My experience with Les Flâneurs Edizioni

🇮🇹 Leggi questo comunicato in italiano 🇮🇹
🇪🇸 Lee este comunicado en español 🇪🇸

My name is Rocco Dabellonio. I hold a PhD, serve as the director of multiple language centers, and have authored numerous publications in linguistics and education.

This writing aims to share my experience with Les Flâneurs Edizioni, an Italian publishing house, managed by Alessio Rega and Annachiara Biancardino. The issue revolves around the unauthorized publication of some of my works and the disregard for my copyright. This review is intended to provide my readers and potential buyers, who often seek clarification, an explanation of why some of my books were published under the Les Flâneurs Edizioni label. Additionally, this account may be of general interest and serve as a point of reflection for other authors and professionals in the publishing industry.

Logo of Gruppo Editoriale Les Flâneurs
Les Flâneurs Edizioni logo

Logos of Gruppo Editoriale Les Flâneurs owned by Alessio Rega and Annachiara Biancardino

Introduction

I am the author of several publications, including:

  • Italiano Colloquiale: Parole ed Espressioni per Tutti i Giorni
  • Parolacce… e come evitarle!
  • Más allá de la gramática: Refranes y expresiones para hablar español como los nativos

All these books were self-published between 2020 and 2021 through Amazon and the websites of my language centers, which specialize in selling books for language learning. The books display the logo of my language centers on every single page.

A Publishing House That Also Offers Printing Services

At the beginning of 2022, while I was in Bari (Italy) for academic purposes, I contacted several printing shops in the city to request quotes for printing a few copies of my books. Among these was Les Flâneurs, which, in addition to being a publishing house, offers printing, layout design, cover creation, and bookmark sales services, as stated in its business registration and on its website. Alessio Rega provided me with a quote of €550 for 100 copies, which I would then have to distribute independently, as I had always done. However, no formal agreement was ever established between me and Les Flâneurs. Consequently, the contact regarding the printing services ended without any results.

Screenshot of the webpage on Les Flâneurs’ site promoting their printing services

Request for €3,000 and Unauthorized Publication

A year later, in mid-2023, I received a communication from Alessio Rega, publisher of Les Flâneurs, demanding a lump-sum payment of €3,000 as compensation for what he described as the “unauthorized” sale of my books on the websites of my language centers, along with a request for their removal.

Excerpt from the letter in which Alessio Rega requests compensation of €3,000

At that point, I discovered that Les Flâneurs had begun, starting in 2022, the commercialization of my books, displaying the publishing house’s logo alongside the logo of my language centers on the covers, without ever signing any publishing contract or preliminary agreement. I never received any payment, royalties, or other forms of compensation from the publisher, nor was I provided with a sales report. My titles were included, without my consent or knowledge, in a publishing series called “Parole Traslate”, whose existence I was unaware of.

Screenshot documenting the unauthorized sale carried out by Les Flâneurs Edizioni through the “Parole Traslate” series

The publisher’s request for a lump-sum payment of €3,000, described as compensatory, is without any logical or legal basis. The books in question had been properly self-published by me well before Les Flâneurs began commercializing them without authorization. Furthermore, the absence of a contract or any preliminary agreement makes the imposition of a compensatory obligation on my part incomprehensible. This demand not only lacks foundation in the laws governing Italian copyright, but completely disregards the fact that it is, in fact, the publishing house that should owe me compensation for sales made without my consent.

The Silence of Publisher Alessio Rega

I attempted to contact the publishing house through various channels to seek clarification, but I received no response. Therefore, on November 27, 2023, through my lawyer, I sent them a formal notice demanding the removal of my books from sale. However, this attempt also proved futile.

Formal notice to Les Flâneurs by Alessio Rega

Excerpt from the formal notice sent by my lawyer to Gruppo Editoriale Les Flâneurs, represented by Alessio Rega

I left a review on their Facebook page, but shortly after doing so, all reviews were hidden without any explanation or response. It is currently no longer possible to post reviews.

Review on the publishing house's Facebook page

Opinion published on the publishing house’s Facebook page before all reviews were removed

Even the co-author of the works, Graziana Filomeno, found herself caught up in this situation, just as unaware as I was that Les Flâneurs was selling the books. Once she became aware of the facts, on December 4, 2023, she published a review on the official Facebook page of the publishing house, expressing her perspective. However, her comment was removed, along with all other reviews on the page.

Les Flâneurs Edizioni reviews

Comment posted on Les Flâneurs’ official Facebook page before the publishing house decided to hide all reviews

The Publisher’s Position: The Appearance of the Curator

After receiving no responses to my repeated attempts at communication, on December 12, 2023, my lawyer and I sent the publishing house a formal invitation to initiate a negotiation process with legal assistance. For the first time, the publisher responded through their lawyer, claiming that my works had been published based on alleged agreements made with one of their collaborators, referred to as the “curator.”

