Iceland review - 2013, Qupperneq 24

22 ICELAND REVIEW
PUBLIshING
flood’), is a special phenomenon in Iceland. In a 2012 Capacent-
Gallup survey, 67 percent of respondents stated they had bought
books as Christmas presents. “The tradition has its origins in lack of
gift merchandise during World War II,” reveals Jóhann. “There were
importation restrictions but book publishers obtained paper for
printing, often of low quality, and met this demand. Icelandic book
publishers owe a lot to the importation restrictions,” he smiles. The
literature landscape is changing, yet the Christmas market still forms
the basis of book publishing in Iceland. “Even though the percent-
age of books published before the holiday season is decreasing it still
accounts for 30 percent of our turnover. It’s important to us but to
some other publishers it’s a matter of life and death,” states Jóhann.
“The thought once occurred to me that it was just a myth
that Icelanders were a literary nation and that the books sold for
Christmas were left untouched in their plastic wrappings,” says
Jóhann. However, the myth was confirmed by a sales experiment he
conducted. “Publishers thought there wasn’t a market for paperbacks
in Iceland. I agreed until one night I started questioning myself. So
I jumped to the computer and set up a simple business plan. We
released six titles in paperback simultaneously in 2002 and put them
up in special cardboard stands in bookstores and supermarkets to
promote them. The slogan was ‘read at a lower price’ and it worked
like a charm. In the past ten years there has been an explosion in
the sale of paperbacks. People who buy paperbacks buy them for
themselves,” he states.
Jóhann’s belief in Icelanders’ value of literature was further con-
firmed with the banking collapse in 2008. “The Icelandic self-image
had become skewed. It was pure madness—Icelanders bragging
about their businesspeople being so clever… That self-image col-
lapsed along with the banks,” he comments. “When the economy
crashed and Geir [H. Haarde, former PM] asked God to bless the
country I had just carried out the merger of the publishing houses
JPV, Mál og menning and Edda and thought my business would go
under.” However, then Jóhann realized that Icelanders were going
back to their roots. “Soon after the collapse, Icelanders desper-
ately grabbed hold of their old self-image: literature and culture. We
decided not to raise the prices of books even though everything
had become more expensive. I put my faith in that Icelanders would
respect us for it—and they did. Book sales were fairly successful
that Christmas season and we’ve made profits every year since the
collapse.”
BrEAking thE icE
Forlagið operates a special division for selling publishing rights
of Icelandic books to foreign publishers. The division has proven
a success, signing 170 contracts in 2012. “Germany is the most
important literature market in Europe. It’s big and German readers
take a keen interest in translated novels,” says Jóhann. Forty percent
of books on the German market originate in a different country.
“When I was young hardly any Icelandic books were published in
foreign languages. There has been a complete turnaround. Export
has become extensive and valuable to us. Foreign publishers are pay-
ing attention—they’ve recognized that Icelandic authors compare
with any foreign authors,” says Jóhann. “The Frankfurt Book Fair
put the spotlight on Iceland. German publishers, who had already
been interested, became more interested still.” Some 230 Icelandic
books appeared on the German market in connection with the
Frankfurt Book Fair. “Not all books sold well—that wasn’t to be
expected,” admits Jóhann, “but I’m optimistic that several authors
gained a foothold, also garnering attention outside Germany—the
ice had been broken. If authors are well received in Germany they
also garner interest in other countries.”
In comparison, very few translated works of literature appear
on the English-language market—only about 3 percent. However,
the Frankfurt Book Fair also had an impact on that market with
AmazonCrossing releasing ten Icelandic novels as eBooks following
the event. “The U.K. and U.S. markets are closed by nature but are
opening up a little because of the popularity of the Scandinavian
crime novel,” states Jóhann. So far, Icelandic crime authors Arnaldur
Indriðason and Yrsa Sigurðardóttir have enjoyed the most success in
the English-language markets but with the decline of the interna-
tional ‘crime wave,’ other authors have attracted attention there too.
Jóhann mentions Sjón as an example.
Others contemporary authors who have fared well in foreign
markets include Árni Þórarinsson, Stefán Máni, Einar Kárason,
Einar Már Guðmundsson, Jón Kalman, Kristín Marja Baldursdóttir
and Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir. “Auður Ava first became a hit in France,
which was pleasing because she hadn’t proven particularly popular
in Iceland until then. It was the icebreaker,” says Jóhann. “France is a
grand literary nation and the French literature market is the second-
largest in Europe after Germany, and not just for crime novels.” Yet,
at the time of this interview, Arnaldur topped the French bestseller
list with two of his thrillers, La muraille de lave (Black Skies; 2009) and
Étranges rivages (Strange Shores; 2010). “It’s safe to say that no other
Icelandic author in the past or present has sold as many copies as
Arnaldur,” states Jóhann. Worldwide, he has sold 8 million copies of
his books. “That’s an amazing achievement.”
Jóhann glances at his watch; it’s almost noon. “It’s time for my
boost,” he announces. I suddenly realize that the planned half hour
interview has expanded into one and a half hours. “I’m sorry to have
kept you so long,” I apologize. “Maybe it was me who was keeping
you,” he smiles and gives me a friendly embrace before heading back
to the office. 