Nelle grandi fiere spesso sono gli editori più importanti ad avere lo spazio maggiore, con stand dagli allestimenti molto curati e spesso gli editori più piccoli sono raggruppati ad esempio per regione affinché le spese da sostenere per aderire alla fiera siano molto più ridotte. In altri casi sono nate fiere dedicate appositamente a medi e piccoli editori.
In Italia le fiere del settore editoriale più rinomate sono il “Salone Internazionale del Libro” di Torino, la Fiera del Libro per ragazzi: “Bologna children’s book fair” di Bologna, la fiera di Roma “Più libri più liberi. Fiera Nazionale della Piccola e Media Editoria”.
Vediamo ora nel dettaglio quali sono le fiere dell’editoria, di cosa si occupano, quando si svolgono e dove oltre a offrire un panorama complessivo su alcuni dei principali appuntamenti culturali del settore editoriale che si svolgono ogni anno in Italia.
Salone Internazionale del Libro di Torino
Il Salone Internazionale del Libro di Torino è uno degli eventi più importanti a livello nazionale e internazionale. Ogni singola edizione del Salone è dedicata a un tema attorno al quale poi sono organizzati convegni, incontri con autori, seminari e mostre. La manifestazione si svolge ogni anno nel mese di maggio nelle sale del Lingotto di Torino e dura in genere cinque giorni.
Ricco il programma degli eventi che sono organizzati ogni giorno tra incontri con autori famosi a livello internazionale, interviste con personaggi della cultura, dello spettacolo e della politica, seminari, reading di testi letterari, appuntamenti dedicati alle scuole, mostre e collegamenti con tv e radio locali e nazionali.
La superficie espositiva dedicata alla manifestazione è di circa 50.000 mq e ogni anno i visitatori sono migliaia, un pubblico eterogeneo composto non solo da operatori del settore quindi editori, scrittori, redattori, correttori bozze, illustratori, bibliotecari, insegnanti, ma anche gente comune appassionata di libri e di cultura.
Books are available for purchase at the publishers’ stands, and often during the fair, discounts are offered. Special prizes and awards are also given to writers during the event. A foreign country is also the guest of honor at each edition of the Fair .
During the event, Turin offers a wide range of other cultural, literary, and musical activities and initiatives, including performances in the city’s clubs and squares, special promotions in bookstores, and markets.
Bologna Children’s Book Fair
The Bologna Children’s Book Fair is one of the most renowned and prestigious international events dedicated to children’s publishing . The fair is open to industry professionals: publishers, authors, literary agents, booksellers, librarians, editors, proofreaders, illustrators, printers, distributors, agencies and studios providing publishing services, and film and television producers. A series of TV/Film Rights Centre initiatives are also promoted during the fair, with spaces dedicated to copyright exchanges between publishers and television producers.
Ample space and numerous initiatives are reserved for schools , which participate in large numbers every year at the events organized. The fair takes place between the end of March and April in the pavilions of the Bologna Fiere exhibition center and is entirely dedicated to children’s publishing, with both national and international guests.
The various stands will therefore feature children’s books, school textbooks, teacher guides, illustrated catalogs, manuals, encyclopedias, multimedia products, and film and television products. Books are not available for purchase at the fair, but visitors can contact them and learn about all the latest developments in the sector.
The Bologna Children’s Book Fair is also a unique opportunity for all those who work as illustrators , as meetings are organized at various publishers’ stands between publishing house staff and illustrators who present portfolios of some of their works. It is precisely through these meetings that new prospects for professional collaboration between publishers and new illustrators can arise.
During the fair, Bologna offers a rich calendar of collateral events including exhibitions, meetings, cultural and literary debates.
More books, more freedom. National Small and Medium-Sized Publishing Fair.
The National Small and Medium-Sized Publishing Fair , held in December in Rome at the Palazzo dei Congressi in the EUR district, has become one of the most important events for small and medium-sized publishing in just a few years . Publishers from all over Italy have the opportunity to make themselves known to the general public and promote their publications and initiatives.
The fair was founded in 2002 and immediately demonstrated its uniqueness compared to other trade fairs: it offers space and a voice to small and medium-sized publishers who often fail to participate in other types of fairs and who sometimes struggle to gain visibility in the publishing market despite boasting catalogs of excellent, high-quality books.
The fair is attended not only by publishers, but also by literary agencies, publishing studios, and publishing services operating in the sector. The event is a truly unique opportunity to gain a firsthand insight into the publishing world of many small publishers and find titles and works that are not always easy to find in bookstores.
