Interview with Barbara Nardi, Managing Director of Polo Canali Gruppo Feltrinelli

This year, newitalianbooks began compiling a list of bookshops selling Italian books outside Italy and launched a new section highlighting the role these bookshops play in promoting Italian books around the world.

As part of this survey on the sale of Italian books outside Italy, we interviewed Barbara Nardi, General Manager of Polo Canali Gruppo Feltrinelli.

What is the ‘Libri italiani all’estero’ (Italian books abroad) initiative launched by Feltrinelli? Who is it aimed at? What are its objectives?

According to Istat, 6 million Italians live abroad. Many of them are avid readers who are unable to keep up with the main Italian publications. Indeed, bookshops abroad often offer titles that have already been published, while new releases are impossible or difficult to find. Hence the idea of encouraging the shipment abroad of the latest books distributed on the Italian market, targeting all Italians living far from home, but also those who are interested in the Italian language and wish to discover it through contemporary novels and essays.

Since the launch of the initiative, what has been the reaction of those you have spoken to?

It has been generally well received. Many readers have expressed an interest in being kept informed of new releases. In addition, as shipping costs abroad are higher, people who want to buy a book are more inclined to buy several products at the same time. This purchasing behaviour has prompted us to structure our offer by focusing, on the one hand, on the latest releases and, on the other, on readers’ interests, whether thematic or related to a specific author or literary genre, thus offering genuine literary journeys.

Do you already have plans to extend your offering to ‘major’ buyers of Italian books (national libraries, university libraries, libraries in the Italian cultural network abroad)?

We are currently laying the groundwork for this. There are many organisations abroad, mainly institutional, which we hope will soon become key partners in this project.