The Italian publishing market is preparing to resume its work, reopening its offices in full capacity since the beginning of July, according to Giunti Editore.
Like all other industries, publishing has been hit hard by the coronavirus, especially in countries that have recorded a high rate of infected cases, such as Italy, which has witnessed one of the worst human battles against COVID-19 since its spread.
Sada el-Balad English (See) carried out an exclusive interview with Leeann Bortolussi, International Sales Officer at Giunti Editore publishing house, which is one of the oldest and largest publishing and distribution houses in Italy and Europe.
In this interview, we will examine the effects of the coronavirus on publishers and the difference between the Arab, Egyptian, European, and American book market.
Bortolussi said Italy was severely hit by the virus and quickly closed markets and book stores in March, only to open in June, yet, publishers have to work hard to recover the business and start welcoming readers again. "Personally, our company "Giunti" forced us to work fewer hours during the past months.
My office managed the international sales, to assure the continuity of work and communication with our customers remotely," Bortolussi added, noting that despite the cancellation of the spring plans, she made sure that the publishers were still active and informed.
"We thought that the lockdown would continue until July or September, yet, a decision was issued to start opening our offices in Milan and Florence on June 29.
Employees will return to work full time while applying precautionary measures to assure their safety in the coming days," she pointed out.
Bortolussi added that Giunti has just presented the first half of the autumn sales in all fields, which was well-received, to resume its marketing, that has been halt for a while, in preparation for the best-selling autumn season in Italy.
The Arabic Publishing:
As for the Arabic language translation activities, she said that her publishing company receives many requests for translation into and from Arabic but, the matter was always stalled due to the poor translation or different contextual meanings.
The correct translation needs to take into account the difference in traditions and terminology as well as the meaning and synonyms, which may differ from one dialect to another in the same language.
Bortolussi visited Egypt during the 51st Cairo International Book Fair last year, which 'surprised' her, as she puts it down. "It surprised me that publishers interacted directly with the public.
"In the US or Europe, publishers follow-up sales only through reports. It is impossible to find the parent company dealing with the reader face to face," she pointed out.
"What I found in Egypt is different. Owners of publishing houses watch the sales movement, receiving opinions of the public themselves.
"That intimacy and direct interaction connect the audience with the publishing house," Bortolussi noted.
"The difference between the book fairs in the world and that of Cairo is the big crowd and the family atmosphere. The Cairo Book Fair opens its doors for a perse audience. It is also considered as a picnic, in which children get an early association with books and culture," she concluded.
Contributed by Taarek Refaat
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