ORI GI NAL PAPER

The Sale and Purchase of Translation Rights

in the Italian Market
Giovanni Peresson

Cristina Mussinelli
Published online: 24 November 2009
Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2009
Abstract What are the conditions of the sales and purchases of translation rights
in the Italian Market? The article summarizes and compares the results of two
research studies conducted, respectively in 2003 and 2008 by the Italian Trade
Commission as part of the initiatives planned in the Sector agreement stipulated
among the Italian Ministry for Productive Activity, the Italian Publishing Associ-
ation and the Italian Trade Commission. The objective is to optimize synergies
between public and private activities in Italy in order to increase the export activity
of the publishing industry sector. Both years the survey has been conducted by
DOXA, a major Italian statistic research company. The researches focused on three
fundamental variables: the geographical area in which a sales-purchases relationship
is established, the genre of the books and the size of the companies involved by the
phenomenon.
Keywords Children books Fiction Book genres Illustrated books
Non-ction Rights sales Rights purchases Italian Publishers Association
Italian publishing market Italian publishing industry Italian Trade Commission
Rights sale Translation rights
The article is based on the results of the second Report on importexport of copyrights or translation
rights in Italy (20032007).
G. Peresson (&)
Associazione Italiana Editori, Corso di Porta Romana 108, 20122 Milan, Italy
e-mail: giovanni.peresson@aie.it
C. Mussinelli
360 Publishing Consulting, Piazza Pietro Gobetti 10, 20131 Milan, Italy
e-mail: c.mussinelli@360publishing.it
1 3
Pub Res Q (2009) 25:254263
DOI 10.1007/s12109-009-9137-8
No European publisher, much less those in Italy, could contemplate their business
growth and development solely through the output of their national authors. It is
only sufcient to remember the growth processes in the childrens book sector in the
1980s and 1990s and the accompanying marked increase in copyright purchase of
foreign authors and illustrators to strengthen publishers lists and catalogues for a
growing public.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, titles translated from other languages into Italian
represented approximately 2425% of the total Italian publishing output. Nonethe-
less, in the last decade, there has been an increased reduction in books by foreign
authorsin recent years approximately 2122% of productionindicating the
complexity of the relationship between market growth and the range of titles
published in Italy, as well as the development of the sale of rights to foreign
publishers. However, these gures are not sufcient to understand the purchasing of
foreign rights by Italian publishers as they include both new titles (whose publishing
rights have just been purchased by Italian publishers) and reprints of titles purchased
years earlier (literary classics from all over the world). Therefore they are insufcient
to dene the economic value underlying the purchase/sale of publishing rights.
Furthermore there are other important considerations: howmuch do Italian publishers
sell abroad? And what direction is this trend moving in terms of genres and countries?
In order to collect the related data and to try to offer some answers, a preliminary
investigation a specic research has been carried out in 2003 and in 2008. The
research has been completed by the Italian Trade Commission that, with its worldwide
network of ofces and its promotional activities and assistance, offers essential
information on international markets for Italian companies. It is part of the initiatives
planned in the Sector agreement stipulated among the Italian Ministry for Productive
Activity, the Italian Publishing Association (AIE) and the Italian Trade Commission
itself, with the objective of optimizing synergies between public and private activity
in Italy in order to increase the export activity of the publishing sector. Both years the
survey has been conducted by DOXA, a major Italian statistic company [1].
In the rst edition, providing data from 2001 to 2003, more than 700 publishers
were interviewed using various research techniques (questionnaires, telephone calls
and personal interviews with major publishers) according to the company and their
level of willingness.
It is a quite broad sample: 754 publishers, in more details:
All the major players (more than 50 titles published a year) interviewed
All the publishers producing more than 15 titles a year contacted: 370 out of 603
interviewed (61%)
A sample of small publishing houses interviewed: 384 companies (16%)
Using the same methodology, the study was repeated in 2008, thereby providing
an indication of the performance of the sales and purchases of publishing rights
from 2004 to 2007.
1
1
In 2008 Doxa chose to include the 3,078 publishing houses in Italy which published at least one new
title in 2007 (2,541 publishing houses were included in 2002). Many are small publishing houses given
that 54% (53% in 2002) published at least ve titles in 2007 and only 2.3% (3% in 2002) published more
than one hundred.
Pub Res Q (2009) 25:254263 255
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Some concerns have be taken into consideration looking at the following data
and tables: the sales and purchases are related only to the titles involving directly the
publishers and not to the ones involving literary agents or others third parties. All
the information provided are related to the number of titles and not to the value of
the sales. Moreover the denition used in term of size is referred just to the number
of published titles:
Large = more than 50 titles a year
Medium = 1549 titles a year
Small = less than 15 titles a year
In the two examined periods (20012003 and 20042008) we faced an increase
in the number of publishers involved in exchange programs and processes (Fig. 1).
