How to sell your book in Italy: Italian bookstores, distribution and the law

To sell your book in Italy, it has to be orderable where Italian bookstores order: from distributors and wholesalers, not from authors. That takes an ISBN, correct bibliographic data in the catalogs booksellers search, and a distributor or wholesaler they already buy from. Whether a store then puts copies on its shelf is the bookseller's decision, and in Italy a law caps the discount readers can get at 5% of the cover price. This guide explains each step, with sources, as of October 2026.

It is written for authors outside Italy, and for English-language authors living there, who want their book available to Italian readers. Our Italian guide come portare il libro in libreria covers the same ground for authors writing in Italian.

How do Italian bookstores order books?

Italian bookstores order from distributors and wholesalers and find titles in shared catalogs. A study by Elena Ranfa, published in AIB studi in 2020, describes three roles in the Italian trade:

• Promoter (promotore). Sales agents who visit bookstores and present new titles. Few publishers have their own network; most use outside companies, at a cost the study estimates at 7% to 9% of the cover price.
• Distributor (distributore). Ships new titles and reprints, fills reorders, handles returns, invoicing and payment on the publisher's behalf. The study names Messaggerie Libri as the main distributor, with an estimated share of around 40% of the market; distribution including logistics costs 8% to 14% of the cover price.
• Wholesaler (grossista). Sells books without exclusive distribution contracts, mostly to smaller bookstores without accounts at the large distributors. The study names Fastbook, part of the Messaggerie group, as the wholesaler with the largest share, over 50%.

These are 2020 figures: shares change, the structure much less. Next to the physical chain runs the data chain. Informazioni Editoriali operates Alice, which it describes as the most complete catalog of Italian books in print, and Arianna+, a communication and ordering system bookstores use. A title missing from these records is much harder for a bookseller to find.

What discount does an Italian bookstore get?

The bookstore earns the difference between the cover price and its purchase price. The AIB studi study puts the discount publishers give to retailers at 30% to 45% of the cover price; with promotion and distribution, the trade keeps around 60% of the price or more. On an €18 book that leaves the publisher about €7 or less, before printing, author royalties and everything else.

Two terms you will meet:

• Consignment (conto deposito). The bookstore does not buy copies upfront; after an agreed period it pays only for the copies sold and returns the rest. SoloLibri sums it up: the store pays only for the books it actually manages to sell.
• Firm sale (conto assoluto). The bookstore buys the copies and can return them later under the agreed terms. Returns are a cost for the publisher.

How much discount can a book get in Italy?

Since March 25, 2020, a book sold to the end customer, online included, can be discounted by at most 5% of the cover price. Law no. 15 of February 13, 2020 set this cap by amending the Levi law (law no. 128 of July 27, 2011), where the limit had been 15%.

The main exceptions, as reported when the law passed:

• school books: up to 15%;
• bookstore campaigns: once a year, up to 15%;
• publisher campaigns: up to 20% for one month a year, not in December.

The cap applies to the price the reader pays. The discount a publisher grants a bookstore is a commercial agreement inside the trade, which the law on retail prices does not fix.

Can a print-on-demand book be sold in Italian bookstores?

Yes, on order. If the book is listed in the catalogs a bookstore orders from, the bookseller can order a copy when a customer asks for it. Shelf space is a different decision: every copy on a shelf is money the store has already spent, so booksellers stock what they expect to sell, usually with returns allowed.

Amazon KDP has a route to booksellers too, Expanded Distribution. KDP writes that it works with distributors in the US and the UK, from which booksellers and libraries can order, and that enrolling does not guarantee a particular bookseller orders the book.

How to pitch your book to an Italian bookseller

Go in person, at a quiet time, and ask who handles orders. Bring a copy and one page with the ISBN, price, format, publisher, a short description and the channel the store can order from. A reading, a signing or an evening with a book club gives the store a reason to keep copies and talk about the book. If they offer consignment, ask for the terms in writing: percentage, display period, payment dates, what happens to damaged or unsold copies.

Consignment works best for local authors with a reason to be in that particular store: a local subject, an event, a community of readers. It does not scale easily, because every store is its own agreement, but it is the most direct way onto an Italian shelf.

How ShelfPublisher makes your book orderable in Italy

ShelfPublisher publishes your paperback under the imprint of Orbita Media, an international publishing house with more than 1,000 published titles, with an ISBN from its block, and lists it in the wholesale catalogs bookstores order from. Italian bookstores, for example laFeltrinelli and IBS.it, can order it through global wholesale distribution. Italy runs through the international print route and global wholesale, not through a separate Italian route; a dedicated distribution channel for Italian bookstores is in preparation.

What that means and what it does not:

• Orderable, not shelved. A store can order the book for a customer or for its shelf; whether it stocks copies is its decision. We give no number of Italian bookstores and no delivery times.
• Strongest reach in other markets. Through the wholesale catalogs, over 50,000 bookstores can order the book: more than 27,000 in the US, 9,500 in the UK, 6,800 in Germany, 4,200 in France, 3,100 in Spain and 1,400 in Canada, plus more countries through print on demand. Amazon is included.
• Format. Paperback with a black-and-white interior; no hardcover or color.

One slot publishes one book and costs €35, down to €20 per book in the largest package, with no printing, ISBN or distribution costs on top. You receive 30% of the net revenue per copy. Details are on how it works and the pricing page.

If you want your paperback orderable in Italy and beyond under a publishing house imprint, request access to ShelfPublisher. Every request is read by a person.

Amazon, Kindle Direct Publishing and KDP are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Messaggerie Libri, Fastbook, Alice, Arianna+, laFeltrinelli and IBS.it are trademarks of their respective owners. ShelfPublisher is not affiliated with them.