AGP Executive Report

Italian Comics: Riccardo Secchi is taking over as writer of Alan Ford, the long-running Italian comic created by his father, Luciano “Max Bunker” Secchi, and artist Magnus. The series has a devoted following across the former Yugoslavia. Press Freedom: Proceedings against Domani journalists over reporting on Defense Minister Guido Crosetto raise concerns about protecting sources and the risks of criminal cases chilling investigative journalism. Books & Authors: Lexicographer Susie Dent discusses her love of The Lost Estate and her own books, including the word-a-day collection Words for Life and two cosy crime novels. Italy Memoir: In The Italian Job, American reporter Jason Horowitz draws on 25 years in Italy, recounting encounters with the Vatican, Silvio Berlusconi and everyday Italian life.

Comics & Publishing: Lucca Comics and Games director Emanuele Vietina says the festival’s 60th edition, running Oct. 28–Nov. 1, will celebrate the crossover between comics, games, film and TV, with a major exhibition tracing the event’s history. Bookshop News: A Feltrinelli bookstore at Turin’s Porta Nuova station was vandalized during violent cost-of-living protests, with books thrown onto the floor. Translation: Turkish author Ahmet Ümit will meet translators and publishers in Istanbul on Oct. 20–22 to discuss bringing his work to readers worldwide, including the literary bridge between Türkiye and Italy. Children’s Books: A new title celebrates family, culture and Italian baking traditions.

Bookshop Caught in Unrest: Cost-of-living protests turned violent across Italy, with 28 arrests and 141 police officers injured. In Turin, demonstrators entered a Feltrinelli bookstore and threw books onto the floor. Publishing Business: GV Group has bought CPI Books after an international bidding process, a notable publishing-sector deal. Italian Stories in Print: A new children’s book celebrates family, culture and Italian baking traditions. Journalist Jason Horowitz has also presented The Italian Job, a memoir about his 25 years reporting from Italy, including five as Rome bureau chief for The New York Times. Dante Revisited: A new translation explores how 14th-century Italian scholar Benvenuto da Imola drew on Arthurian accounts in his commentary on Dante’s Divine Comedy.

Italian Children’s Books: A new title celebrates family, culture and Italian baking traditions, bringing food heritage into children’s publishing. Comics & Publishing: Marko Djurdjević discusses Orken ahead of Lucca Comics & Games 2026, with the interview offering a preview of the event’s comics programme. Publishing Business: GV Group has bought CPI Books following an international competitive bidding process. Literary Legacy: British author Frances Stonor Saunders, who exposed the CIA’s cultural influence in The Cultural Cold War, has died aged 60.

Italian Authors: Molise physician and writer Veronica Palladino discusses Beyond the Curve, her 2026 book on giftedness, neurodivergence and creativity. Books & Heritage: A new children’s book celebrates family, culture and Italian baking traditions, while broadcaster Rick Campanelli’s memoir Tempted looks back on growing up in a large Italian-Canadian family and his gambling addiction. Italian Literature: Features explore Italian, African and postcolonial writing in Cape Town and Francesco Dimitri’s novel Pan, spotlighting Italian storytelling in different literary settings.

Italian Children’s Books: A new title celebrates family, culture and Italian baking traditions, bringing a distinctly Italian theme to children’s publishing. Literature Abroad: A feature on Italian, African and postcolonial literature in Cape Town places Italian writing in a wider cross-cultural conversation. Author Recognition: Colm Tóibín is set to receive an honorary degree from an Italian university, highlighting the country’s ties with international literary figures.

Italian Children’s Books: A new title celebrates family, culture and Italian baking traditions, bringing the country’s food heritage to young readers. Publishing Business: GV Group has acquired book printer CPI Books following an international bidding process. Literary Connections: Colm Tóibín will receive an honorary degree from an Italian university, while a Cape Town feature explores links between Italian, African and postcolonial literature.

Italian Traditions for Young Readers: Jaclyn Ryan-Henry’s children’s book Made In The Home Kitchen Of La Casa Di Dolce: Nonna’s Traditions! celebrates Italian baking and family recipes passed down through generations. Nightlife in Print: Photographer Giovanna Silva’s NIGHTSWIMMING traces Italian discotheques and architecture, growing from a project commissioned for the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale. Italian Fantasy: Francesco Dimitri’s Pan is the subject of a new feature, bringing attention to contemporary Italian fiction. Literary Recognition: Irish writer Colm Tóibín is set to receive an honorary degree from an Italian university.