There has been an increase both in the number of publishers who purchase from
abroad and those who sell abroad. However, there are different dynamics due to
company size that affect their organizational capacity, personnel and the economic-
nancial resources available for editorial projects:
Publishers involved in sale/purchase activity with foreign publishers: 15% in
20012003 (381 rms): 21% in 20042008 (646 publishers), an increase of
?69.5%.
The smallest publishers (less than 15 new titles published annually) increased
from 10% (196 rms) to 16% (354 rms), an increase of 80%. Signicantly, 3%
of those publishing less than 15 titles annually (2% in the previous study)
regularly sell publishing rights of their own books to foreign colleagues.
The largest publishers increased in number from 31 to 45% (from 179 to 388
rms), an increase of 116.8%.
Between 20012003/20042008, the number of publishers to undertake
transactions with publishers abroad, i.e. selling and/or purchasing publishing
rights, increased from 15 to 21%. This is an increase of 6% that by extrapolation, we
estimate as no less than 270280 companies. In a relatively short period of time
less than 5 yearsthey have understood that brand promotion, and their perceived
assets in terms of content and themes, etc. is central to their policies of construction
Fig. 1 Publishers who have sold or purchased foreign rights. Amounts expressed as percentages. Base:
754 companies interviewed in 2008 (representing 3,078 companies considered); in 2004, there were 700
interviews (representing a total of 2,541 publishers). Source: AIE Research Ofce study on Doxa data
256 Pub Res Q (2009) 25:254263
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and development of the catalogue. They do not look only at the domestic market and
the production of Italian authors. Indeed, they consider their own authors and their
own catalogue as a resource of value, not only in domestic sales channels (with their
critical points and low growth indices) but also internationally.
Between 2004 and 2008, the number of publishers who sold and/or purchased
publishing rightsannually or at least within the research timeframeincreased
from 381 to 667: ?75.1%. It is important here to emphasize that the growth of the
companies that sell and/or purchase rights (i.e. contents) internationally has been
more rapid than the number of companies in the reference universe. Respectively,
?75.1% compared to ?21.1% (from 2,541 publishers who publish at least one new
title annually to 3,078). This is a gure which indicates that the construction and
development of the catalogue, by the publisher in an editorial program which is
coherent and recognizable to the public and to the bookseller, is now passing
through ever more complex processes of international activity.
The greater/lesser sale/purchase of publishing rights can be examined in
relationship to the productive capability of the publishers. As we can see (Fig. 2) the
publishers publishing more than fty new titles annually, purchase (and also sell)
more titles from foreign markets. They represent 53.0% of the rms that form part
of the cluster of the largest publishers (those who publish more than fty new titles
annually) and declare that they have purchased and/or sold rights by/from foreign
publishers.
We nd the opposite situation in the cluster of the smallest publishers: here only
16.0% of those who publish annually less than fteen titles declare that they have
purchased and/or sold rights by/from foreign publishers. These processes are given
less weight, but they also have a signicant ability to recover positions compared to
more structured companies, taking the opportunities offered to eradicate the
precompetitive factors of the sector which have developed in recent years.
The sale of rights abroad is increasing (Fig. 3), but at a 10% slower rate than
purchases: ?65.3% (sale) vs. ?79.9% (purchase). These two values are the result of
very different and, at times, opposed trends. For example, the development in recent
years of small imprints and publishing brands which have inevitably found an
indispensable source of supply of new works in the catalogues of foreign publishers.
Indeed, we have seen in recent years some geo-editorial brands and catalogues, in
Fig. 2 Publishers who have sold or purchased foreign rights by number of new titles published during
the year. Amounts expressed as percentages. Base: 754 companies interviewed in 2008 (representing
3,078 companies considered). Source: AIE Research Ofce study on Doxa data
Pub Res Q (2009) 25:254263 257
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other words focused editorially on particular, specic literatures: Iperborea
(Northern European ction), O barra O (South East Asia, Korea, Vietnam, etc.),
Beit (Slovenian literature), Editrice Pisani (Chinese literature), Cavalli di ferro
(Portuguese language literature), etc.; a process in addition to that of the traditional
purchase of rights from English language markets, or from France, Germany, Spain.
Overall, there is a greater ability of the Italian publishers to create and manage
interest from foreign publishers concerning the material published in our market.
In the same period (20012007), considering the number of contract signed
(Fig. 4), the number of titles grew both for the purchased and the sold title, but the
number of the sold are quite interesting ?94%
Furthermore the Italian publishing industry also is becoming more and more
international, with a greater number of publishing houses having participation both
in Europe and worldwide. (Figs. 5, 6)
Fig. 3 Performances of the publishers who have purchased and/or sold copyright: 20012007. Amounts
expressed as percentages
Fig. 4 Translation rights purchased/sold by Italian publishers. Numbers of contracts per year
258 Pub Res Q (2009) 25:254263
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Fig. 5 Italian publishers in Europe. Source: AIE Research ofce study on ISTAT data
Fig. 6 Italian publishers in USA and Center and Sud America and Asia. Source: AIE Research ofce
study on ISTAT data
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If we focus more in details on the genres of the titles (Figs. 7, 8) we may see
some differences among the kind of books sold and purchased.
