Category: Finland

With the “attention economy” the latest buzzword excuse for perceived falling book sales, how is it Scandinavia is seeing both video and book streaming rise simultaneously?

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The rise and rise of audiobook and ebook subscription streaming across the Scandinavian countries has been mentioned here at TNPS so often it hardly needs rehearsing again. But this week the tremendous interest in digital reading in northwest Europe takes on new significance as we learn that video-streaming is still rising in these same countries, Read More …

Norwegian online bookstore wins Finland’s Dragon’s Den variation Polar Bear Pitching with an icy proposition

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Most people reading this will know of the TV series Dragon’s Den, or Shark Tank, or any of thirty localised variations of the show where entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to risk-averse investors. Originating in Japan as Money Tigers, Dragons Den has been reproduced around the globe from Afghanistan to Vietnam, and occasionally publishing opportunities Read More …

Boktugg’s essential list of 2019 Scandinavian book fairs

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Regulars here at TNPS will know the value we attach to the global book fair scene, and that contrary to the impression given by many western publishing industry platforms, there are significant book fairs, book festivals and other literary events happening pretty much every day of the year somewhere around the world. I’m asked time Read More …

Audiobook revenue doubled in Finland in 2018

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While the end of year results are not yet known, audiobook revenues doubled in Finland up until September 2018, standing at 2.5 million euros ($2.8 million) and accounting for 3% of total book sales. Market leader Bookbeat, part of Sweden’s Bonnier, as reported here recently had 150,000 subscribers at end 2019, and Finland’s M&M says 70,000 Read More …

Sweden’s Bookbeat grew 163% to 150,000 in 2018. Targets 250,000 subscribers by end 2019

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Swedish streaming service Bookbeat may have put the UK on hold, but it’s still battling for market share in Finland, Germany and homeland Sweden, with Finland performing well. In an interview with Sweden’s Boktugg, Bookbeat CEO Niclas Sandin intimated he expected more growth from Germany in 2019 and that together Germany and Finland might exceed Read More …

Finnish President sits on steps at Turku Book Fair as auditorium was full

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Only in Finland could the country’s President turn up to a book fair discussion on equality, find there were no seats, so sit himself down on the steps to enjoy the show. It happened this weekend at the Turku Book Fair in southwest Finland when first President Sauli Niinistö was spotted buying books. No, no Read More …

Bonnier’s BookBeat reports 97% growth against fierce competition from Storytel. German investment next. UK still on the backburner

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While US and UK publishers watch the Scandinavian experiment from a safe distance, a mixture of envy and fear in their eyes, Sweden’s BookBeat goes from strength to strength, leaving no doubt that, whatever publishers may feel about the subscription model, consumers love it. Bookbeat’s June, July and August revenue grew 97% compared to 2017, Read More …

Ten global publishing stories not to be missed – 12 August collation

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The global publishing market has never been more exciting, and every day myriad publishing stories cross my screen that I’d love to develop here at TNPS, but there simply isn’t time. They do make the TNPS twitter feed. Follow TNPS on twitter here: @thenewpubstd. But twitter is an ephemeral beast. Blink and you miss it. Still, Read More …

Ten global publishing stories not to be missed. 11 July 2018 collation

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The global publishing market has never been more exciting, and every day myriad publishing stories cross my screen that I’d love to develop here at TNPS, but there simply isn’t time. They do make the TNPS twitter feed. Follow TNPS on twitter here: @thenewpubstd. But twitter is an ephemeral beast. Blink and you miss it. Read More …

Evidence mounts for an Amazon Sweden launch this year, but no sign publishers need worry yet

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Amazon has been in talks with a number of Swedish logistics companies, including PostNord, as it continues to explore its Scandinavian options. While Amazon has of course not confirmed a date, the expectation seems to be later this year, which is in keeping with speculation I explored here at TNPS back in March: Sweden’s Nextory Read More …

Nordic Council Children’s and YA Literature nominations announced at Bolgna

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At the International Children’s Book Fair in Bologna this week the 12 nominations for the Nordic Council’s Children’s & Young People’s Literature Prize were announced. The winner will pocket DKK 350,000 ($58,000) on October 30th at a special ceremony at the Oslo Opera House. The Nordic Council awards a total of five prizes each year Read More …

Sweden’s Nextory wants to be the biggest ebook player in Scandinavia even as Amazon prepares its Nordic launch. Suicidal? No. Once again books are not on Amazon’s agenda

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There are three big digital book players in Sweden – Storytel, Bonnier’s Bookbeat, and Nextory. And this week comes news that Nextory has raised SEK 51 million ($6.2 million) as part of plans to become the biggest ebook operator in Sweden, and beyond. The fresh money (on top of SEK 50 million previously raised) comes Read More …

Storytel Q4 revenue up 27% in Q4. Streaming revenue up 42%. Subscribers up 48% to 533,000. 15 countries by end 2018

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While not yet in profit, Storytel has made impressive gains over Q4 2017, with overall revenue up 27% on the period, while streaming revenue rose 47%. CEO Jonas Tellander confirmed total subscribers now at 533,400, in keeping with a TNPS estimate last month. Storytel has 300,000 Swedish subscribers, a further 250,000 beyond and is aiming Read More …

As Bokus prepares to launch audiobook-streaming in Sweden, Bookbeat is upbeat about prospects

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Akademibokhandel’s subsidiary Bokus will start audiobook streaming in Sweden this spring, going head to head with Storytel, Bookbeat and Nextory. Boktugg reports this week that Bonnier-owned Bookbeat saw revenue rise 283% last year and that it is is hoping to hit SEK 100 million ($12 million) soon, as it adds Spain and Italy to its Read More …

Print book sales up, ebooks up and audiobook sales explode – in Finland

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One of the great things about the Global New Renaissance is that it is just that: global. Digital social media is driving awareness, access and supply of culture across all art forms and all formats, in all countries, across all languages and cultures, in a way quite unprecedented in human history, and quite unthinkable even Read More …

Bonnier’s Bookbeat headhunt’s Amazon Audible’s finest for Bookbeat Germany

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Back in September Bonnier’s audiobook arm Bookbeat added Germany to its portfolio of satellite sites in Finland and the UK and its home base in Sweden. This week comes news that Bookbeat has headhunted Amazon Audible Germany’s Kathrin Rüstig to head Content and Publisher Relations at the Bookbeat DE operation. In doing so Bonnier doesn’t Read More …