Authors as Labourers and Capitalists : Political Self-Publishing in 1970s Sweden
(2026) 4th CBCP Postgraduate Symposium- Abstract
- Authors as laborers and capitalists. Political self publishing in 1970s Sweden.
From the late 1960s and onwards, many Swedish authors started questioning the publishing industry. The relationship between author and publisher was increasingly interpreted as a relationship between wage-laborer and capitalist. As a consequence, initatives to help authors publish without a traditional publisher were launched. However, the authors’ new position as de facto publishers challenged their newfound identity as laborers. In this presentation, I aim to explore the tension between on the one hand, the ideas that fueled the self publishing initiatives, and on the other hand, the practical and economical realities of book production and book... (More) - Authors as laborers and capitalists. Political self publishing in 1970s Sweden.
From the late 1960s and onwards, many Swedish authors started questioning the publishing industry. The relationship between author and publisher was increasingly interpreted as a relationship between wage-laborer and capitalist. As a consequence, initatives to help authors publish without a traditional publisher were launched. However, the authors’ new position as de facto publishers challenged their newfound identity as laborers. In this presentation, I aim to explore the tension between on the one hand, the ideas that fueled the self publishing initiatives, and on the other hand, the practical and economical realities of book production and book publishing.
In the proposed paper presentation, I will use the publishing cooperative Författares bokmaskin (“The Authors’ Book Machine”) as a case study. Looking at personal accounts from authors and public debate that arose when the cooperative started, I will discuss the initial ideas behind the publishing cooperative and the outcome of their publishing operations.
Self publishing and “indie publishing” are often constructed as contemporary or post-digital phenomena, both in research and in the wider public sphere. The paper offers a historical perspective on self publishing as well as a study on formation of author identity in relation to political ideas about work, the book trade, and freedom of speech in 1970s Sweden. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/de6902bd-3b00-4b5f-8ed5-edad59d570c7
- author
- Uhlmann Lindberg, Molly LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026-05-19
- type
- Contribution to conference
- publication status
- unpublished
- subject
- conference name
- 4th CBCP Postgraduate Symposium
- conference location
- Reading, United Kingdom
- conference dates
- 2026-05-19 - 2026-05-19
- language
- Swedish
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- de6902bd-3b00-4b5f-8ed5-edad59d570c7
- date added to LUP
- 2026-05-29 13:50:37
- date last changed
- 2026-06-15 16:43:55
@misc{de6902bd-3b00-4b5f-8ed5-edad59d570c7,
abstract = {{Authors as laborers and capitalists. Political self publishing in 1970s Sweden.<br/><br/>From the late 1960s and onwards, many Swedish authors started questioning the publishing industry. The relationship between author and publisher was increasingly interpreted as a relationship between wage-laborer and capitalist. As a consequence, initatives to help authors publish without a traditional publisher were launched. However, the authors’ new position as de facto publishers challenged their newfound identity as laborers. In this presentation, I aim to explore the tension between on the one hand, the ideas that fueled the self publishing initiatives, and on the other hand, the practical and economical realities of book production and book publishing.<br/><br/>In the proposed paper presentation, I will use the publishing cooperative Författares bokmaskin (“The Authors’ Book Machine”) as a case study. Looking at personal accounts from authors and public debate that arose when the cooperative started, I will discuss the initial ideas behind the publishing cooperative and the outcome of their publishing operations.<br/><br/>Self publishing and “indie publishing” are often constructed as contemporary or post-digital phenomena, both in research and in the wider public sphere. The paper offers a historical perspective on self publishing as well as a study on formation of author identity in relation to political ideas about work, the book trade, and freedom of speech in 1970s Sweden.}},
author = {{Uhlmann Lindberg, Molly}},
language = {{swe}},
month = {{05}},
title = {{Authors as Labourers and Capitalists : Political Self-Publishing in 1970s Sweden}},
year = {{2026}},
}