7:21a more hybrid bookstore , one that has
7:23both new and used books . My desire is
7:25to keep this environment as plural as
7:28possible . Imagine being able to travel
7:31from the current year to a different
7:33approach , a different design , a
7:35different writing style from a book in
7:371960 , for example . Imagine listening to
7:41music the way bands prefer , which is
7:43from the grooves of a vinyl record .
7:46When I went to work at the CEO , I met
7:48an older guy who had a huge musical
7:50library in his head and taught me a lot
7:53; it's because of him that I bought
7:55this turntable here . Sometimes I put it
7:58on to play while I'm going to read
8:00something and I feel very bourgeois
8:02doing that . It's delightful . And for
8:06those who don't know , Bento Levô also
8:08sells vinyl , CDs , DVDs , Blu-rays ,
8:10classic games — things I used to look
8:12at with disdain because of digital
8:15media , and today I completely
8:16understand people who still consume
8:18this type of material . And I won't deny
8:23it to you , one thing that really
8:24demotivates me from having a bookstore
8:26with new books is the possibility of
8:28the Cortes Law being approved . Because ,
8:31guys , I like to give discounts .
8:34Sometimes I go crazy and put several
8:36books up for a 95 % discount . Have you
8:39ever heard of the manager going crazy ?
8:40Sometimes it happens to me too . And
8:42that's just because I can . No one is
8:44going to stop me from giving a discount
8:45or giving out a coupon . But if there's
8:48a law , that's another story . I
8:51understand those who are in favor of
8:53this law , but I remain against it for
8:55the reasons I mentioned in that video ,
8:57which is unfortunately the most-watched
8:58video on this channel . Is it worth
9:01opening a bookstore for new books ? Look
9:03, sometimes I think not , but there are
9:05days when it is . If you love literature
9:08, yeah , there are days that will be
9:09very satisfying , you know ? I love it
9:12when a batch of books arrives , and I
9:14start looking at the titles and try to
9:16guess what that person's interests were
9:19, who their favorite authors were . I
9:21recently recorded a video for you guys
9:23on Instagram , @ bentolevô , follow us
9:25there . A batch I had bought from a
9:28couple , a doctor and a lawyer . It had a
9:30lot of spy novels , uh , legal dramas ,
9:33medical dramas . Man , that is a little
9:36slice of paradise in this profession .
9:38The customers are wonderful . Of
9:41everything I've worked in my life ,
9:43readers are definitely the best
9:45consumers . But anyway , there's a lot of
9:49piracy , only 20 % of customers buy new
9:51books , and you're in Brazil . Are you
9:54crazy ? It's not worth it .
9:56It's not worth it .
9:57And speaking of the channel , you are an
9:59important part of it . Without you here
10:01to watch , I wouldn't even show my face .
10:03A book channel on YouTube doesn't make
10:06money , the CPM is low , but that's why I
10:09get happy when I'm packing orders and I
10:11see a subscriber's name . It is very
10:14satisfying to see a subscriber's name
10:16on an order . You have no idea . Anyway ,
10:20I wanted to have this chat with you
10:22because a lot of people have become my
10:24friends , a lot of people from the
10:26channel message me on Instagram and we
10:28talk not just about books , but about
10:30geopolitics , clothes , and a whole bunch
10:32of other stuff . So , if you want to
10:36message me on Instagram too , let's chat
10:38, because , man , Brazil has so few
10:40readers , so we need to unite , we need
10:43to be friends . And if you want to open
10:46a bookstore for new or used books ,
10:48here's the tip : go apply for a job at a
10:51bookstore or a used bookstore in your
10:53city first . I think with one year of
10:55working and dedicating yourself , you'll
10:58learn , if not everything , then a lot of
11:00important things . You have no idea how
11:02many idiots I've worked with . So don't
11:05be shy . Go there , try to get a job ,
11:08because I'm sure you'll have much more
11:10common sense than some of the people I
11:12had to deal with . I think working at a
11:15used bookstore is even better than a
11:16regular one , because at a used
11:18bookstore you'll have access to many
11:20old authors and editions that aren't
11:21sold in stores anymore . You'll
11:23understand how the business works ,
11:26understand how used bookstores buy
11:28inventory , and depending on the place ,
11:30you'll learn to love music from the 70s
11:33, 80s , and 90s . And speaking of used
11:36books , the great advantage is that they
11:38are good and cheap . That's what I'm
11:40talking about in this video :
11:41recommendations for people who want to
11:43read something this month but can't
11:44spend much . So , you need to , you know ,
11:46hit the mark . I think many of you don't
11:49know how important you are to me , and
11:50that's probably because I don't say it
11:52much , right ? But I'm not kidding when I
11:55say that you are the best kind of
11:57people I know in the world .