Foglio Edizioni's general manager, Riccardo Cavallero, discusses the new publishing market, amidst new challenges and difficulties.
The publishing world requires intuition, patience, and a good dose of courage. He explains it well. Richard Cavallero, general manager of Editions Sheet, speaking to the microphones of Only Radio for a long conversation about the present and future of books. From successful bets to major regrets, to advice for those dreaming of publishing a novel, Cavallero offered a direct and honest look at an ever-changing industry.
Riccardo Cavallero and the value of intuition
For those who work in publishing, immediately understanding whether a manuscript is working isn't easy. According to Riccardo Cavallero, the signs can vary. Sometimes the writing stands out, other times the story emerges powerfully. More rarely, however, comes what he calls a true "epiphany": a text with a great story told in a sublime way.
In his professional career, intuition has often played a decisive role. Cavallero recalled the case of Fifty Shades of Grey, purchased during his time at Mondadori. A publishing phenomenon that many didn't even consider a real book, but which quickly became a global success selling millions of copies.
Alongside intuition, however, market analysis remains crucial. A publisher must strike a balance between economic sustainability and cultural value. Cavallero also cited the case of the writer Orhan Pamuk, who was published for years despite disappointing sales. The turning point came with the Nobel Prize, which completely changed the author's commercial fortunes.
The great editorial regret
During the interview, Riccardo Cavallero also recounted one of the most painful rejections of his career. During his time in Spain, he received the manuscript of Paolo Giordano's The Solitude of Prime Numbers. Despite his wife's enthusiasm, the editorial staff deemed the novel "too Italian" for the Spanish market.
The decision not to buy it proved to be a mistake. The book was published by another publisher and achieved impressive numbers, with hundreds of thousands of copies sold in just a few months. An episode that demonstrates how difficult it is to truly predict the success of a work.
The crisis of originality in contemporary books
One of the most interesting passages in the interview concerns contemporary fiction. According to Riccardo Cavallero, the main problem with contemporary publishing is a lack of originality. Too many authors, but also many publishers, are chasing tried-and-true formulas in an attempt to replicate previous successes.
Cavallero calls this phenomenon "the X-Factor syndrome": the constant search for products designed to immediately appeal to the market. The result, however, is often a standardized production, made up of stories that seem like copies of other stories we've already seen.
According to the editor of Foglio Edizioni, more courage is needed. Writers should be more daring and seek out their own voice, without obsessively looking at the charts. Publishers, too, he believes, should take more risks on innovative projects rather than relying solely on tried-and-true formulas.
Advice for those who want to publish a book