Editori

Editori, spelled editori in Italian, is the plural form of editore, meaning publishers. In Italian publishing, editore refers to the company or person responsible for financing, producing, and distributing a work, such as a book or periodical. The term denotes the publishing house or firm rather than the individual editors who work on a manuscript.

The term for an individual who edits content is redattore (editor in a newsroom) or correttore di bozze (proofreader). The loanword editor is not standard in Italian usage; when used, it typically appears in specialized or international contexts and may be misunderstood. In ordinary Italian, the processes of editing and publishing are commonly distinguished by these more specific terms.

Publishers typically acquire rights, coordinate editing and production, oversee design and typesetting, and manage distribution and marketing. They may also handle licensing and rights management, contracts with authors, and compensation. While editors work on refining a manuscript, editors within a publishing house are part of the broader editorial and production pipeline overseen by the editore.

Historically, publishers emerged with the rise of print culture in Europe. In Italy, early publishers acted as intermediaries between authors and readers, and the role of editore evolved from printers, booksellers, and proprietors who financed and distributed works in the early modern period. The modern publishing landscape includes large multinational houses, independent publishers, academic presses, and digital publishers.

Today the term editori denotes a collective of publishers rather than individual editors in ordinary Italian usage, reflecting the organizational side of publishing rather than the act of editing text.