AGP Executive Report

Italian Publishing: Heir Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio is planning an $8.3 million takeover of newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano, a potential change in ownership for a prominent Italian title. Books & Ideas: Italian scholar Giorgia Spadoni presented a book exploring Sofia through the novels of Bulgarian writer Georgi Gospodinov. Digital Media: Il Post and Spain’s El Orden Mundial are drawing lessons from turning audio listening into a subscription business. Italian Authors Abroad: Gianrico Carofiglio presented his novel Le tre del mattino in Lisbon.

New Fiction: Jason Reynolds will make his adult-fiction debut with Father, Father, a June road novel about two brothers reckoning with their late father. Italian Publishing: Italian Bulgarian-studies scholar Giorgia Spadoni has published a guide to Sofia through Georgi Gospodinov’s work, mapping four walking routes using nearly 90 literary excerpts. Memoir: Sonia Gandhi’s Belonging: A Journey of Love is due November 10; she says it will correct accounts of her life she considers invented or exaggerated. Italian Authors Abroad: Gianrico Carofiglio presented Le tre del mattino in Lisbon.

Books and Place: Giorgia Spadoni’s new book maps Sofia through Georgi Gospodinov’s novels, turning nearly 90 excerpts into four literary walking routes. Publishing Business: Italian news site Il Post says its free daily podcast helped build a membership model: 120,000 members now provide 78% of its revenue, with listening linked to renewals. Italian Authors Abroad: Gianrico Carofiglio presented Le tre del mattino in Lisbon, bringing his work to readers beyond Italy.

Italian Books Abroad: Scholar Giorgia Spadoni presents In Sofia with Georgi Gospodinov in Sofia, tracing the city through the Bulgarian author’s novels for an Italian literary series. Publishing and AI: Swiss experts warn that AI-detection tools can wrongly cast doubt on authorship, after Haitian-Canadian novelist Thélyson Orélien faced accusations over his book. Italian Authors: Gianrico Carofiglio takes Le tre del mattino to Lisbon for a public presentation. Media Ownership: Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio is weighing a €7.2 million bid for the publisher of Il Fatto Quotidiano, but the paper’s founders say they will not sell. Comics and Newspapers: Lucca Comics is set to host Marvel guests, while Italian daily La Stampa is expanding into the U.S. with a new team.

Carofiglio in Lisbon: Gianrico Carofiglio presented the Portuguese edition of Le tre del mattino at Italy’s embassy, as part of the Week of the Italian Language in the World. Comics at Lucca: Marvel, artist Peach Momoko and Marvel editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski are among the names heading to Italy’s comics gathering. Italian Publishing Abroad: La Stampa is expanding into the US with a new team, extending the Italian daily’s reach. Inside Eco’s Library: A feature revisits the library of Umberto Eco, offering a glimpse into the books and reading life of one of Italy’s best-known authors.

Literary Festivals: Como’s Festival Europa in Versi is among ten international poetry and literature festivals joining a new cross-cultural initiative. Italian Publishing: La Stampa is expanding into the US with a new team, taking the Italian daily to a wider readership. Comics: Lucca Comics & Games is drawing major Marvel names, including Peach Momoko and C.B. Cebulski, to Italy. Books on Screen: Italian producer Gianni Nunnari has optioned Brian Selznick’s Rome-set YA romance Run Away With Me for a feature adaptation. Literary Legacy: A new feature turns the spotlight on Umberto Eco’s library and the world behind the celebrated author’s work.

Italian Political Books: A bibliography of revolutionary Marxist Antonio’s work highlights a wide-ranging Italian catalogue, from studies of the workers’ movement to books on the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe; many titles are out of print. Publishing: La Stampa is expanding into the US with a new team, extending the Italian daily’s reach across the Atlantic. Book Culture: A feature revisits Umberto Eco’s library and the books behind the celebrated author’s intellectual life. Comics: Lucca is set to welcome Marvel figures Peach Momoko and C.B. Cebulski. From Page to Screen: Producer Gianni Nunnari has optioned Brian Selznick’s Rome-set queer YA novel Run Away With Me for a feature adaptation.

Italian Publishing: La Stampa is expanding into the US with a new team, a notable push for an Italian newspaper seeking readers abroad. Publishing and AI: European publishers are asking EU and UK regulators to challenge Meta’s AI terms, as the industry seeks stronger safeguards for its work. Comics in Italy: Lucca’s programme brings Marvel figures Peach Momoko and C.B. Cebulski to Italy, underlining the fair’s draw for comics fans. Literary Heritage: A look inside Umberto Eco’s library offers a glimpse of the books and ideas behind one of Italy’s best-known writers.

