Category: Audiobooks

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?

Posted onLeave a comment

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 …

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

Posted onLeave a comment

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 …

Storytel raise half billion kroner for Latin America and Asia expansion

Posted onLeave a comment

While Storytel has been having a rough time in the Swedish publishing media over its variable royalty arrangements, the Stockholm stock exchange has (albeit without much enthusiasm – see below) agreed to a quest to raise an additional half billion kroner ($55.8 million). Sweden’s Digital runs this story with the headline, Storytel takes in a Read More …

Storytel’s royalty model “rigged and manipulated.” Storm brews over Storytel’s privileged agreement with Bonnier

Posted onLeave a comment

With Storytel under increasing pressure from rival operators in the Swedish audiobook arena two things were inevitable. First, Storytel’s market share would fall. And consequent on that Storytel would need to review its royalty arrangements for its content suppliers – in this case established publishers, as Storytel does not deal direct with authors as per Read More …

The Week In Review

Posted onLeave a comment

Here’s a summary of TNPS posts from the past seven days. UK’s Bradford Lit Fest and USA’s Washington National Book Fest see record attendance Sharjah Publishing City sponsors Nigerian literature award Ireland: “A buoyant time for publishing.  One of today’s most vibrant book markets.” Sweden-based Arabic-language audiobook firm Kitab Sawti attracts new investment Peru exempts Read More …

Sweden-based Arabic-language audiobook firm Kitab Sawti attracts new investment

Posted on1 Comment

We’re just a few weeks shy of the first anniversary of The New Publishing Standard, and if I had to identify one regret at how things have progressed this past eleven months it would be that I’ve not had the time to pursue and develop the many smaller and quirkier international publishing stories that have Read More …

The Week In Review

Posted onLeave a comment

Here’s a summary of TNPS posts from the past seven days. Book reading down slightly in New Zealand. More than half read NZ authors Storytel Brazil 2019 launch whispers grows louder Spanish book market valued at minimum $2.7 billion. Paperback and ebook sales both rising Côte d’Ivoire: francophone Africa publishing insights Is Amazon preparing a Read More …

As Storytel’s 2019 Asia expansion steps up with a Thailand office, TNPS speculates where next for Storytel

Posted onLeave a comment

Not content with its Latin America ambitions, with a Mexico launch set for December, and a Brazil launch looking likely in the New Year, Storytel has announced the next stage of its Asia expansion is underway. To start with it’s an office in Bangkok, which will be used to coordinate expansion across the continent as Read More …

Storytel Brazil 2019 launch whispers grows louder

Posted onLeave a comment

It’s only a whisper right now, but the TNPS prediction back in May that Storytel has Brazil in its sights for 2019 now has a little more substance. Back in May TNPS was the first English-language industry journal to break the news that Storytel had been in talks with Brazilian publishers, along with those in Read More …

Kobo Walmart ebook / audiobook partnership now live in the US. Here’s what each had to say

Posted onLeave a comment

I tend to shy away from US-only news as it is so amply covered elsewhere, but for the benefit of readers outside the US who may have missed this big story but will be eager to get a share of the action, I copy below the official statements from both Kobo and Walmart stating their Read More …