The Federal Office of Culture supports 94 Swiss publishers
As part of the program to promote publishing, which came into force in 2016, the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) is supporting 94 publishers from the three major language regions with a total of CHF 7.5 million in the funding period 2021-2024. This commitment reaffirms the important role of publishing houses in the Swiss cultural landscape.
Based on the public call for proposals issued this summer, the BAK will award 42 structural grants of between 10,000 and 80,000 Swiss francs per year and 52 grants of between 7500 and 10,000 Swiss francs per year to publishers in the next funding period. The total amount of grants for the period 2021-2024 is 7.5 million francs. Of the 94 publishers that will receive funding in the future, 57 are based in German-speaking Switzerland (61 percent), 31 in French-speaking Switzerland (33 percent) and 6 in Italian-speaking Switzerland (6 percent).
The promotion of publishing houses introduced by the federal government as part of the 2016-2020 Cultural Dispatch will be continued over the next four years. This measure is intended to promote the cultural role of Swiss publishers, in particular by strengthening their activity as intermediaries between authors, bookshops and readers, and by recognizing the wide range of cultural activities that publishers carry out alongside the production of books (reading manuscripts, editing, promotion and research, contacts with authors, etc.). The structural and promotional contributions complement the existing measures of the federal government, the cantons and the municipalities.
First positive balance
Almost five years after the introduction of the publishing subsidy and after completion of the first subsidy period, the overall balance is positive, as shown by the Second Survey on the New 2016-2020 Subsidy Concept for Publishing Subsidies, which updates that of 2017. The majority of the supported publishers state that they have been able to develop new projects thanks to the funding, particularly in the context of communicating and promoting their publications. They also expressly welcome the paradigm shift made possible by this support, in addition to laying the foundations for promoting the cultural work of publishers: Publishing is now perceived as the sum of many more or less well-known activities through which good publishing work is characterized. The two surveys on the support concept are available on the BAK website (see documents below).
Calculation of contributions
The grants are aimed at professional Swiss publishers who have been present in the book market for at least four years and regularly produce titles. A specialist group reviews the applications submitted and makes recommendations to the BAK.
Structural contributions: The multi-year structural contributions are calculated using a mathematical formula and can be adjusted if necessary. The calculation is based on average publishing sales over the last four years, from which subsidies are deducted. This turnover is then weighted according to a regional distribution key and the literary and cultural orientation of the publisher. A minimum turnover is set as the access threshold. Subsidies can range from 10,000 Swiss francs (minimum) to 80,000 Swiss francs (maximum) per year.
Funding Contributions: The multi-year subsidies are aimed at smaller publishing houses that cannot apply for structural subsidies but are distinguished by their cultural activity and charisma. The contributions can now amount to between CHF 7500 (minimum) and CHF 10,000 (maximum) per year.
Funded publishers conclude service contracts with the BAK. In these, they undertake to develop certain activities. However, the BAK does not intervene in the management, the orientation or the program of the publishing houses.
