Call for small publishers, 5 million from MiC to support the book supply chain

A call for support vouchers for small publishers, a measure promoted by the MiC through the Center for Books and Reading and financed with a total allocation of 5 million euros, was presented today at the Ministry of Culture. The initiative is part of a broader strategy to support the publishing sector, with a specific focus on small-scale publishers, which are considered a key element in the country’s cultural vitality.

In the welcoming message sent to the meeting, Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli stressed the crucial role of small publishers within the national cultural ecosystem. According to the minister, these realities represent essential presidia capable of defending bibliodiversity, intercepting new creative energies, enhancing courageous catalogs and contributing significantly to the richness of intellectual debate. The intervention, Giuli pointed out, aims to support books as instruments of freedom, knowledge and civil growth, placing itself in continuity with the policies already launched through the Culture Decree. The first effects of these measures, he recalled, are offering encouraging signs: “In the first three months of 2026,” he explained, “book sales in the main commercial channels have recorded significant growth, and independent bookstores have marked an even more significant result: +8.7 percent in value and +7.1 percent in copies. It is a sign that the book supply chain responds promptly and dynamically if you know how to listen to it and support it in the right way.”

Also emphasizing the centrality of reading as an engine of cultural development was Paola Passarelli, director general of Libraries and Cultural Institutes of the MiC. “Reading constitutes one of the most effective tools for propelling and nurturing creativity,” she said. “The Ministry of Culture is a primary, but not sole, actor in this complex process, bringing to synthesis the instances of the different stakeholders on the national territory. With the support offered to smaller publishing companies, we want to support those sectors along the production line - from interventions in favor of personnel to promotion at fairs to the digitization of business processes - that can strengthen and improve the quality of cultural production in this sector.”

Also along the same lines was the speech of Luciano Lanna, director of the Center for Books and Reading, who called small publishing houses “a garrison of cultural avant-garde. They are laboratories of ideas, spaces where creativity and research take priority over entrepreneurial strategies. They guard narrative diversity, bibliodiversity, protect the plurality of voices and nurture a literary landscape that would otherwise be impoverished by the logic of the market alone. Without the work of small publishing houses, many stories would remain invisible, and with them whole pieces of culture and imagination.”

The call, explained by Roberto Pasetti, head of Invitalia’s entrepreneurship area, aims to offer concrete economic support to publishing companies that fall into the category of microenterprise. These are businesses with fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover of 2 million euros or less, often characterized by a strong cultural vocation but limited resources. Businesses that meet the requirements will be eligible for a non-repayable grant of up to 15,000 euros. The resources can be allocated to different types of activities, with a focus on participation in book fairs, both nationally and internationally, which are considered a strategic tool to strengthen the visibility of publishing houses, expand commercial networks and promote publishing production.

Another area of intervention concerns digitization processes, with the aim of fostering the adoption of innovative technological tools along the entire supply chain, from production to management, up to the sale and promotion of publishing products. In this way, the call aims to support an evolution of business models, making them more competitive and adapted to market transformations.

The measure also aims to affect employment by incentivizing the hiring of qualified staff and the consolidation of existing employment levels. The objective is twofold: on the one hand, to strengthen the internal skills of enterprises, and on the other hand, to contribute to an increase in turnover through improved business skills and expanded sales channels.

Operationally, applications must be submitted exclusively through Invitalia’s portal, starting at noon on June 20, 2026. This is a mode that aims to simplify procedures and ensure centralized management of applications, in line with public administration digitization policies. The initiative represents just one piece of a broader intervention to support the sector. In fact, an additional project dedicated to the entire book supply chain, financed with an 8 million euro fund, is planned to be launched during 2026.

Call for small publishers, 5 million from MiC to support the book supply chain

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.