A letter for Finnish literature: A cry of help from Finnish authors

Over 900 Finnish authors have signed a public letter for Finnish literature (Avoin kirje suomalaisen kirjallisuuden puolesta). In this letter the authors demand improvements for authors through measures like reducing the VAT on books instead of raising it; a fixed minimum price for books; and support for authors though law and public support. They back up their claims by bringing up that their work is endangered in the new digital age.

Among the over 900 authors are names such as Salla Simukka, Sofi Oksanen, Rosa Liksom and Kjell Westö. However, the letter is originally written by Katja Kallio, Laura Lindstedt, Riikka Pulkkinen, Pajtim Statovci and Eeva Turunen. Suprisingly, one of the signed is a politician part of the current governing parties of Finland, that approved some of the changes these authors are opposing.

The authors demand four things:

1. The provisions of copyright law which improve the author’s position must be put into practice
2. Finland must put in place a fixed minimum price for the first 12 months of a book.
3. The government must reverse the increase of the VAT of books and instead work to lower it to 0.
4. Lastly, the authors demand more support for literature to ensure that Finnish literature remains vibrant and diverse through the digital transition.

The letter also outlines reasons as to why it came about. The authors claim that the copyright revenue of almost all authors has plummeted. This is based on a study by Finnish book writers’ associations: Suomen Kirjailijaliitto and Suomen tietokirjailijat ry. This study concluded that for a new sale on a streaming service an author receives on average a fifth of what they would for a written book. This, according to the authors, means that many cannot continue to write.

The authors also point out the fact that in 2023 the percentage of e-books and e-audiobooks of the sale of literature was 51,4% compared to 23,8% in 2019. They bring up that they can in some cases negotiate the percentage they receive from the publisher but that they can’t affect the resale or licensing price their publisher negotiates with for example audiobook streaming services, from which this percentage is calculated. All in all, the signed authors seem unhappy with the revenue they are getting for their work in the new digital world and want their position improved through law.

To find out more about the author’s demands or explanations and to calculate how many have signed the letter, see: Avoin kirje suomalaisen kirjallisuuden puolesta.

For comments on both sides check out this piece of news by YLE.

To read the comments of the politician who signed the letter see this HS news piece.

photo: Unsplash / Jukka Aalho