Norway It is a very small country. With a population of around 5 million people, it is almost the same size as Alabama.
Being a writer or a publisher in the country is one of the most enviable jobs in the world.
Norway is a country with a long history of If a new Norwegian book passes quality inspection, Arts Council Norway buys 1,000 copies to give to libraries, or 1,550 copies if the book is for youngsters.This is in addition to the purchase budgets of the libraries.
Many small publishers would otherwise go out of business if it weren’t for the purchasing plan.
The prospect would make American independent presses salivate. Another benefit of the program is that it helps writers establish a profession. They get royalties on those 1,000 copies, and they do so at a higher rate than the contractual minimum. Books are also exempt from Norway’s value-added tax, which adds to the appeal.
Perhaps you’re unsure if this is true. Yes, the policy exists; it is known as «innkjpsordningen». It has existed since 1965, when the state joined forces with publishers’ and authors’ groups to establish it in order to protect and strengthen Norwegian as a literary language. Members of one of the two organizations have a good chance of getting the state to buy 773 copies of any novel, poem collection, or play that is published for the first time.
They will be provided to a number of foreign university libraries that teach Norwegian. Individual works that are eligible for purchase are examined by a panel that can decide whether they should be “nulled,” or not purchased.
Since 1965, distinct purchase agreements have been in place that allow for the purchase of a limited number of titles in each of the following categories, subject to a competitive editorial review:
Childrens’ books, approximately 100 titles / year, 1550 copies of each
Non-fictional books for children, approx. 25 titles / year, 1480 copies of each
Translated fiction, approximately 130 titles / year, 542 copies of each
Translated non-fiction, approximately 50 titles /year, 1000 copies of each
The purchase agreements serve three purposes that are in the public interest: they ensure that libraries across the country are stocked with current literature, they encourage authors to write new Norwegian literature, and they serve as a subsidy for the publishing industry, making it worthwhile for Norwegian publishing houses to spend resources on a wider range of titles.
the policy isn’t perfect. But overall, it is a reasonable investment for the pleasure and enlightenment of people across the country and the preservation of Norwegian as a literary language.
source : Innkjøpsordningene
