A significant part of our work stems from what we observe and learn as we go, because between theory and day-to-day work, there are always choices and unforeseen circumstances that are difficult to capture in definitions.

In this series of conversations, we explore the work of Disclosers through the people who do it every day. We’ll start with the projects of PR, Media Relations, and Influencer Marketing, drawing on the experiences, challenges, and real-world cases we encounter in the field to reveal what really goes on behind the scenes of a communication and reputation strategy, and to bring to light perspectives that have evolved over time, one project at a time.

Today we're taking a look behind the scenes with Andrea Ilaria Leoni, PR Executive at Disclosers, who tells us How to Communicate in the Publishing Industry, especially when culture and business need to speak the same language.

Andrea, let's start with the toughest question: in the publishing industry, where does culture end and business begin?

The balance between culture and commerce shifts depending on the circumstances (a launch, an anniversary, a market crisis) and must be negotiated each time between the PR team, the client, and the publication. The press office’s role is to provide the client with insight into what interests that editorial team today. The client provides the substance: the brand’s values and latest developments.

With Bookshelf, the work on the bibliotherapy project succeeded precisely because it offered genuinely useful content for readers—not a commercial venture repackaged as a cultural initiative. It opened doors to publications that normally wouldn’t have covered a bookstore chain from a “product” perspective. The same logic applies to positioning in the vintage market: communicating it as the brand’s cultural identity, rather than as shelf promotion, generates credibility that then translates into commercial visibility.

The narrative distributes the two levels across different channels and spokespersons, without mixing them in the same message. For a brand like Libraccio, which has 68 retail locations but also a cultural mission deeply rooted in local neighborhoods, this division of roles forms the framework of its communication strategy.

With authors, however, the work is different. To what extent can a press office influence their voice?

The main difference compared to a manager or an athlete is that the author is his own voice: speaking on his behalf is immediately noticeable—and harmful. The work is more about the framework than the content. You define the context (why this book, why now, who it’s addressing), identify the right publications and journalists, and lay the groundwork for an interview. The first-person narrative always belongs to the author.

A concrete example is the work involved in launching the The Power of Transilience by Riccarda Zezza: The goal was to find platforms (Il Sole 24 Ore, StartupItalia, Quotidiano Nazionale) where her voice could be heard clearly, and to create content that would help journalists ask the right questions—not to replace the answers.

Submitting a news story to *Il Sole 24 Ore*, a podcast, or a social media outlet means dealing with a completely different audience. What stays the same, and what changes in the way you structure your proposal?

The core remains the same: the same story, the same underlying truth. What changes is how it’s conveyed. With institutional publications such as *Il Corriere della Sera*, *La Repubblica*, and *Il Sole 24 Ore*, the brand positions itself as an authoritative source, participating in broader debates on cultural consumption or providing market data. When the goal is to engage younger generations through a lifestyle lens, however, the tone shifts: the brand offers reading recommendations, trends, and collaborations with local communities like Milano da Scrocco.

In all cases, the press office’s job is to craft a proposal tailored to the host, starting from the same core of truth.

What is the mistake you see most often when speaking with such a diverse group of people?

Approaching a cultural newsroom with the same tools designed for general-interest media: standardized press releases that do not take into account the channel’s tone of voice. The landscape of publications covering the publishing industry is highly fragmented, and this requires precise tailoring of messages.

Often, the editorial angle is missing as well. It’s not enough to send accurate information—you have to translate it into the language of the recipient. The same story can become an analysis of cultural consumption, an in-depth look at an industry, or a profile. If you don’t choose that angle yourself, someone else will choose it for you—and often for the worse.

Is there anything the publishing industry continues to do in its communications that, in your opinion, we should leave behind?

Spike-based media coverage, tied exclusively to new book launches or the opening of new stores. Continuous coverage over time—alternating between corporate content, local initiatives, and lighter-hearted content—works better. It’s often more effective to create a tailored proposal for a single publication than to send out the same press release to a wide audience.

So should we wait less for the news and try more often to find different narrative angles?

Exactly. To work proactively on current events, you have to stop chasing the news and start exploring different angles, thereby finding stories even when it seems there’s nothing left to report—and becoming a go-to source for the media. Libraccio does this through community-building projects that naturally become newsworthy: the brand gains a position that goes beyond distribution, establishing itself as a player deeply rooted in the community. The media recognize this legitimacy, both locally and nationally.

And as far as authors are concerned, what is the biggest risk?

A lack of authenticity. Sticking to a predefined script, a voice crafted to sound credible. The author should be treated as the primary source of credibility: the press office’s role is to amplify a voice that is already authentic. In the cultural sectors, readers and journalists pick up on this immediately.