Frankfurt Book Fair Fellowship Programme Presentation, 3 October 2009

1. The Book Publishing Market
in Italy
Alpha Test & Sironi Editore
www.delicious.com/marthona/fellows

2. 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...

3. 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

4. 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%)

5. 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)

6. 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

7. 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!

8. • 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%

9. Just consider our penetration…
Alpha Test Sironi Editore

10. Our stuff to check out
Popular
science
Quiz
Books