Memoir Watch: Sonia Gandhi has previewed Belonging: A Journey of Love, due November 10 from HarperCollins India. The memoir traces her path from Italy to life with Rajiv Gandhi and a career in politics. Comics in Lucca: Marvel names including editor C.B. Cebulski and artist Peach Momoko are set to appear at Lucca, bringing international comics talent to Italy’s flagship festival. Italian Media: La Stampa is expanding into the US with a new team, extending the Italian newspaper’s reach abroad. Umberto Eco: A new feature opens the doors to the Italian author’s library, offering a glimpse into the books and ideas behind his work.

Comics: Lucca Comics & Games is set to welcome Marvel editor C.B. Cebulski and artist Peach Momoko, putting Italian fans at the center of a major comics event. Publishing: Italian newspaper La Stampa is expanding into the US with a new team, extending its reach beyond Italy. Memoir: Sonia Gandhi has shared a first glimpse of Belonging: A Journey of Love, due November 10, recalling how she met Rajiv Gandhi in Cambridge. Literary Heritage: A new feature explores Umberto Eco’s library and the books that shaped the Italian writer and scholar. Italian Abroad: Sarajevo is marking the 26th Week of the Italian Language in the World, celebrating Italian language and culture.

Lucca Comics: Marvel figures Peach Momoko and C.B. Cebulski are among the names heading to Italy’s comics festival. Memoir: Jeremy Renner presented the Italian debut of My Next Breath at Rome’s Alice nella Città festival, sharing his account of his near-fatal accident and recovery. Italian Publishing: La Stampa is expanding into the US with a new team, while fresh attention turns to Umberto Eco’s library. Publishing Rights: European publishers are asking EU and UK regulators to challenge Meta’s AI terms. Book-to-Screen: Italian producer Gianni Nunnari is set to produce a feature adaptation of Brian Selznick’s Rome-set queer YA novel Run Away With Me.

La Stampa Goes Stateside: The 159-year-old Italian daily has launched a US digital operation, with teams in New York and Washington and plans to build a network of contributors across all 50 states. Umberto Eco’s Legacy: A new library in Bologna celebrates the novelist and scholar with a collection of well-used, annotated books that reflects his wide-ranging interests. Medieval History: Historian Chris Wickham, who died aged 76, reshaped understanding of medieval Italy and Europe through influential studies of ordinary people and social change. Italian Fiction on Screen: Polish director Michał Marczak will make his narrative-feature debut with Perfection, adapted from Vincenzo Latronico’s novel, shortlisted for the 2025 International Booker Prize.

Screen Adaptation: Rome-set YA novel Run Away With Me is heading to the screen, with author Brian Selznick adapting his own book and Rome-born producer Gianni Nunnari producing. Publishing Rights: European publishers have asked EU and UK regulators to challenge Meta’s AI terms, raising fresh concerns over how publishers’ work may be used. Comics and Crossovers: Ahead of Lucca Comics, chief Emanuele Vietina discussed the festival’s vision of bringing comics, film and video games together.

Memoir Launch: Sonia Gandhi has shared the first look at Belonging: A Journey of Love, due November 10. The memoir traces her journey from post-war Italy to India, and the personal losses that shaped her life. AI and Publishers: European publishers are asking EU and UK regulators to halt Meta’s new terms, which they fear could let the company use website content in AI products. The dispute echoes earlier clashes, including a legal challenge in Italy. Book-to-Film: Oscar-winning director Gabriele Salvatores has begun shooting The Lüneburg Variation in Trieste, adapting Paolo Maurensig’s novel about a decades-long rivalry played out over a chessboard.

Comics & Publishing: Ahead of Lucca Comics & Games, Jonathan Hickman says his 3W/3M universe is moving from digital to print with Dark Horse, adding a publishing angle to his visit. Italian Authors: Physicist and bestselling science writer Carlo Rovelli’s new book, On the Equality of All Things, draws on ancient Taoist stories to question fixed divisions such as life and death. Book Fairs: Belgrade’s fair opens with Italy among its international exhibitors, but participation is down: 300 direct exhibitors are expected, compared with 416 last year.

Games Publishing: Mechs vs. Minions is set for European retail in December, with an Italian-language edition from Devir planned for 2027. Book Production: Italy’s SoFiGraf, through subsidiary GV Group, has acquired UK printers CPI Books and CPI Antony Rowe. The businesses produce more than 100 million books a year, and the deal nearly doubles GV Group’s size. Comics & Culture: Lucca Comics director Emanuele Vietina highlighted the festival’s crossover between comics, film and video games.