Two new Italian publishing houses launch in 2024, signaling a healthy book market

Two new independent publishing houses, Topic and Wudz, have launched in Italy in 2024, reflecting a resilient book market. Topic, founded by Marco Bolasco with minority participation from Giunti, focuses on non-fiction with an initial emphasis on food and wine. Its first three titles cover Chianti Classico, taste perception, and rosé wine. Future projects include a board game atlas, a collaboration with chef Niko Romito, a foraging guide, a history of mathematics, and a wine magazine. Wudz, based in Milan and a spin-off of the Arezzo-based record label Woodworm, debuts in March at Bookpride 2024 in Milan. Its first three titles are a book of conversations with Steven Spielberg, a work on AI and robotics by Hiroshi Ishiguro, and a documentary journey through Colombian society by Valentina Barile. Wudz aims to create an interdisciplinary cultural ecosystem. Both ventures join a growing independent publishing sector in Italy, which has seen 20.5% growth from 2020 to 2021 and 24.1% from 2020 to 2024, according to GFK data.