Four in ten books sold in Sweden are through a subscription service. But might both print and ebooks be the casualties of the great Scandinavian experiment?

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Forty percent of books sold in Sweden are through a subscription service. Total book sales revenue in Sweden increased by 6.2% last year but, perhaps unsurprisingly given the rise and rise of the subscription model in Scandinavia, digital is leading the charge. And traditional bookselling outlets are getting hammered. While there are many upsides to Read More …

Big Bad Wolf takes 3 million English-language books to Dubai next month as it debuts outside SE Asia

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It was back in February that TNPS broke the news that the world’s biggest book sale would be heading for Dubai this year. World’s biggest book sale heading to Bangladesh, Dubai, Korea and Taiwan this year Now it’s official. Malaysia-based Big Bad Wolf, the World’s biggest book sale, will debut in Arabic-speaking Dubai, part of Read More …

In Morocco, selling pirated books “is the only way to make a living,” with the help of the Mafia

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Like in many Arab countries, literacy rates in Morocco are not among the highest in the world, but for Moroccans who do read the challenge is finding books they want at prices they can afford. When bookstores are few and far between and offer a limited choice of books at expensive prices it’s not surprising Read More …

Longlist and shortlist announced for two major translation awards

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The longlist for the 2018 National Book Award for Translated Literature has been announced. Négar Djavadi, Disoriental, translated by Tina Kover (Europa Editions) Roque Larraquy, Comemadre, translated by Heather Cleary (Coffee House Press) Dunya Mikhail, The Beekeeper: Rescuing the Stolen Women of Iraq, translated by Max Weiss and Dunya Mikhail (New Directions Publishing) Perumal Murugan, Read More …

Israeli publisher illegally releases book of Arab women’s texts, complete with pirated cover. Calls it an act of salvation

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You couldn’t make it up. A publisher in Israel finds a collection of texts written in Arabic by women, steals a cover image from a Lebanese artist, and publishes them as a book, justifying the piracy by saying the book is giving exposure to writers “whose voices have been silenced for years,” and is an Read More …

Big Bad Wolf Malaysia and Indonesia this month as the world’s biggest book sale gathers momentum

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As we come up to our first anniversary here at TNPS (September 25), one of the recurring themes has been the rise and rise of the international book sale phenomenon known as Big Bad Wolf. In the west it can sometimes seems like the only show in town in Amazon, and no question Amazon is Read More …

A mermaid wearing a bra among the books banned in Kuwait, but protests are gathering momentum

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Censorship is a difficult topic that arouses strong emotions, but of course all freedom of speech is relative. From national security to Holocaust denial to incitement to hatred to advocating underage sex, almost every country censors at some level. But some countries take such censorship to extremes. Kuwait is an example. Kuwait has enjoyed a Read More …

Setswana? Indonesian? Can you tell the difference? Nor can Microsoft

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Oops! Twitter uses Microsoft for its translations. But Microsoft can’t tell the difference between Indonesian, widely spoken in Indonesia, SE Asia, and Sesotho, widely spoken in southern Africa, 6,000 miles away. Thankfully the Gaborone Book Festival in Botswana is also in English. That’s September 21-22. Follow the Gaborone Book Festival on twitter: @Gabsbookfest #GBF18 Follow Read More …

Sao Paulo’s Avenida Paulista bookstore closes – Fnac Brazil now has just one bookstore standing

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From the moment Livraria Cultura acquired Fnac Brazil’s 12 bookstores last July (along with its e-commerce site) there was a question mark hanging over the stores – Livraria Cultura had long intimated intent to be a tech company rather than a bricks & mortar retailer, and was struggling for cash. Despite this, a joint statement Read More …

Storytel’s Jonas Tellander responds to the Swedish audiobook royalties storm

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Svensk Bokhandel, the Swedish publishing industry journal that broke the story about Storytel’s two tier royalties – one level for Bonnier, another for everyone else – carries a response from Storytel CEO Jonas Tellander today. I want to be transparent and answer any questions I can answer. The last thing I want to be is Read More …