Articles by: Alice bonvicini

  • Events: Reports

    Italian Publishers Feast at the 2011 BookExpo America

    BookExpo America is one of the most important international events of the publishing industry: the previous edition counted 29'923 visitors and 4'959 agents, scouts, film and television producers and authors from all around the world. This year Italy is the guest of honor at the Javits Center. The Global Market Forum, a shared project of BookExpo America, ITC (Italian Trade Commission) and the Italian Publishers Association. The session of professional meetings that takes place alongside the fair has Italy as Focus Country.
     

    This journey created to show the Americans the Italian publishing activity – with the help of eleven seminaries – is a “profitable complete view of our publishing industry”, as defined by Marco Polillo, President of the Italian Publishers Association.

    “The symposiums serve the purpose of showing the Italian market while simultaneously figuring out how to develop in relation to the American market.” These are still two different worlds and the Italian publishing industry underlines this: the numbers of non-readers is still very high, reaching beyond 50%.

    A summary of Italy's activity in this field was presented without underestimating the problems, although they were faced constructively with the aim of a collaboration with American publishers. An important theme was the conflicting relationship in Italy between e-book and paper book. The public attention towards the electronic book in Italy is still very small, and was in fact launched only seven months ago. “The offer is still limited – says Polillo – so it is still too early to realize its potential”.

    Also this year, ITC, in collaboration with the Italian Publishers Association, set up a national 300 square-foot stand, an Italian oasis, in which thirty-nine exhibitors meet people from the industry and consumers.

    “For us this means offering a platform to the small- and medium-sized Italian publishers who otherwise would never be able to exhibit their products,” says Pasquale Bova, Director of the ITC in Chicago. “The Italian publishing industry, apart from a few giants, is made up of small businesses who have a great capacity, both creatively and in buying rights,” he explains. “And we are certain that these publishers will find a public here in America”.

    ITC's commitment to the American publishing industry as a vehicle for the Made in Italy is concrete and effective, demonstrated by the Italbooks website. With over a million visitors a year, the website presents Italian book available for purchase or the rights of which are on sale by the authors. Art books, educational book, Italian language books, and fiction, are the most sought after and bring Italy to the seventh place in USA publishing industry exports.

    Raising Italian sales in the United States remains an important priority also for the diplomatic world. Consul General of Italy Francesco Maria Talò, who cut the ribbon together with BEA Director Steven Rosato, told us how the priority campaign for the promotion of the Italian language goes perfectly along with “the commitment to spreading and reinforcing our publishing industry abroad.”  The Consul also underlines that Italy is guest of honor at the BookExpo on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of its Unification. “Today we celebrate and important sector of our entrepreneurship, with a strong past which, with the help of the optimism that can be felt among the exhibitors, is a sector that has trust and attention for the future”.
  • Arte e Cultura

    Festa di libri italiani al BookExpo America 2011

    BookExpo America è uno dei principali appuntamenti internazionali del mondo dell' editoria: la scorsa edizione ha fatto registrare 29.923 visitatori e 4.959 tra agenti scout, produttori di film e di TV e autori provenienti da tutto il mondo. E quest'anno è l'Italia ad essere l'ospite d'onore al Javits Center. Il Global Market Forum, progetto congiunto di BookExpo America, ICE e l' Associazione Italiana Editori.  La sessione di incontri professionali che si svolge in parallelo alla fiera, infatti vede l'Italia partecipare come Paese Focus.
     

    Proficuo giro d'orizzonte dell'editoria nostrana,  definisce così Marco Polillo, Presidente dell'Associazione Italiana Editori., il percorso realizzato per illusrrare agli americani l'attività editoriale utilizzando anche con undici seminari.

    "I simposi servono a raccontare agli operatori il mercato in Italia e contemporaneamente a sondare come possiamo svilupparci in rapporto con quello americano."  Mondi ancora molto diversi, infatti, e lo stato dell'editoria italiana lo conferma: la quantità di non lettori rimane molto alta, superando il 50%.

    Presentata agli operatori così una sintesi dell'attività svolta in questo campo in Italia senza sottovalutare i problemi, affrontati però in una prospettiva costruttiva di collaborazione con gli editori americani. 

    Tema di grande attualità il rapporto apparentemente ancora in conflitto in Italia tra e-book  e il libro cartaceo tradizionale.

    E'  molto lenta infatti nel Bel Paese l'attenzine dei lettori per i libro elettronico, lanciato del resto solo sette mesi fa."L'offerta è rimane abbastanza ridotta - sostiene Polillo -  è tuttosommato presto per capirne le potenzialità".

