This year's August Prize winners will be announced on Monday evening. After 36 years, the prize money of SEK 100,000 remains unchanged for the winners in the three different categories.
The fact that it has been standing still for so long gives reason to consider whether it should be turned on in some way, says Daniel Sandström.
The prize has increased in importance, which is not reflected in the prize money. When it was established in 1989, there were completely different opportunities to reach out with books and literature through the media, Sandström points out.
Without sounding nostalgic or reactionary, one can say that all of that has been challenged by an increasingly digital public sphere. In this way, prizes become a lifeline for a great deal of literature.
No question
According to the CEO of the Swedish Publishers Association, Mikaela Zabrodsky, however, the size of the prize money has not been up for discussion.
It hasn't been the most important issue when my board discussed the price. 100,000 is still a considerable sum.
But wouldn't an increase be appropriate?
You might think so, but it hasn't been an issue that has been raised within the association. We want the prize to drive sales and that is usually the effect. This prize is so much more than the prize money, she says, noting that it often leads to international publishing.
Sales success varies greatly, however. "Ædnan," which won in 2018, was an epic work of poetry. Such a book gets a sales boom in relation to what it sold before, but cannot compete with an August-winning novel such as Andrev Walden's "Jävla karlar," notes Daniel Sandström.
Ten times more
However, the August Prize was also significant for last year's literary laureate, Tony Samuelsson. According to his publisher Christian Manfred, "King of Nostratia" has sold ten times more than Samuelsson's most recent novels.
He had written many books before, he was well-regarded and appreciated, but it is clear that awareness of his writing increased dramatically, says Daniel Sandström.
At the same time, the recession has reduced sales. The non-fiction winners have not sold as well as before.
But it's probably also related to the fact that we have a bigger crisis for the non-fiction book, says Sandström.
Established in 1989 by the Swedish Publishers Association. The winners receive a statuette and 100,000 kronor. In the first three years, only one prize was awarded for "Book of the Year". Since 1992, the prize has been awarded in three categories: fiction, non-fiction, and children's and young adult literature.
In 1994, the Lilla August Prize was established for young people between the ages of 16 and 20. The prize money is 15,000 SEK.
