Football can get a publishing firm rolling, or so it seems. Egill Örn Jóhannsson, CEO of Forlagið publishing firm states that the interest of foreign publishing firms in Icelandic books has suddenly increased, Vísir reports. He is convinced it’s a direct result of the success of the Icelandic men’s national football team at the EURO 2016 in France, where the team made it to the quarter-finals.
“The past few weeks have been interesting. The presidential candidacy of [writer] Andri Snær Magnason brought him huge attention, and following that, we sold the publishing rights of his work. And now this: the EURO 2016.”
Egill insists there is a connection between literature and sports. “In recent years, the book market of the Association of Publishers has been held in the Laugardalur sports facility, and, therefore, there is an almost direct relationship between the Icelandic Football Association and publishers,” he asserts and grins.
But humor aside, Egill points out that foreign publishers have contacted Forlagið, “looking for works from Iceland. We have received congratulations from all over the world and inquiries about the works of specific authors, and more likely than not, that will result in a substantial number of publishing contracts abroad.
The interest is not limited to Europe and the US, because publishers in South Korea and Taiwan, for example, have contacted us, congratulated us, and shown interest in publishing the works of Icelandic authors in their home countries.
Translators have contacted us, since they have noticed an increased interest in having Icelandic books translated.”
