New Swedish Books, autumn 2019 1
New Swedish Books 8 In your research you have exa
mined how audio books have changed the way publishers work on the format of their stories. – That’s right, since the introduction of the audio book a lot has happened both in the publishing industry and in the general book market. As a researcher it is exciting to follow this development. Fifteen years ago, when audio books on CDs first started becoming popular, publishers began to test what kind of stories worked in this new medium. The experienced audio book publishers used to say that Russian novels were a good example of novels that didn’t work well as audio books – too many characters with several different names made it near impossible for the listener to keep up. Already then there was talk about literature written directly for audio. Yet the audio book was still considered a secondary publication, published after the printed edition. When the tax on books was lowered in 2002 (from 25 % consumer goods VAT down to the 6% tax on culture) it was stipulated that the audio book must be in the exact same version as the printed book. The audio books were therefore not allowed to be abridged, a common feature abroad. – The development we see currently is the result of the success of smart phones and the way that they have transformed our behaviour as consumers. Now Swedish publishing companies publish a new piece of work in several different formats simultaneously, both in print and digitally. Today audio books are streamed directly onto the listeners’ mobiles via subscription services such as Storytel, Nextory, BookBeat etc. These platforms have acquired a new position of power when it comes to paying publishers and authors, and in the long run also when shaping what kind of stories are being written. Are there different demands on books being published today? – Publishers are both the guardians of Photo: iStock