Literature | Only loan allowances can enrich a children’s author – “It’s a bit funny”, says the Tatu ja Patu author

Literary copyright organization Sanasto has published a list of the most cited books of the last year.

According to the glossary, more than 300 authors of literature receive a loan allowance of more than 5,000 euros per year. Fifty of them will receive more than 20,000 euros.

Last year’s has the top spot among the most quoted domestic novels Rämö’s fairy tale who opened the detective series Hildur. The second place on the list is also written by Rämö Rósa & Björk.

Translated number one on the list of fiction books is by Delia Owens The wild song of the swamp. The book was among the most cited translation books for the third year in a row.

Loan reimbursements especially increase the merits of children’s authors, because of the 300 most cited works, about three quarters are literature aimed at children and young people, and a quarter is literature for adults.

At the top of the list of domestic children’s and youth literature are Tatu and Patu -books that fill all five places on the Top 5 list.

Tatu and Patu – the second author of the series Aino Havukainen says that he belongs to the lucky group of more than twenty authors who receive the maximum compensation, i.e. 32,000 euros. Together, Havukainen got another factor, i.e. her husband Sami Toivonen with loan allowances of 64,000 euros.

On top come the Kopiosto corrections from the illustration, which are also several tens of thousands.

“I’ve laughed that it’s a bit funny when we’re the wrong people to get rich. Our lifestyles are quite modest. We don’t really travel and we try to be ecological. So money doesn’t give us any additional motivation,” says Havukainen.

“And yes, we know how exceptionally good our position is”

Super popular book series can also be a surprising money grab for the translator. The translator’s quote fee is 15.5 cents per quote, which may generate a pleasant amount of money for the author.

Vocabulary’s Top 5 list of translated children’s and young people’s book series is First Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stonefollowed by five parts Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.

Translated the series until 2011 into Finnish Sakari Hyrkko says that he still receives thousands of euros a year from the series.

“Most authors get tens or hundreds a year, and then there are the lucky ones who get thousands,” he explains. “Neropathy seems to be quite constantly on loan.”

Hyrkkö left the Finnish translation of the series in five parts and switched to the marketing field in 2011, today he works as a researcher. According to him, the decision has not upset him.

“It wasn’t a money grab back then, and it was a good time to leave it anyway.”

Hyrkön since Neropattje has been translated into Finnish Marja Helanen. He also says that he reaches a maximum compensation of 32,000 euros per year.

“It’s crazy that there are so many compensations, when this actual work is insanely unpaid,” he says.

Hyrkkö says that when he got the job, he didn’t know how much money and joy translating the series would bring.

“It’s wonderful and challenging,” he says.

The most quoted books in different categories 2023

Domestic fiction

1. Hildurwritten by Fairy tale Rämö

2. Rósa & Björkwritten by Fairy tale Rämö

3. Foster daughterwritten by Enni Mustonen

4. Dark Moons: A Winter Bookwritten by Tommi Kinnunen

5. A competitor of the cotton millwritten by Ann-Christine Antell

Translated fiction

1. The wild song of the swampwritten by Delia Owenstranslated into Finnish Maria Lyytinen

2. Aurora’s Secretwritten by Lucinda Riley, translated into Finnish Hilkka Pekkanen

3. Handy boywritten by Camilla Läckberg, translated into Finnish Kristina Vaara

4. Paper palacewritten by Miranda Cowley Hellertranslated into Finnish Tuulia Tipa

5. Atlas, the story of Papa Saltwritten by Lucinda Rileytranslated into Finnish Hilkka Pekkanen and Tuukka Pekkanen

Domestic children’s and youth literature

1. Tatu and Patu at summer campthe authors Aino Havukainen and Sami Toivonen

2. Tatu and Patu: Going hard on the rails

3. Tatu and Patu, life and actions

4. Tatu and Patu, a terrible monster-monster and other strange things

5. Tatu and Patu as detectives: The Case of the Halfling

Translated children’s and youth literature

1.Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, written by JK Rowlingtranslated into Finnish. Jaana Kapari-Jatta

2. Diary of a Wimpy Kidauthor Jeff Kinneytranslated into Finnish Sakari Hyrkko

3. Neropati’s Diary 17: The Holy Thrustauthor Jeff Kinneytranslated into Finnish Marja Helanen

4. Neropati’s Diary 16: About Star Matter, factor Jeff Kinneytranslated into Finnish Marja Helanen

5. Neropat’s diary 14: Remppaa pukkaauthor Jeff Kinneytranslated into Finnish Marja Helanen

Nonfiction, public libraries

1. Research and writewritten by Sirkka Hirsjärvi, Pirkko Remes & Paula Sajavaara

2. Memoirs of a brain surgeonwritten by Juha Hernesniemi

3. Here for you – Years as the President’s Spousewritten by Jenni Haukio

4. Qualitative research and content analysiswritten by Jouni Tuomi & Anneli Sarajärvi

5. War or peace – Writings from Russia and the Westwritten by Mikhail Shishkintranslated into Finnish Sirpa Hietanen