There were three candidates for TNPS Story of the Year this year, and little to choose between them in terms of impact on the global publishing scene, but the winner, Storytel, pipped the others because of its role as a beacon for digital publishers, proving that digital books have an exciting future regardless of a country’s population or the reach of its language.

First a nod to the two contenders that I had to set aside this year.

The International Publishers Association has blazed trails this year, and transformed the prospects of supposed publishing backwater regions like Africa and the Arab markets.

IPA acquires “Exclusive Global Transport Partner” in Emirates Airlines as Setzer and Al-Qasimi reposition the IPA as the champion of the emerging book markets

And last year’s Story of the Year title-winner Big Bad Wolf had a stunning year as it marked its tenth anniversary, culminating in a stunning announcement on the sidelines of the Sharjah International Book Fair that it intends to distribute one billion books to the emerging markets over the next five years.

Big Bad Wolf partners with DHL and Sharjah Book Authority to deliver 1 BILLION books to emerging markets over next 5 years

Remarkably, that story warranted almost no reaction from the English-language publishing industry journals, and the same can be said for our 2019 Story of the Year winner, Storytel, which has gone from strength to strength through 2019 blazing a global trail of digital disruption that has passed mostly unnoticed outside the Nordic media.

But for TNPS Storytel has constantly been in the headlines, not so much because of the local significance of these stories, important as that is, but for their global significance.

It’s New Year’s Eve, so rather than a lengthy essay on the highs and lows of Storytel’s 2019, let’s let said headlines from TNPS as the year unfolded tell the story of Storytel 2019.

Click through to read the full posts that helped put Storytel in the #1 spot for 2019 TNPS Story of the Year.

Before I leave you with the (rather lengthy) list of Storytel headlines, let me just say, kudos to Jonas Tellander and everyone on the Storytel team, wherever they may be, who have made 2019 one of the most exciting years in publishing this decade.

Storytel breaks new ground with commercial collaboration with Sweden’s Avanza to offer business audiobooks
Storytel launches podcasts in Poland
Sweden’s Storytel beats forecast for both subscribers and revenue. 55% of subscribers and 52% of streaming revenue now international
Storytel prepares Germany launch, consolidating subscription as a serious challenger to the traditional publishing model
Storytel Q4 report: Subscribers up 44% Y/Y. Streaming sales up 38%. Targets 1.1 million subscribers by end 2019
Sweden’s digital tax falls from 25% to 6% in July. What will Storytel do with its VAT windfall?
Storytel wants to reduce visibility on hot romance and erotica because they are too popular
Storytel partners with airline and ups its reading game with Ztory buy out. Spotify gets into podcasts. Others discuss digital fatigue
Storytel Poland: An entertainment platform, not a bookstore with a subscription option
Harry Potter now available in Arabic audiobook format via Storytel, but press release gets ahead of itself and states Storytel is in 18 countries
Sweden’s subscription model faces its biggest challenge yet as Bonnier and Storytel go to war
Storytel launches in Singapore. Adds 65,000 subscribers in Q1, bringing in $32m from streaming services. Targets 39% annual growth
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?
Storytel announces South Korea launch for 2019, along with Brazil, Germany and Singapore, leaving Thailand unconfirmed
Storytel Russia’s first post-apocalypse original series commissioned for ten markets
In a bizarre twist in the Storytel-Bonnier dispute, both companies say they are winners and are earning more without the other
Storytel to gift its VAT bonus to publishers, quelling disquiet about royalties under the new pay per minute system
Storytel launches in Germany, leaving Brazil, Thailand and South Korea to come for 2019
Storytel’s subscription royalties rose 6.4% in Q2. But is $0.20 per hour enough to keep publishers happy? Does the subscription model have a future?
Storytel beats subscriber and revenue forecasts for Q2 with annual growth at 37%
Storytel marks its first year in Italy with a tripled catalogue size and an Originals launch
Storytel to launch in Colombia September 1 as Storytel’s Latin America strategy takes shape
Peace in our time. Storytel and Bonnier sign three-year armistice. Consumers and authors are the winners, says Tellander
Storytel hits one million subscriber target five months ahead of expectations as audiobook and ebook users “rise significantly” during summer
As audio becomes Bulgaria’s fastest-growing publishing sector, TNPS ponders where next for Storytel
Sweden’s Storytel becomes Finland’s third largest publisher with acquisition of Gummerus Kustannus
Storytel finally launches in Brazil, hard on the heels of the low-key Confama partnership in Colombia
Storytel juggles finances with a $50 million credit facility to pursue “aggressive investments” and “strategic expansion”
Storytel adds 127k subscribers in Q3. Revenue up 43% in the 4th streaming success story this month. US and UK publishers look the other way
Storytel launches in South Korea. 19 markets / 20 territories. And counting…
Storytel Q3 results show streaming revenue up 43%, subscribers up 41%. Comfortably on target to pass 1.1 million subscribers by year’s end
Storytel Sweden hits 400,000 subscribers amid 1 million globally, but confusion surrounds the number of Storytel markets. Is it 18 or 19?
As the audiobook industry “becomes more like the TV industry”, Storytel partners with Clipsource to boost discovery with a new Media Centre