However, no details were provided regarding what these agreements entailed, adding further confusion to an already baseless justification. My books were fully self-published, and no collaborator from Les Flâneurs ever contacted me regarding their publication under the publishing house’s label. My only interaction with Les Flâneurs was with its legal representative, Alessio Rega, regarding discussions about the potential—though ultimately unrealized—printing of some copies of my works using the publishing house’s printing services. At no time was any publishing or distribution agreement discussed or authorized.

Despite the clear violations and the lack of any contractual agreement, the publishing house refused to remove my books from sale. Instead, they continued to demand compensation while failing to provide any transparent information about sales made or the related proceeds, systematically ignoring all my requests for clarification. Three years after the unauthorized publication, I remain completely in the dark about the number of copies of my books the publishing house has marketed and sold.

Faced with the refusal to ensure transparency and resolve the matter amicably, I have decided to take legal action through the appropriate channels. To obtain a clear picture of the sales of my books, it was necessary to file a request with the court for the company’s accounting records, in order to accurately reconstruct the transactions of the past three years. I will continue to keep my readers informed by updating this statement with any future developments.

Summary of My Experience with Les Flâneurs Edizioni

1. They published my books without consent and without informing me.

2. They included my books in a series I was unaware of.

3. They never sent me sales reports or paid me any royalties for the sales.

4. They demanded €3,000 in compensation because I sold my self-published books.

5. They insisted that I stop selling my books, over which I retain full rights.

The unauthorized publication of my works by Les Flâneurs Edizioni has caused not only financial losses due to unpaid royalties but also confusion among my readers and buyers, damaging my professional reputation.

References to Italian Copyright Law

Italian Copyright Law (Law 633/1941)

It is important to note that in Italy, copyright is protected by the Law 633 of 1941. Article 12 states that: “The author has the exclusive right to publish the work.” Les Flâneurs Edizioni violated this right by publishing and distributing my works without the necessary authorization.

Article 12 of the Italian Copyright Law

Art. 126 – Obligation to Pay Royalties

In addition to the unauthorized publication, the publishing house failed to provide any royalties for the sale of the works. Article 126 of the same law clearly states that “the publisher is obliged to pay the agreed royalties to the author.” In my case, not only has no royalty been paid, but no agreement was ever established to define its amount.

Article 126 of the Copyright Law

Art. 130 – Obligation to Report Sales

Another violation concerns the complete lack of sales reporting. Article 130 of the Italian Copyright Law stipulates that “the publisher is obliged to account annually for the copies sold.” This obligation is further reinforced by Legislative Decree 177/2021, which implements the EU Copyright Directive. This decree states that “those to whom rights have been licensed or transferred are required to provide authors with updated, relevant, and complete information on the exploitation of the works and the remuneration due at least semi-annually.”

In my case, no license was granted, as the works were published without my consent and knowledge. Furthermore, the publisher has never provided any sales reports or paid any royalties in the three years since the unauthorized publication.

EU Copyright Directive Legislative Decree 177/2021

Article 110 of Legislative Decree 177/2021 (EU Copyright Directive)

Final Thoughts

This statement aims to inform readers and buyers of my books that I never authorized Gruppo Editoriale Les Flâneurs S.a.S. to market my works. Since 2022, the year they published my books without consent, I have received no information or compensation.

While awaiting a legal resolution to validate my claims, I reiterate my willingness for constructive dialogue with Les Flâneurs representatives to reach an amicable solution.

With this statement, I formally request that Les Flâneurs:

  • Immediately remove my books from all catalogs and distribution channels.
  • Provide an up-to-date and detailed sales report for my books for the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
  • Transfer to me all proceeds from the unauthorized sale of the published works.

Once these requests are fulfilled, I commit to reviewing and, if necessary, removing this statement. I remain hopeful that this matter can be resolved quickly and professionally to our mutual benefit.

Finally, I address Alessio Rega, not as a publisher but as an author: how would you feel if someone else registered your books, such as La Tela di Svevo or Giro di Vita, through platforms like isbn.it, and included them in catalogs without prior communication or financial acknowledgment?

If Les Flâneurs representatives wish to provide a response, they may send it to info@esperienzadautore.com. I will be happy to publish it in full on this page.

Signed,

Rocco Dabellonio, PhD


P.S. I would like to point out that, on November 25, 2024, publisher Alessio Rega has posted a comment on the forums of Ultima Pagina and Costruttori di Mondi, stating that he does not intend to delve into this matter or take any measures to resolve the issue.

To gain a different perspective on this story, I recommend reading the interview I gave to Mario Borghi, published on December 23, 2024, on the blog Stranoforte with the title Behind the Scenes of a Publishing Dispute with Les Flâneurs Edizioni.


This statement was updated on January 18, 2025.

🇮🇹 Leggi questo comunicato in italiano 🇮🇹
🇪🇸 Lee este comunicado en español 🇪🇸