What Editori Laterza does

Editori Laterza (legal entity Gius. Laterza & Figli S.p.A.) is a 124-year-old Italian book publishing house founded in Bari in 1901 and still operating under family ownership. The company is structured around three core verticals — Scuola (primary and secondary school textbooks), Università (academic monographs and university texts), and general-interest Libri — supported by sub-brand collections including Sagittari Laterza and i Robinson/Letture. Editorial scope spans humanities, sciences, history, philosophy, and current affairs, with a roster of prominent Italian authors such as Alessandro Barbero, Telmo Pievani, Anna Foa, Stefano Mancuso, and Luciano Canfora. School textbook production is ISO 9001:2015 certified (certificate IT.12.0160.QMS), and the corporate motto is "Constanter et non trepide."

The company's product surface combines physical book publishing with a growing digital infrastructure. Digital assets include Libro + Internet (a teacher-facing educational platform for sample-copy requests and supplementary materials), Dibook (an integrated digital book platform for school titles), and Club Laterza (a reader loyalty program offering saved libraries, online author events, and exclusive excerpts). Distribution is multi-channel: a 40+ commercial agent network covers all 20 Italian regions plus Switzerland, San Marino, and Vatican City, with dedicated school promoters; direct e-commerce runs through laterza.it alongside third-party retailers Amazon and IBS; and foreign-rights licensing extends the catalog to international publishers. The corporate website has been localized into 40+ languages to support international discovery.

Revenue mechanics are anchored in one-time book sales across print (e.g., €20-22 paperback) and digital (e.g., €12 ebook) price points, supplemented by licensing royalties on foreign rights and institutional sales to schools and universities. There is no disclosed revenue, no external funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries in the available data. The company employs 51-100 staff across its Bari headquarters (Piazza Umberto I n. 54) and Rome office (Via di Villa Sacchetti 17), with registered share capital of €263,250.

Name

Editori Laterza

Legal name

Gius. Laterza & Figli S.p.A.

Website

https://laterza.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1901

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Editori Laterza is a 124-year-old Italian publishing house publishing school textbooks, university texts, and general-interest books. It serves Italian schools, universities, and general readers through a 40+ agent sales network, e-commerce, and digital platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Interdisciplinary/General Education & Study Skills (EDAGABAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Core Subject Textbooks (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies) (EDAGAAAA), Education Research & Pedagogy Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAH), Online Learning Content & Course Publishing Platforms (BPAMAJAL)

Keywords

• Book publishing
• Educational textbooks
• Academic publishing
• Foreign rights licensing
• Italian literature

Headquarters

HQ city

Bari

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book Sales (Print and Digital): Sale of published books through company website, major online retailers (Amazon, IBS), and physical bookstores. Includes both print editions and e-books at different price points.
2. School Textbooks: Sales of educational textbooks to schools through a dedicated network of commercial agents and school promoters across Italy. Sample copies provided to educators.
3. Foreign Rights Licensing: Licensing of publishing rights to international publishers, enabling translations and foreign editions of Italian works.
4. University Publications: Academic and university-level textbook and monograph sales to higher education institutions and students.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Editori Laterza is an Italian publishing house that produces, edits, and distributes printed and digital books across three main divisions: Scuola (school textbooks for primary and secondary education), Università (university and academic monographs), and general interest books in humanities, sciences, history, philosophy, and current affairs. The company also licenses foreign rights internationally and operates digital learning platforms (Libro + Internet, Dibook) and the Club Laterza membership program.

Product overview

Editori Laterza is an Italian book publishing company offering printed and digital books across multiple collections and series. The core product is the book catalog spanning humanities, sciences, history, philosophy, and educational materials for schools and universities. Additional services include Club Laterza (a membership/loyalty program), educational platforms (Libro + Internet and Dibook), and online events with authors. The company operates primarily as a traditional publisher with digital extensions through its web platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sagittari Laterza: Book collection/series under Editori Laterza publishing house
• i Robinson / Letture
• Club Laterza

Products and services

• Editori Laterza Books (Libri) Core publishing catalog of printed and digital books across humanities, sciences, history, philosophy, and educational subjects, serving general readers, students, schools, and universities.
• Libro + Internet Digital platform for requesting sample copies of school textbooks and accessing supplementary online educational resources; requires teacher login and supports classroom integration.
• Dibook Digital book platform integrated with Laterza's school textbook offerings, accessible through the Libro + Internet portal, providing online educational content.
• Club Laterza Membership/loyalty program granting access to a personalized area with saved books, podcasts, articles, exclusive author events, early book excerpts, reading recommendations, and online meetings with authors and editors.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• BPER BancacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration on the podcast series 'Romanzi nel tempo: come la letteratura racconta la storia', a literary podcast exploring how literature narrates history. BPER Banca co-sponsors the podcast content, demonstrating a financial/GTM partnership between a major Italian bank and the publisher.
• GraphiservicecoreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite development, maintenance, and data management partner. Located in Corso Italia 19, Bari, handling server management and data processing for the publisher's digital operations.
• Libro + InternetcoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital educational platform for school textbooks offering online resources, sample copy requests for teachers, and supplementary learning materials. Accessed via laterzalibropiuinternet.it.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Einaudi: Prestigious Italian literary and scholarly publisher under Mondadori, known for humanities, sciences, and high-quality fiction — directly comparable to Laterza's general-interest trade catalog in quality and positioning.
• Carocci Editore: Rome-based Italian academic and educational publisher with strong university and school textbook presence — a smaller, similarly scholarly-focused peer to Laterza's Università segment.
• Rizzoli Education: Italian school and higher education publisher under the Mondadori group; competes head-to-head with Laterza in textbook adoption lists and digital learning materials for Italian schools and universities.
• Hoepli: Historic Italian publisher with a strong catalog in university textbooks, technical and professional reference, and trade — overlapping with Laterza in university and professional publishing.
• Zanichelli Editore: Italian educational publisher specializing in school and university textbooks with a strong digital platform (ZTE, ZANICHELLI Test) — directly comparable to Editori Laterza's Scuola and Università segments and digital learning strategy.
• Il Mulino: Bologna-based Italian academic and scholarly publisher focused on university monographs and humanities/social sciences — closely comparable to Laterza's higher education and interdisciplinary scholarly catalog.
• Giunti Editore: Major Italian publisher with a strong presence in school textbooks, university texts, and general trade — directly comparable across all three of Laterza's business units with a similar multi-segment model.

Broad incumbents

• Mondadori: Italy's largest publisher and parent of Rizzoli Education, Einaudi, and Sperling & Kupfer — overlaps with Laterza across trade, education, and digital, with substantially greater scale and capital resources.
• Feltrinelli: Major Italian trade and educational publisher-retailer with a broad general-interest catalog and school publishing arm — comparable to Laterza's trade book and Scuola segments as a broader incumbent.
• Pearson Italia: Italian arm of Pearson, the global education publisher active in K–12 and higher education, directly competing with Laterza in school and university channels with broader international reach and resources.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/editorilaterza

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Editori Laterza