The Book Publishing Marketin Italy

Alpha Test & Sironi Editore

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Articulate retail system

• Total turnover y. 2007: 3.923 million € (≈)– 0,5% newsstands (+12,1%)– 1% museum bookshops (+12,1%)– 2% internet (+37%)– 6% enclosed with newspapers & magazines (-0,5%)– 7% large retail stores (+5%)– 15% installm. + bookclub + direct sales libraries

(≈)– 18% school / adoption (+1,5%)– 27% bookstores (≈)– and more...

Dull reading statistics

• Readers (≥ 1 book in previous year, 2007)– 43% of Italians aged > 6

• North of Italy: 51%; South of Italy: 31%

• Lombardy: 53%; Sicily 30%

• aged 11-15: 60%

• women: 49%; men: 37%

• Strong readers (≥ 1 book/month in prev. y.)– 13,3% of readers (6% of population)

• 46% of readers read ≤ 3 books

Rich production

• Books published, y. 2006: 61.440 titles (≈)– 62% new titles (104 new titles per day!)– 20% translations (used to be 25% in the 90s)

• Copies printed, y. 2006: 268 million– average printrun: 4300 copies

• Genres published, y. 2008– 36,8% fiction (+4,2%)– 19,8% gen. NF (-5,7%) // 15,1% practical NF (≈)– 14,2% spec. NF (-12%)– 14,1% children + YA (+10%)

Poor diversity: 4 groups = 60%

• Mondadori Libri (28%)– Mondadori, Einaudi, Sperling & Kupfler, Electa,

Piemme…• magazines, school books, stores (167) & online, distribution, ad

• RCS Libri (12,8%)– Rizzoli, Bompiani, BUR, Sonzogno, Fabbri, Adelphi,

Marsilio, Superpocket, Skira • school books, magazines, newspapers, distribution, ad

• GeMS (Gruppo editoriale Mauri Spagnol) (8,9%)– Longanesi, Garzanti, Vallardi, Guanda, Corbaccio, Nord,

Tea, Ponte alle Grazie, Salani, Bollati Boringhieri, Chiarelettere

• Feltrinelli (3,9%)– Apogeo, Kowalski, Eskimosa, Gribaudo

• stores (>300), distribution (PDE)

Trends

• The economic crisis hit us hard– We’re coping, say the publishers– We’re selling 20% less, say the booksellers– The top selling book sells 1/5 than it did in 2008– All the best shots were postponed to Fall– Xmas 2009 sales: a matter of life/death for many

• E-books are a vague idea– Readers on sale, but not around– Italians didn’t trust online stores much, but they will

• And Google goes on– 81% average error in digitalizing 18 top Italian

authors

Italian stuff to check out

• Authors– Fiction

• Andrea Camilleri, Antonio Tabucchi, Bruno Arpaia, Massimo Carlotto, Roberto Saviano, Stefano Benni, Elena Ferrante

– Non Fiction• Eva Cantarella, Vito Mancuso, Telmo Pievani

– Children• Luca Novelli, the Geronimo Stilton series, Winx club

• Independent publishing houses– E/O, Fazi, Minimum Fax, Newton Compton,

Sellerio, Raffaello Cortina. And Sironi!

• 1982: three uni students w/ a business idea– giving courses to prepare for university admission– 1st book published by Hoepli

• 1994: Alpha Test– uni admission books, study aid (books + flash cards),

professional non fiction, career and study orienteering, law, weather & climate, health (Family Doctor)

• 2002: Sironi Editore (fiction, popular NF)• 2009:

– a catalogue of > 500 titles (+100 titles/year)– books turnover 2008 > 5 million € (other > 3 million €)– copies sold 2008: 600.000– Jan-Sept 2009: +20%

Just consider our penetration…

Alpha Test Sironi Editore

Our stuff to check out

Popular science

Quiz Books