(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
Now must the daily newspapers book reviewers soon get along! Are they in the pocket of the big publishers? Or do they have to be extra lubricated so that they at all bother to open a book from a small, "insignificant" publisher?
We are a newly started, serious (!) Small publisher. Half a year ago we published our first book, a translation of a Danish prize winner, "It is said" by Kristian Ditlev Jensen (Gyldendal 2000) – Norwegian title "It is said". The book was sold in 18.000 copies. already the first year in Denmark and has been translated into four languages, including Japanese. It has also been dramatized and played for three years on Danish stages. Plus it is set up on German stages. And film rights to the book have been sold.
The book is a bit controversial, it is about a boy (the author) who was sexually abused from the age of 9 until he was 12 and what significance this would have for his life and for the rest of the family in retrospect. It is very well written and has received the highest rating of those who have read it (average dice throw 5,7). Still, it gets killed in the press.
The publisher sent a review copy plus plenty of written material about the book to named reviewers in 18 of the largest newspapers in the country. These had also been contacted by telephone in advance. Zero response. A private reviewer later tried to get a review of the book in a handful of newspapers. Zero response.
In November, we published a new book, "The Dream of Rio". Preliminary response: zero!
The question is: What does it take to be found worthy of being mentioned / reviewed in one of the country's daily newspapers? What is required for lubrication? How corrupt is the industry? And what does it take to be part of this dance – do you have to lose your virtue?
Fred Nordal, Kaprice publishing house.
