Category: Digital Audio

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 …

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 …

Storytel raise half billion kroner for Latin America and Asia expansion

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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

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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 …

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

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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 …

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

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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

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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

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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 …

Akademibokhandeln and Bokus Play Q2 results hit by investments and Sweden’s heatwave

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Sweden’s Akademibokhandeln Holding AB has released its Q2 results and it’s not looking good. Turnover down from 316.7 million kronor in 2017 to 314.9 million kronor ($34 million) this year. Operating profit before depreciation and amortisation decreased from SEK 1.9 million to minus 28.1 million (-$3 million). Profit after tax has decreased from – SEK 28.5 Read More …

Bonnier’s Bookbeat clocks 100,000 subscribers as growth continues, but UK publishers still aren’t interested

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A month ahead of schedule, Bookbeat, the audiobook and ebook subscription arm of the Swedish publishing giant Bonnier, has reached its milestone of 100,000 subscribers, reports Boktugg’s Sölve Dahlgren., who says the company is on target to to reach SEK 150 million ($17 million) in revenue for the full year 2018. Bookbeat CEO Niclas Sandin Read More …