Lumien
Lumien is an independent Italian publisher of fantasy, science fiction, and speculative books, serving readers through print, digital, and bundled sales and emerging authors through professional editing and a model that does not require author contributions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersMestre, Italy
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Lumien does
Lumien is a privately held, founder-operated Italian publishing house based in Mestre that specializes in Italian-authored fantasy, science fiction, and speculative fiction. It sells to readers through print books, eBooks, bundles, kits, and gift cards, while accepting manuscripts from emerging authors under a publishing model that does not require author contributions and instead pays royalties. Its principal collections are Scaglie, focused on fantasy; Zenit, focused on science fiction; Scintille, focused on short speculative fiction; and Lanterne, focused on essays. It also operates Sussurri, a bimonthly online literary magazine, and offers a foreign-rights service, although no completed foreign-rights transactions are disclosed.
Commercial distribution is led by direct e-commerce through lumien.it, with additional physical availability through the Librerie Amiche network of independent bookstores. The company uses Sussurri, manuscript submissions, a blog, newsletter, social channels, interviews, and events to connect authors with readers; selected Sussurri authors can receive a preferential path to novel publication. WooCommerce supports the online store, MailChimp supports email, Telegram supports communication, and Treedom supports the tree-per-book initiative. No proprietary technology, API, software platform, or AI capability is disclosed.
Revenue primarily comes from one-time sales of print and digital books. Listed unit prices range from €3.99 to €20.99, while the Kit dell’Avventuriero is listed at €30.40. Author services include editing, graphic design, promotion, monthly sales reports, and quarterly royalty payments; first-edition royalties are stated as 10% of print cover price and 25% of digital price. Annual revenue, title count, sales volume, and distribution economics are not disclosed.
Lumien firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lumien
- Legal name
- LUMIEN DI ALVISE CANAL
- Website
- https://lumien.it
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Lumien is an independent Italian publisher of fantasy, science fiction, and speculative books, serving readers through print, digital, and bundled sales and emerging authors through professional editing and a model that does not require author contributions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lumien industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Independent Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130), Periodical Publishers (513120)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB)
Keywords
Where Lumien is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mestre
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Lumien business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Book Sales (Print and Digital): Revenue from selling published fantasy and sci-fi books directly through their e-commerce website. Books are sold in multiple formats (paperback, paperback + eBook bundle, eBook only) with price points ranging from €3.99 to €20.99.
- Royalty Payments to Authors: Lumien operates as a non-payment publishing house (NEAP) paying authors royalties of 10% on print cover price and 25% on digital for first edition, with progressive increases from second edition based on sales.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual eBook prices |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual print books |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Kit bundles (books + merchandise) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Print + eBook bundles |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Lumien product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lumien is an independent Italian publishing house that publishes fantasy, science fiction, and speculative fiction novels by Italian authors across four main collections (Scaglie, Zenit, Scintille, Lanterne). The company also operates Sussurri, a bimonthly online literary magazine featuring short stories by emerging Italian authors, and sells books directly to consumers in print and digital formats through its own e-commerce site.
Product overview
Lumien is an Italian independent publishing house specializing exclusively in fantasy and science fiction literature by Italian authors. The company's product portfolio centers on four main book collections: Scaglie (fantasy novels), Zenit (science fiction novels), Scintille (short speculative fiction novellas), and Lanterne (non-fiction essays on publishing). The publishing platform is complemented by Sussurri, a bimonthly literary magazine featuring emerging Italian authors' short stories. Supporting services include manuscript submission for authors, book distribution through partnered bookstores, foreign rights licensing, and gift cards. Bundled products like the Kit dell'Avventuriero and Kit Bombarole combine books with exclusive gadgets. The company also maintains an educational blog for writers and readers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Sussurri: A bimonthly literary magazine dedicated to short stories by emerging Italian authors in the fantasy and sci-fi genres.
- Scaglie
- Zenit
- Scintille
- Lanterne
Quantifiable outcome
- 10% royalty on print cover price, 25% on digital price for first edition
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Lumien
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Lumien technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Lumien partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- TreedomcoreLumien partners with Treedom for their green publishing initiative: for every book published, Lumien plants a tree through the Treedom platform, building a 'Foresta Illuminata' (Illuminated Forest). This environmental commitment is a core differentiator for the publisher.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Lumien competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Feltrinelli: Major Italian publisher and bookstore chain. A broad incumbent that competes for the same Italian reading audience and controls key retail channels Lumien currently accesses only through independent bookstores.
- Einaudi: Major Italian general-interest publisher with established fantasy/sci-fi titles. Competes for Italian speculative-fiction readers' attention and shelf space, though not Lumien's primary indie-author niche.
- Newton Compton Editori: Large Italian trade publisher with significant genre fiction output (including fantasy). Comparable as a publisher of Italian-language fiction for mass-market readers, but with far broader catalog and distribution.
- Mondadori (Urania imprint): Italy's largest publisher, whose Urania imprint is the country's iconic sci-fi/fantasy line. Overlaps with Lumien on Italian sci-fi readers but operates at vastly greater scale across many genres.
Direct peers
- Delos Digital: Italian digital-first publisher focused on science fiction and fantasy. Highly comparable to Lumien's digital distribution emphasis and Italian-language speculative fiction catalog.
- Dracones: Italian independent fantasy publisher explicitly referenced in Lumien's own market commentary as a peer in Italian-authored fantasy. Direct competitor for the same niche readers and authors.
- Independent Legions Publishing: Italian indie publisher focused on speculative fiction in translation and by Italian authors. Competes with Lumien for both Italian readers and emerging speculative authors.
- Acheron Books: Italian independent genre publisher with a fantasy, sci-fi, and horror catalog. Comparable to Lumien in scale, indie positioning, and target audience of Italian genre-fiction readers.
- Triskell Edizioni: Italian independent genre publisher with a heavy fantasy/romance catalog and similar small-team, multi-collection structure. Overlaps with Lumien on Italian fantasy readers and emerging authors.
- Edizioni Hypnos: Independent Italian publisher specializing in speculative fiction (fantasy, sci-fi, horror). Highly comparable to Lumien as a small, genre-focused Italian indie house cultivating emerging authors in the same speculative-fiction space.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Lumien social profiles
Digital presenceLumien financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lumien leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Lumien funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lumien M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Lumien
What does Lumien do?
Lumien is an independent Italian publishing house that publishes fantasy, science fiction, and speculative fiction novels by Italian authors across four main collections (Scaglie, Zenit, Scintille, Lanterne). The company also operates Sussurri, a bimonthly online literary magazine featuring short stories by emerging Italian authors, and sells books directly to consumers in print and digital formats through its own e-commerce site.
Is Lumien a public or private company?
Lumien is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Lumien founded?
Lumien was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Lumien based?
Lumien is headquartered in Mestre, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does Lumien make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Book Sales (Print and Digital) is the primary driver. The others are royalty Payments to Authors.
Who are Lumien's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Feltrinelli, Einaudi, Newton Compton Editori and Mondadori (Urania imprint). Direct peers are Delos Digital, Dracones, Independent Legions Publishing, Acheron Books, Triskell Edizioni and Edizioni Hypnos.
Does Lumien have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lumien.
What industry is Lumien in?
Lumien's product category is Independent Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAB, Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.). Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.