In this report, Kulturanalys Norden compiles an overview of book publishing statistics in the Nordic countries. Furthermore, conditions and recommendations for continued harmonization of standards within book publishing statistics are presented. The report identifies several points where clarifications and continued work on definitions may be warranted for the variables included in table CULT17: Books published by reporting country, genre, and time in the Nordic Statistics Database (NSD).
The report compiles responses from the statistical authorities responsible for providing book publishing statistics to NSD. The report finds both similarities and differences in the statistics reported by the countries in NSD. It highlights several possible areas for development related to delineations and changes in definitions regarding the types of books included in the statistics.
Based on the results of this report, Kulturanalys Norden recommends the following:
that the page limit of 17 pages be maintained for the time being, even if it is not fully applied
that self-publishing be included
that Sweden and Finland explore the possibilities of including digital publishing in their deliveries to NSD, and Norway examines whether both physical and digital publishing are counted according to the current delineation
that a more in-depth review be conducted regarding the possibility of adopting statistics regarding unique titles and thereby implementing technological neutrality
that countries explore the possibilities of providing a separate variable – "including children's and youth books" – in addition to the current genre breakdown, provided that a more comprehensive review has been conducted
that consideration be given to shorter time series in CULT17, if it would enable better comparability going forward and reduce comparisons of inadequate quality backward.