A new organization has been founded in Italy to represent the main authors’ categories in the publishing industry: writers, literary translators, illustrators, and comic book writers have now joined forces in Calibro (https://www NULL.calibro NULL.org/), Confederazione Autrici e Autori del Libro (Confederation of Book Authors).

Calibro is an umbrella association founded by CEATL member Strade (https://www NULL.traduttoristrade NULL.it/) together with AI (https://autoridimmagini NULL.it/) (Autori di Immagini), ICWA (https://www NULL.icwa NULL.it/) (Italian Children’s Writers Association), and soon joined by SNS (https://www NULL.sindacatoscrittori NULL.it/) (Sindacato Nazionale Scrittori).

“We decided to join forces when we saw how similar our working, and even our existential conditions were,” says Eva Valvo, national secretary for Strade, “from the fact that we have multiple employers, to the lack of continuity in our work, which often goes hand in hand with financial insecurity. Thanks to the foundation of Calibro, we are now aligned with the best experiences of other countries where authors’ associations are a long-standing presence in the book industry, often collaborating closely with one another.” Marco Dazzani, vice president of ICWA, says that “ICWA was founded under the slogan ‘networking to leave a trace’ – a social, cultural, identity-shaping trace, but also a professional and legislative one. The alliance of all authors’ categories is its natural continuation.” According to Gianluca Garofalo, vice president of AI, “after many years of friendship and cooperation, it was right to create a space where our associations could meet regularly and join forces. Aside from the obvious peculiarities of our respective categories, our common goal is to promote an editorial culture that respects the professional figures who are involved in its production.”

According to Fabio Galimberti, president of Calibro, these professional figures, “don’t just need to be acknowledged; they also require fair pay and contracts, as well as greater legal protection, in a field that is increasingly fragmented and beleaguered by overproduction, where, thanks to Calibro, we will be able to put forth the demands of everyone working under the copyright law.”

For further information: segreteria@calibro.org.