What Marsilio Editori does

Marsilio Editori S.p.A. is an independent Italian publishing house founded in Venice on February 23, 1961, and named after the 14th-century philosopher Marsilio da Padova. The company publishes across four principal segments: contemporary Italian and foreign narrative fiction (including the Giallosvezia Scandinavian crime/thriller line and the Stieg Larsson Millennium Trilogy), academic humanities titles through its Marsilio Università division, non-fiction on politics, economics, religion and society, and art exhibition catalogues for major cultural institutions. Its catalogue exceeds 8,000 titles with approximately 3,000 active in-print titles and roughly 250 new releases annually.

The business operates a multi-imprint model with wholly-owned sub-brands Sonzogno (acquired from RCS in 2010), Testo & Immagine (acquired 2005), and LOG607 (acquired 2009), plus the joint-venture subsidiary Marsilio Arte (2021) which extends the company into museum services, ticketing, exhibition organization and bookshop management. Distribution is handled through Messaggerie Libri in Italy and D.A.P. Artbook for English-language titles internationally, with promotion handled by Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore and logistics by the MF joint venture between Feltrinelli and Messaggerie Italiane following Feltrinelli's 2017-2020 controlling stake acquisition (now 55%).

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time book sales via wholesale distribution, museum bookshops, and limited direct-to-consumer e-commerce (IBS), with no subscription or recurring pricing model disclosed. The company is privately held, headquartered in Venice, operates with 40+ staff, and reports average annual revenue of approximately €12 million, making it one of the largest cultural enterprises in the Triveneto region. It is led by CEO Luca De Michelis following the August 2018 passing of founder and president Cesare De Michelis.

Name

Marsilio Editori

Legal name

Marsilio Editori S.p.A.

Website

https://marsilioeditori.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marsilio Editori is a Venice-based independent Italian publishing house founded in 1961, publishing fiction, academic humanities, and art catalogues for cultural institutions. Majority-owned by Gruppo Feltrinelli since 2020, it operates Sonzogno, Marsilio Arte, and an 8,000+ title catalogue distributed across Italy and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Institutional & Custom Publishing (Coursepacks, Campus/Corporate Training) (MPAJABAL), Editorial & Production Services (Copyediting, Proofreading, Formatting, Typesetting) (MPAJAJAG)

Keywords

• Book publishing
• Art catalogues
• Italian literature
• Academic publishing
• Museum publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Venice

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Sale of published books through distribution channels including bookstores, museum bookshop, and online platforms

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Marsilio Editori is an independent Italian publishing house that publishes fiction (Italian and international narrative, including Scandinavian crime literature), non-fiction/saggistica (political, cultural, economic, humanities), academic publications (Marsilio Università), and art catalogues for major museums and cultural institutions. The company also operates museum services, bookshop management, and exhibition organization through its Marsilio Arte subsidiary, and publishes under the wholly-owned Sonzogno imprint.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sonzogno: Owned 100% by Marsilio. Publishes fiction and varied publications.
• Marsilio Arte

Products and services

• Italian and international fiction books (narrativa) Contemporary Italian and translated international narrative fiction published under series including In letteratura, Narratori Oggi, Primo Tempo (debuting authors, launched 1987), and Giallosvezia (Scandinavian crime/thriller literature including Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy). Targeted at general readers of contemporary fiction.
• Non-fiction/saggistica books Non-fiction books covering politics, economics, religion, society, biographical essays, and historical subjects, published in series including Interventi and the Letteratura Universale classics collection. Targeted at readers of socio-political and cultural non-fiction.
• Art catalogues for museums and cultural institutions

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Palazzo Strozzi (Firenze)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2018Three-year agreement (2018-2020) for publishing exhibition catalogues organized by the Florentine Foundation. Marsilio also manages the bookshop and Bottega Strozzi within the Palazzo.
• MF (Messaggerie Feltrinelli)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 October 2017Joint venture between Feltrinelli and Messaggerie Italiane for distribution activities. Handles distribution of Marsilio products in Italy.
• Messaggerie LibricoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary Italian distribution partner for all Marsilio publications within Italy.
• D.A.P. ArtbookcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributes Marsilio English language books (Biennale catalogues, Mode series) in United States, Europe and rest of world.
• Marsilio ArtecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary company (2021) focused on editorial production of art catalogues, museum services, ticket office management, exhibition organization, bookshop management and merchandising, press office for cultural institutions.
• Civita Tre VeneziecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for cultural events and art publications, including Aldo Manuzio exhibition and Canova exhibition at Gallerie dell'Accademia.
• Università Ca' Foscari di VeneziaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for the Incroci di Civiltà literary festival and joint hosting of Premio Cesare De Michelis per l'Editoria.
• Sonzogno EditoricoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFully owned Marsilio brand (acquired from RCS in 2010) for fiction and non-fiction varied publications.
• Various universities and academic institutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic non-fiction published in collaboration with universities and public/private bodies for humanities publications.
• Various cultural foundationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolitical-cultural foundations collaborate on book series including 'I libri di Reset', 'Formiche' and 'Collana storica della Banca d'Italia'.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Giulio Einaudi Editore: One of Italy's most prestigious independent literary publishers, part of the Mondadori group. Directly comparable as a high-prestige trade publisher with strong fiction, non-fiction, and academic humanities catalogues in the Italian market.
• Adelphi Edizioni: Independent Italian literary publisher focused on fiction, philosophy, and humanities. Highly comparable to Marsilio in scale, editorial ambition, and prestige positioning within the Italian trade and academic humanities space.
• Bompiani: Italian literary publisher (part of Mondadori group) with strong fiction, non-fiction, and essay catalogues. Closely comparable to Marsilio's genre fiction and humanities non-fiction editorial profile.
• Sellerio Editore: Independent Italian publisher based in Palermo, renowned for literary fiction (especially the Catalana crime series) and humanities essays. Comparable to Marsilio as a similarly sized independent with strong editorial identity and a distinctive fiction imprint.
• Skira Editore: Italian art book publisher specializing in catalogues, monographs, and exhibition publications for major museums. The closest direct peer for Marsilio Arte and the B2B art catalogue franchise, competing for the same institutional clients.

Broad incumbents

• Electa (Mondadori Group): Art and architecture publishing imprint of the Mondadori group, producing exhibition catalogues and museum publications. Overlaps with Marsilio's art catalogue segment but operates as part of a much larger publishing conglomerate.
• Gruppo Feltrinelli: Parent company of Marsilio (55% stake) and one of Italy's largest publishing and bookstore retail groups. Comparable as a major trade publisher and direct corporate parent, with significant distribution overlap via the MF joint venture.
• Arnoldo Mondadori Editore: Italy's largest trade publisher and parent of Einaudi, Bompiani, Rizzoli, and Electa. Comparable as the dominant incumbent covering trade fiction, non-fiction, academic, and art catalogue segments where Marsilio competes.
• Rizzoli: Major Italian trade publisher within the Mondadori group, active in illustrated books, lifestyle, fiction, and art titles. Comparable as a larger-scale publisher with overlapping illustrated and art book editorial territory.

Others

• Marsilio Arte (subsidiary): Marsilio's own subsidiary (jointly controlled with Civita Tre Venezie) focused on museum services, exhibition organization, bookshop management, and ticketing. Listed as an internal/captive comparable illustrating the extension of Marsilio's model into services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/marsilioeditori
• TikToktiktok.com/@marsilio_editori
• Facebookfacebook.com/marsilioeditori

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Marsilio Editori