In association with Frankfurter Buchmesse, Aficionado Award at Torino’s Fair nominates Seagull Books (Calcutta), La disparition (Marseille), and zoraLIT (Berlin).
An early-fair event at the 37th Salone Internazionale del Libro di Torino with VIP guests and attendees. Image: SILT
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
See also: Torino Rights Center: 450 Registered, Plus 70 Fellows
Dates for 2026: May 14 to 18, Rights Center May 13 to 15
In Italy’s Piedmont, the 37th Salone Internazionale del Libro di Torino has closed today (May 19) with a reported 231,000 attendees. That number surpasses last year’s show by 9,000 attendees, likely contributing to organizers’ assertion that the Torino show is “Italy’s largest publishing event.”
The public-facing fair’s programming is reported today to have included more than 2,500 events on-site, 800 events in various parts of the famously colonnaded city, all comprising the use of some 70 venues.
The book fair site itself had 172,480 seats and an average occupancy of 75 percent. A total 315 events were sold out. Author events, featuring both Italian and international writers, drew 129,360 attendees.
A “Romance Pop Up,” divided into 11 venues in a cinema space, used a “meet-and-greet” formula to have 3,600 visitors meet with 52 authors who reportedly signed some 50,000 books.
This was Annalena Benini’s second year of editorial direction.
Key Exhibitors’ Numbers
With its emphasis on book sales—at a time when many in Italy are concerned about sliding sales figures—several major publishers have reported to the fair’s organizers good gains this year in sales.
- The GeMS Group of publishers led by Stefano Mauri reported that its sales this year at the Torino fair increased by 35 percent, peaking on Thursday (May 15);
- Edizioni reported a sales gain of 30 percent;
- Iperborea saw an increase in sales of 28 percent;
- Neri Pozza saw sales rise this year by 25 percent;
- The Mondadori Group, according to the fair’s administration, saw a 15-percent increase over 2024’s performance;
- The Feltrinelli group saw a 10-percent gain in sales; and
- Rizzoli reported selling 15 percent more than last year.
One of more than 2,500 events at the 37th Salone Internazionale del Libro di Torino. Image: SILT
The Netherlands’ Guest of Honor Program
Themed “The Discovery of Holland,” the Netherlands’ guest of honor program arrived with 19 authors who were engaged in more than 50 events—presentations, workshops, meetings, held both on the Netherlands’ stand and in other parts of the fair.
A workshop offered by Gert Jan Pos got up to speed with attendees making some 100 delft tiles per hour—1,800 during the run of the show—” decorating them with literary quotes, combining tradition and creativity.”
The 2025 Aficionado Award Nominees
Appearing in the Salone Internazionale del Libro di Torino / Frankfurter Buchmesse presentation of the 2025 nominees for the Aficionado Award are, from left Tom Kraushaar, Klett-Cotta (founding member); Annabelle Perrin, La Disparition (nominee); Sunandini Banerjee, Seagull books (nominee); Laura Weber, ZoraLit (nominee); Camilla Cottafavi, Feltrinelli (member of the preliminary jury); Laurence Laluyaux, RCW (member of the preliminary jury); Peter Van Der Zwaag, De Bezijge Bij (member of the preliminary jury); Rebecca Servadio, London Literary Scouting (founding member); Aleksi Siltala, Siltala Publishing (founding member);
Piero Crocenzi, Salone Internazionale del Libro di Torino; and Eleonora di Blasio, Frankfurter Buchmesse. Image: SILT
As Publishing Perspectives readers know, the Aficionado Award—created “to recognize and pay tribute to the people, companies, and initiatives that innovate and impress in original collaboration”—is a partnership between the Torino fair and Frankfurter Buchmesse (October 15 to 19).
Each year the three nominees for the award, which is conferred at Frankfurt, are named at the Salone Internazionale del Libro di Torino.
This year’s contenders, it was learned at Torino, are:
- The independent publishing house Seagull Books (Calcutta);
- La disparition (Marseille), an epistolary medium about things that are disappearing; and
- The association of literature professionals zoraLIT (Berlin).
The three shortlisted candidates were chosen by the preliminary jury comprising Laurence Laluyaux (RCW Literary Agency); Peter van der Zwaag (Bezige Bij); and Camilla Cottafavi (Feltrinelli).
More from us on the Torino International Book Fair is here, more on international book fairs and trade shows overall is here, more on the Aficionado Award is here, more on Guest of Honor Italy at Frankfurt this year is here, more on the Italian book publishing market is here, and more on Frankfurter Buchmesse is here.
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