Crime Fiction: Richard Osman’s latest murder mystery sends its investigators to Tuscany; a new review finds the plot twist-filled, while praising Ann Cleeves’ book as powerful and poignant. Publishing: Italy’s GV Group has bought CPI Books after a competitive bidding process, a cross-border deal in book production. Literary Honours: Irish novelist Colm Tóibín is set to receive an honorary degree from an Italian university.

Publishing Business: GV Group has acquired CPI Books following an international competitive bidding process, marking a notable deal in the book-production sector. Books on Screen: Italy’s Rai has picked up the thriller Snow White Must Die, adapted from Nele Neuhaus’s novel, alongside Greece’s ERT; MBC also acquired the series for its Shahid platform. Italian Literary Life: An author whose book was acquired by an Italian publisher recounts a literary tour through Milan, Genoa and Rovereto, where the Alpine town became an unexpected highlight. Author News: Irish novelist Colm Tóibín is set to receive an honorary degree from an Italian university. New Fiction: Italian writer Francesco Dimitri’s novel Pan is the focus of a feature exploring its mythic themes.

Publishing Industry: Italy’s GV Group has acquired UK book printer CPI Books and print-on-demand specialist CPI Antony Rowe, adding them to the Franceschi family’s international publishing platform. Press Freedom: Media watchdogs warn that the Rome trial of Domani journalists Giovanni Tizian and Stefano Vergine could threaten confidential sources and investigative reporting. Italian Fiction: Francesco Dimitri’s 2008 novel Pan, newly translated into English, reworks the Peter Pan myth in an unsettling early-2000s Rome. Comics: Artist Marko Djurdjević will bring his self-published dark fantasy series Orken to Lucca Comics & Games, October 28–November 1, after nine years in development.

Children’s Publishing: Banijay Kids & Family has sold the full Little Princess catalogue to Sky UK, while Italy’s TIMVISION secured the first two seasons. The preschool series is based on Tony Ross’s children’s books. Literary Recognition: Irish novelist Colm Tóibín is set to receive an honorary degree from an Italian university, bringing an international literary figure into Italy’s academic spotlight.

Bibliography: Alain Riffaud’s catalogue of Molière’s works has won the 2026 ILAB Breslauer Prize, a major international award for bibliography. Literary Recognition: Irish novelist Colm Tóibín is set to receive an honorary degree from an Italian university. Publisher Rights: Italy’s administrative court upheld AGCOM’s fair-pay resolution, a ruling with implications for publishers’ compensation when their content is used online.

Publishing Rights: Italy’s administrative court has rejected Meta’s appeal, leaving AGCOM’s fair-pay resolution for publishers in place — a significant step in the fight over compensation for news content online. Italian Literary Links: Irish novelist Colm Tóibín is set to receive an honorary degree from an Italian university. Books & Readers: October’s book-club picks range from horror to romance, while Billy Bat has won Best Manga at the 2026 Harvey Awards; the series previously received a Lucca Comics award. Book History: Alain Riffaud’s Molière catalogue won the ILAB Breslauer Prize for Bibliography, recognising research that identified 15 previously unknown editions. New Fiction: British debut novelist Mark Coady’s Lying Beneath connects a fictional Northampton museum to Avezzano and a Roman archaeological dig.

Literary Honours: Irish novelist Colm Tóibín will receive an honorary degree from the University of Macerata on Oct. 13, followed by a conversation with Rector John McCourt and a screening of Brooklyn, adapted from Tóibín’s novel. Italy in Fiction: Spokane author Gregory Spatz says a visit to an Italian church helped shape The Vivaldi Church, a new novel linking three characters across time and place; its launch is set for Oct. 16. Rare Books: An interview with dealer Irene Malfatto of Bruce McKittrick Rare Books turns to book fairs and illustrated children’s books, offering a glimpse into the specialist book trade.

Venice in Fiction: Spokane author Gregory Spatz’s new novel, The Vivaldi Church, links three lives across centuries through Vivaldi’s music, including an 18th-century Venetian singer. A visit to a church in Italy helped inspire the story. Rome on the Page and Screen: Cathy Whitlock’s On Location explores settings from films and TV, with two chapters devoted to Rome, including Roman Holiday and the history of the Spanish Steps. Rare Books and Fairs: An interview with rare-books specialist Irene Malfatto turns to book fairs and illustrated children’s books.