Press Release: ADALI, the first Association of Italian literary agents is born

Press Release

ADALI: THE FIRST ASSOCIATION OF ITALIAN LITERARY AGENTS IS BORN

A NEW NATIONAL ORGANIZATION AIMING TO ENSURE PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE AND ETHICAL PROCEDURES TOWARDS ITS MEMBERS AND THEIR CLIENTS.

 THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY IS UNDERGOING A VERY SEVERE CRISIS. ADALI WANTS TO JOIN THE OTHER PROFESSIONAL CATEGORIES IN THE INDUSTRY IN A DEBATE AIMING TO FINDINNOVATIVE POLICIES AND WAYS TO SUPPORT BOOKS AND READING IN ITALY.

On 7th april 2020 ADALI, the first Italian literary agents’ association, was officially set up. The association includes 37 agents and literary agencies who strive to work with high competence and professional standards. ADALI’s members represent authors, illustrators, and publishing houses; they have been active in the market for at least two years; they are registered in Italy or their portfolio includes at least 50% of Italian authors represented in the Italian literary market.
ADALI will operate as a new national organism to ensure professional competence and ethical procedures towards its members and their clients.

After almost two years of meetings and talks among fellow agencies, some shared needs and pivotal principles of our profession have won over the usual competition between operators in our trade. Our decision of constituting ourselves in an association springs forth from a host of needs that all agents share:

ADALI aims to promote and safeguard the profession of literary agent in Italy, and to represent the interests of its members within the publishing industry and with public and private institutions.

Since no formal criteria or qualifications exist for the profession of literary agent, and because of the proliferation of editorial services agencies offering representation services with unclear methods, the need has arisen to get together and outline the professional identity of a literary agent. To clearly communicate the fundamental rules and the prevailing customs of our profession (the “good practices”)in order to establish a benchmark both in the practice of our profession, and in the relation between fellow agents, as well as a guarantee of professionalism for the authors and publishers seeking representation. For this purpose, ADALI has approved an ethical code which regulates the practice of our profession and the relations between its members , who pledge to practice their profession in such a way as to protect and promote the reputation of ADALI, to avoid any unfair practice, in compliance with the respect towards fellow agents, and in the best interests of one’s clients.
ADALI sets itself a host of goals, amongst which: supporting the access of its members to selected shared professional services; facilitating the continuous updating of its members professional know-how; strengthening the role of members and their presence in regional, national and international debates concerning publishing and copyright. The publishing industry is currently in a critical situation and ADALI, thanks to the 360 degree view of the industry that literary agents have (being the link among authors, publishers, film and tv producers, distributors and book shop owners)will be able to make a relevant contribution to the strategies for a new start after the pandemic.
ADALI aims to encourage virtuous processess of professional growth in an industry that is highly competitive but not regulated by standard educational careers specifically geared to the profession of literary agent.

At the moment in Italy we have an ongoing debate on the future of books, all over media and newspapers. The pandemic is going to affect our lives until a vaccine is available all over the world; it is a dramatically exceptional situation that calls for exceptional innovation in the book world, too. We cannot be stuck in methods and sales policies which were set for a world that does not exist anymore, and that for the past 10 or 15 years had increasingly shown faults. The position of literary agent is pivotal in the publishing industry, because they work on a book from the very start of the project, and they assist authors throughout their creative processes. As agents are constantly in touch with many different publishers, they possess a 360-degree view of the potential as well as the shortcomings of the publishing industry. The best interests of the literary agent, which is so closely similar to the best interest of authors, is pushing us to innovate mechanisms which have proven ineffective, and which need to be reassessed.
ADALI, as a professional category association, aims to debate together with the other professional organizations in order to conceive innovative proposals with a vast horizon, to support books and reading.
We keep thinking that the world of books has a great responsibility towards society, and we feel that weight from our standpoint. Together with the other stakeholders in our industry, we must find renewed strategies to intercept new potential readers, to build a better aware population and more curious citizens.

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ADALI is an independent association of agents based on self-rule. It is not for profit, apolitical and independent of political parties, regulated by the Italian civil code rules and by its own statute. The board of governors is currently represented by: Maria Gabriella Ambrosioni (President), Roberta Oliva (Secretary), Alessandra Mele, Loredana Rotundo, Anna Spadolini.

Website: www.adali.org
Social networks: Facebook e Instagram

The founders of ADALI are:

AC² Literary Agency
Agnese Incisa Agenzia Letteraria
Alferj e Prestia
Ampi Margini – Literary Agency
Anna Spadolini Agency
Arianna Letizia Agency
Benedetta Centovalli Literary Agency
Bennici & Sirianni Agenzia Letteraria
Book on a Tree
bookat literary agency
Clementina Liuzzi Literary Agency
Donzelli Fietta Agency
Eulama
Gabriella Ambrosioni Literary Agency
Il Caduceo Agenzia Letteraria
Agenzia Letteraria Kalama
La Matita Rossa
Laura Ceccacci Agency
Literaturagentur Juliane Roderer
Loredana Rotundo Literary Agency
Lorem Ipsum | Agenzia Editoriale
Martin Eden Agenzia Letteraria
Meucci Agency
Nabu International Literary and Film Agency
Natoli Stefan & Oliva – Agenzia Letteraria
Oblique Studio
Otago Literary Agency
Pastrengo Agenzia Letteraria
Phileas Fogg Agency
Reiser Literary Agency
Rosaria Carpinelli Consulenze Editoriali
r.vivian literary agency
Sosia & Pistoia Literary
Susanna Zevi Agenzia Letteraria
Trentin Agency – Literary & Talent Agency
Vicki Satlow Literary Agency
Walkabout Literary Agency