The majority of the purchased books are non ction (35%) followed by adult
ction (30%) and children books (16%) while on the side of sold books, we foresee
at the rst place children books (30%) followed by non ction (28%) and by
illustrated book (17%), showing how the quality and the specic knowledge,
developed in some areas by the Italian publishing houses, seems to be now
recognized also outside our country.
Fig. 7 Genre of purchased/sold books
Fig. 8 Main trend in genres (sold titles)
260 Pub Res Q (2009) 25:254263
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On the other side these gures are also indicating a profound transformation of
the existing editorial policies of Italian publishers. Moreover, the gures would
seem to indicate that a growing number of titles are considered for foreign markets,
and they are being offered to publishers, markets and readers outside Italy. A
growing quotafrom 5 to 10%of editorial production today is for the
international market.
Regarding the area of ction it appears signicant (Fig. 9) thatrelative to
ctionif we consider the percentage of titles purchased abroad by Italian
publishers to augment their own catalogue, more than seven out of ten (75%) are
works published after 1990. However, if we observe the behavior of foreign
publishers with regard to Italian ction, we see that this interest for younger and
more recent authors is greater: ninety percent of novels by Italian authors published
after 1990.
Where do Italian publishers export or sell translation rights? The research tried to
summarize some of the ows of translation represented in detail in Tables 1 and
Fig. 10, just as they can be estimated on the basis of the data gathered by Doxa. The
rst gure one notices is the fact that 63% of the rights purchased from Italian
publishers in 2007 were from English language publishers (this was 67% in 2003).
This 63% correspondsin the opposite directionto a very modest 8.3% (but even
here it was 7% in 2004). These values are perhaps not to be taken in absolute terms
but describe very clear difculties in accessing the richest markets offering better
opportunities to make themselves known to other publishers.
Conclusion
The rst and principal element that the report on the import/export of rights
highlights is that there are many very different situations with regard to three
fundamental variables: the geographical area with which an importexport
relationship is established, the genre of the books and the size of the companies
involved by the phenomenon.
Fig. 9 Fiction: the age of the books of the authors. Values in %. Source: AIE Research ofce study on
Doxa data for ICE
Pub Res Q (2009) 25:254263 261
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The second, but no less important fact indicated, is how the trends noted in the
previous cycle of research have continued to develop, showing how they are
necessary in the medium and medium-long term so that the factors of innovation are
explained and consolidated as usual business policy.
A preliminary policy indication can be established from these simple observa-
tions; what is necessary is not so much a policy of promotion and support of the sale
of the rights, but a series of policies articulated according to geographical context,
type of books and the size of the publishers.
An observation made already in 2004 on the occasion of the previous study today
nds conrmation in the validity of some guideline choices made. Starting from a
Table 1 Main trend in geographical area (sold titles)
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 D2007/01 (%)
France 270 268 309 260 297 353 320 19
Germany 126 185 167 233 182 280 311 147
UK 54 41 71 87 97 123 120 122
Spain 342 288 286 537 454 463 466 36
Poland 144 268 286 239 148 221 319 122
Other Europe 468 556 785 653 768 936 1,134 142
USA and Canada 126 165 119 183 96 164 154 22
Latin America 126 164 154 188 107 242 191 52
China 8 20 46 66 37 87 142 1,675
Other Asia 97 62 125 190 313 325 260 168
Other 39 42 32 23 122 36 72 85
Total 1,800 2,059 2,380 2,659 2,621 3,230 3,489 94
Fig. 10 Sale/purchase of titles
by geographical area and
development between 2001 and
2007. Amounts expressed as
percentages. Base: Publishers
who have purchase and/or sold
publishing rights (224).
Question: Were the novels
written before or after 1990.
Source: Doxa data processing
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further observation, also political: all these processes need medium or medium/long
term time frames to express their full relevance.
Thus, it is useful to go over the gures of the report and seek a reading
highlighting the problems that the three variables identify and propose from this
indication what types of policies can be most effective. The Sector agreements
within which also these two cycles of investigation have been realizedprovide a
favorable context for the development of those system policies indicated above,
based on collaboration between public and private sectors. Policies can be much
more effective when they are based on elements of knowledge and reection on real
market context.
Reference
1. The Second Report on importexport of copyright or translation rights in Italy. Italian Trade
Commission and Associazione Italana Editori, Via delle Erbe 2, 20121 Milano, Italy; 20032007.
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