The Italian publishing industry
is participating in the Frankfurt Book Fair with a strong
presence in both the domestic and international sectors,
according to figures from the Italian Publishers' Association
(AIE) presented in a report on the opening day of the book fair
on Wednesday.
The AIE report on the state of Italian publishing in 2019
showed Italian book exports rose in 2018, with the sale of
rights up 9% over the previous year.
Sales rose 5% in the first eight months of 2019 for various
adult and young adult publishing in bookshops, supermarkets, and
online shops including Amazon, as well as an increase in the
number of copies sold, after nearly eight years, up 4%.
In the past 15 years, average annual growth of rights sold
abroad was 19.9%, led by child and young adult publishing and in
recent years by fiction, which together represent 60% of book
exports.
AIE President Ricardo Franco Levi called the export figures
"extraordinary" but said "we believe they can be further
improved".
He spoke about two future events, the Paris Book Fair in 2020
and the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2023, calling them "two occasions
in which Italy, as guest of honour, will have really great
promotional opportunities both cultural and economic, as always
when it comes to books".
Culture Ministry Undersecretary Anna Laura Orrico, who
inaugurated the Italian pavilion at the Frankfurt Book Fair
together with Levi, said the government is "committed to
promoting reading and defining concrete measures that recognise
publishing in the strategic role that it deserves".
"We want to work on a new law for publishing that, based on
the model of the law for cinema, helps and supports the entire
book distribution chain, from publishers to distributors to
bookshops to readers," Orrico said.
Italy's presence at the Frankfurt Book Fair includes 252
publishers and agents.
The "Italy Space" organised by AIE, the Italian Industry
Ministry and the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) brings together 134
publishers in over 500 square metres of exhibition space, with
four regional areas - Lazio, Piedmont, Sardinia, and Veneto.
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