Litteraturpolitikk i praksis

Forleggere og statens innkjøpsordning for ny norsk litteratur

Abstract

The thesis describes how publishers and the scheme work in relation to one another when literary policy is translated into books. It provides new knowledge concerning publishing in practice and concerning the cooperation between private business actors and governmental bodies about the execution of political objectives on the field of literature. The scheme has been operating in Norway for over fifty years and is the only one of its kind in the world. Every year, all the major publishing houses receive extensive government support for a large number of publications through the Norwegian Publishing Scheme. Up until now the work of publishers in relation to the scheme has been poorly researched. With the help of qualitative in-depth interviews with the publishers with the most experience concerning this comprehensive form of cultural policy, the thesis provides insight into the editor´s perspective. This study finds that experience with the scheme is vital for receiving support for a high number of publications. It demonstrates that tacit knowledge of the production of good literature and familiarity with the purchasing system are two competences that are crucial for the publisher´s success. Through a cultural-sociological lens, this work shows how book editors legitimizes the public support regarding their publications. The study highlights how demands for legitimation manifest themselves all the way down to the user level of the scheme. A vital finding is that the editor´s way of legitimizing mirrors the goal setting of the politics on the field. A key finding is that a political-democratic mindset has become prominent within the framing of the scheme and in the editor’s way of legitimizing the support they receive. An autonomy-aesthetic way of thinking is, nevertheless, strong in the practice surrounding the scheme. These are values that has been central to the scheme since it was created, but are barely visible in the formalities of the scheme as it appears after revision in 2015. The thesis highlights that cooperation can take different forms at different levels in the meeting between private business and cultural policy. It discusses the extent to which the scheme can be said to be corporate at the user level and in the context of cooperation on applying for and assigning public support. It suggests an extension of the term corporative into including the cooperation between single actors and the government in putting political goals into action.