It’s been around since 1965, when the State came together with the publishers’ associations and the authors’ associations and instituted it in order to preserve and strengthen Norwegian as a literary language. Publishers that are members of one of the two associations stand a fair chance to have the state buy 773 copies of any novel, poem collection and play that is published for the first time. They are distributed to libraries and a selection of foreign university libraries at institutions teaching Norwegian. Books eligible for purchase are reviewed by a panel that can decide that individual works should be «nulled», i.e. not be purchased.
Since 1965, separate purchase agreements have been instituted that allow for purchase of a limited number of titles, subject to a competitive editorial review, in each of the following categories:
Childrens’ books, approximately 100 titles / year, 1550 copies of each
Non-fictional books for children, approx. 25 titles / year, 1480 copies of each
Translated fiction, approximately 130 titles / year, 542 copies of each
Translated non-fiction, approximately 50 titles /year, 1000 copies of each
In my opinion, the purchase agreements fulfil three purposes that are in the common interest: They make sure that libraries across the country are stocked with current literature, they incentivize authors writing new Norwegian literature, and they constitute a subsidy for the publishing industry which makes it worthwhile for Norwegian publishing houses to spend resources on a broader selection of titles. I’m sure the numbers could be tweaked, and the policy isn’t perfect. But overall, I consider it to be a reasonable investment for the pleasure and enlightenment of people across the country and the preservation of Norwegian as a literary language.
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