    Anche quest’anno l'ICE, in collaborazione con l’Associazione Italiana Editori, ha realizzato uno stand collettivo nazionale di circa 100 mq, un'oasi tutta italiana in cui i 39 espositori incontrano addetti ai lavori e consumatori.
     

    "Per noi significa mettere sotto i riflettori dei partecipanti, piccoli e medi editori italiani che altrimenti non potrebbero esporre i loro prodotti di nicchia," dice Pasquale Bova, Direttore dell'ICE di Chicago. "L'editoria italiana, a parte qualche grande colosso, è fatta di piccole aziende che però hanno una grande capacità sia creativa che d' acquisto dei diritti," ci spiega. "E siamo certi che questi editori possano trovare pubblico qui in America".

    L'impegno dell'ICE a sostegno dell’editoria sul mercato statunitense in quanto settore veicolare del Made in Italy è concreto ed efficace, a dimostrazione di ciò c'è il portale Italbooks.  Con un milione di accessi l'anno, il sito web presenta libri italiani che sono in vendita o per i quali gli autori cercano di vendere i diritti.

    E testi d'arte, per l'infanzia, per l'insegnamento della lingua italiana, di narrativa, sono i più richiesti e portano l'Italia al settimo posto nell'export dell'editoria negli USA.
     

    Incrementare la vendita di titoli italiani negli Stati Uniti rimane una priorità importante anche per il mondo diplomatico. Il Console Generale d'Italia Francesco Maria Talò, che con il Direttore di BEA Steven Rosato, ha tagliato il nastro inaugurale dell'evento, ci dice come la campagna prioritaria per la diffusione della lingua italiana si abbini perfettamente "con l'impegno alla diffusione e al rafforzamento della nostra industria editoriale all'estero."

    Il Console ricorda anche come l'Italia sia ospite d'onore al BookExpo proprio in occasione dei 150 anni dell'Unità nazionale. "Oggi si celebra un settore importante della nostra imprenditoria, un settore con un passato forte, e grazie all'ottimismo che si respira tra gli espositori, un settore che ha fiducia ed attenzione per il futuro".
  • Facts & Stories

    Garibaldi-Meucci Museum: A Very Special Visit

    Giuliano Amato, the President of the Commission for the 150th anniversary of the Italian Unification, began his New York visit on the first warm day of one of the coldest winters in recorded history. The visit took place at the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum in Staten Island.

    Present at the event were Italian Consul General Francesco Maria Talò, Chairman of the Museum Keith Wilson, President of the Order Sons of Italy Joseph D. Trapani, who manages the museum, Joseph Sciame, Vice-president for Community Relations at St. John's University and former president of OSIA, Silvana Mangione,  Vice General Secretary fo CGIE  and Angelo Vinciguerra,  Vice-president of Comites New York and Connecticut.  

    Upon arrival, Prof. Amato laid a crown of flowers upon the monument of Antonio Meucci, in the museum's garden. About thirty students of the Scuola d'Italia G. Marconi were also awaiting for him. They sang the Italian national anthem, and were joined by the ex-Prime Minister. Together with listening to Amato's brief excursus about the Italian unification, the students also had the opportunity of visiting the two-floor villa, once the home of the two illustrious Italians.

    The beautiful Victorian style house in Staten Island, the borough with the highest concentration of Italian-Americans in the United States, hosted Garibaldi and Meucci between 1850 and 1853. The two survived by making and selling candles. It is also where the latter perfected the invention of the telephone. One of the museum's missions is, in fact, to preserve the heritage of Antonio Meucci, the first true inventor of the telephone.  The President of the Commission for the 150th anniversary of Italy's unification speaking of his afternoon in Staten Island remarked how Garibaldi and Meucci represent two great Italian ideals: courage and creativity.

    The Order Sons of Italy has managed the museum since 1919, and Keith Wilson explained that in spite of being recognized as a cultural landmark it is not supported by the New York City or State, and that it desperately needs funding. Amato, recognizing the cultural value of the site committed to do as much as possible to contribute to maintaining the museum alive.

    Consul General Francesco Maria Talò underscored how Garibaldi and Meucci are emblems of the many values that Italy and America share. Being an advocate of getting out of Manhattan to discover where the Italian American community lives and operates, he highlighted the importance of President Amato's stop in Staten Island. Finally, he spoke about the celebrations for the the 150th anniversary of Italy's unification, which will soon take place in America and especially in New York.  During his short yet eventful trip to New York, President Amato also conducted the First Gaetano Salvemini Lecture at the Italian Cultural Institute, "Italy: An Old and Unfinished Nation."