Alongside the more well-known publishers, there are also smaller publishers with just a few titles in their catalogues, who have chosen to focus on quality and a careful selection of the texts and authors they publish.
Numerous initiatives are organized during the Rome fair, including readings, conferences, presentations of new publications, meetings with authors, round tables, musical and theatrical performances. Over the four days of the fair, over two hundred events are held entirely dedicated to books, culture, and small and medium-sized Italian publishing.
UmbriaLibri
UmbriaLibri is the Umbria region’s publishing fair , held annually at the Rocca Paolina in Perugia’s historic center. Umbria boasts a well-established network of small and medium-sized publishers and numerous printing houses, so much so that printing has long been a major source of income for the region.
The fair is attended by all small and medium-sized publishers operating in the region, who sell titles from their catalogs. These publications often focus on art, history, and the regional territory. However, each edition also features well-known authors and figures such as Niccolò Ammaniti, Massimo Cacciari, Vittorio Sgarbi, and more.
During the fair, Perugia hosts various collateral events, and meetings with authors, presentations of new publications, debates, conferences, and aperitifs accompanied by singer-songwriter music are held in the most evocative locations of the historic center.
Cultural events and events
In addition to the main trade fairs held in Italy, a series of events, meetings, and demonstrations dedicated to the publishing sector are held every year in various Italian cities.
Some of the most important events are:
- Words in Time
publishers on display at Belgioioso Castle in September; - Mantua Literature Festival
: an event held in September that every year includes meetings with famous authors, national and international guests, readings, shows and concerts in the city’s squares and streets; - Artelibro
di Bologna: a specialized fair dedicated to art publishing held in Bologna in September with presentations of all the latest developments in the sector, meetings with authors and artists, exhibitions and debates; - Cartoomics
of Milan: a specialized fair dedicated to the comics, cartoons, collectibles, games and videogames sectors, held every year in March in Milan; - Imperia Book Fair,
a fair held in Imperia in May, hosts around two hundred publishing houses each year, with a section dedicated to public bodies and institutions. It also includes conferences with authors and meetings with internationally renowned directors, actors, and writers. - Pisa Book Festival
Independent publishing festival held in October in the city of Pisa and featuring meetings, debates, prizes, international guests, and writing workshops; - Lucca Comics and Games
in Lucca: a fair dedicated to comics and games that takes place in Lucca between October and November; - Micro-publishing Show
in Chiari, in the province of Brescia: Micro-publishing Show, or small-scale publishing, takes place in Chiari, in the province of Brescia, in November, during which the Quality Micro-publishing label is also awarded; - A Book in Milan
is a book fair for small and medium-sized publishers held in Milan in November. The fair includes meetings with authors, creative workshops for children, conferences, and events dedicated to painting, photography, and graphics. A literary prize is also being awarded during the fair.
Websites of Italian publishing fairs
- Turin International Book Fair.
The Turin International Book Fair website offers all the information you need about the event. The website also offers registration for direct access to the Fair, offering some discounts on prices. - Bologna Children’s Book Fair
Website for the Bologna Children’s Book Fair with lots of information about the event, exhibitors, and related events. - National Fair of Small and Medium-Sized Publishing in Rome
Website of the National Fair of Small and Medium-Sized Publishing, which takes place every December in Rome, at the Palazzo dei Congressi in EUR. - UmbriaLibri of Perugia
Website of the UmbriaLibri event, an Umbrian publishing fair held annually in December inside the Rocca Paolina in the historic center of Perugia. - Publishing Fair at Belgioioso Castle in Pavia.
Website where you can find information on the publishing fair held in September at Belgioioso Castle in Pavia. - Mantua Literature Festival
Website of the Literature Festival which takes place every year in Mantua in September. - Bologna Art Book Festival
Website of the Art Book Festival, which takes place every year in Bologna in September and is dedicated to art publishing. - Imperia Book Fair
Website of the Imperia Book Fair, which takes place every year in the Ligurian city in May. - Pisa Book Festival
Website of the Pisa Book Festival, the independent publishing fair held in Pisa in October. - Lucca Comics and Games
Website for Lucca Comics and Games, an event held in Lucca dedicated to comics and games. - Micro-publishing Show in Chiari (Brescia)
Website of the Micro-publishing Show which takes place in November in Chiari, in the province of Brescia. - A Book in Milan
Website of the independent small and medium-sized publishing fair that takes place in Milan in November.
