Monthly Archive for June, 2023

Now everyone is writing and publishing books (while the number of readers is declining). Between writers and impromptu online publishers, or publishing houses that regularly charge to publish, “we are flooded with a quantity of useless books,” moreover difficult to recognize and choose. For example, 30 percent of published books do not sell a copy, or at most sell one, and so it is time “for publishers to get their act together: we are now in the age of the absurd.” Not even 35,000 books, of all those released in 2022, sold 10 copies. In any case, booksellers will also have to “roll up their sleeves, keep up to date, pay attention to current issues” and still take advantage of the opportunities offered by online.

As Nomisma notes based on Istat data, publishing houses in Italy have declined from 5,491 in 2012 to 4,623 in 2021 with the largest decline recorded between 2012 and 2015 (-13.2 percent). Emilia-Romagna’s trend is “consistent” with the national trend, managing overall to maintain its 8 percent share of the Italian total. In fact, book production has been growing steadily since 2016, with the only exception of a decline in 2020. After a boom in 2019, with 86,475 works published, book production grew further in 2021, marking a +4.3 percent increase over 2019. Looking at the evolution of the number of bookstores in Italy, 2015 stands out and 2019 as years of ” significant negative downturns (with 3,158 and 3,175 bookstores, respectively), while 2020 and 2021 stand out as years of recovery.”

Once again, Nomisma notes, beginning in 2021 there is an increase in paper book sales (in value), a legacy linked to the rediscovery of reading during the pandemic that apparently will not be lost even in 2022, reaching 1.67 billion euros in sales. On the other hand, the composition of the purchasing channels changes: if in the year of the lockdown the contribution of online had increased, in 2022 there was a rebound of ‘physical’, which had already returned to growth in 2021. Overall, however, over the past 11 yearsi the number of Italian readers, your research confirmsdeclined from 46.8 percent in 2010 to 40.8 percent in 2021. Also declining is the number of readers in Emilia-Romagna, which although still registering a higher share than the Italian average (51.5 percent in 2010 and 46.4 percent in 2021).

It then emerges how one reader out of two in the last year has read between two and five books, preferring mainly detective stories (chosen by 58 percent of readers) and thrillers (52 percent). Books are purchased because of interest in the subject matter (indicated by 58% of Emilia-Romagna readers), followed by interest in the author (56%) and the captivating plot (43%).

Building an advanced psychological training program requires knowledge of the psychological implications typical of a given sports discipline. Some examples:
1. Endurance sports (e.g., cross-country, marathon, rowing, swimming)-require tolerating physical fatigue and knowing how to handle it at times when it arises in competition. They require considerable awareness of bodily sensations so as to be able to recognize and anticipate any critical moments during the race.
2. Precision sports (e.g., archery, skeet shooting) – require combining together precision of sporting action and speed, so concentration is totally oriented to technical execution.
3. Sports of body coordination in space (e.g., artistic gymnastics, figure skating, synchronized swimming, diving) – in these sports the athlete tends to provide the ideal performance but also knows that it is almost impossible to achieve. Even the slightest mistake leads to a reduction in the quality of the performance and, therefore, also in the score that the jury will give him.
4. Speed sports (e.g., 100 and 200 meters, relays, 400 meters, swimming)-require total concentration for the entire duration of the test. Decisive is the ability to effectively manage the impulsiveness and tendency to react too early that is experienced in the moments before the start.
5. Combat sports (e.g., fencing, boxing, martial arts)-require a high level of mental and physical responsiveness throughout the duration of combat. Of considerable importance is the ability to know how to anticipate the opponent’s moves. Given the brevity of the fight, the ability to feel in competition from the first seconds is decisive.
6. Team sports (e.g., soccer, volleyball, basketball, rugby) – Require the development of tactical thinking in a context of cooperation with one’s teammates. Penalties in soccer, serving in volleyball, free throws in basketball and kicking in rugby require a type of concentration very similar to that of precision sports.

Brief vademecum for competing in opposition sports, one-on-one.

1. Warm-up is the first step to success
2. All opponents should be treated with decisiveness and will to win.
3. A set is all about points lost and won. Stop.
4. A mistake is worth a point. Think immediately about playing the next one.
5. It is essential that you ALWAYS encourage yourself before playing each point.
6. You only find out your opponent’s weaknesses if you play
7. Think about how to make the points and not about the result
8. In the break: breathe, encourage yourself and think
9. Repeat: “Always strength (your name).”
10. Play to be happy with you.

Sorry, this entry is only available in Italiano.