State support for literature and publishing relies mainly on the Ministry of Culture and the Cultural Endowment of Estonia. The Ministry of Culture finances the Estonian Children's Literature Center, the Kultuurileht Foundation, the Author Compensation Foundation, the Estonian Literature Information Center and Estonia's participation in international book fairs.
The state supports the creators, i.e. the writers, most directly through the creative scholarships of the Cultural Endowment, through the writer's salary, as well as through the benefits provided by the Copyright Compensation Fund.
The publication of literature, organisation of various literary events, including the international HeadRead and PrimaVista literary festivals, are financed by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
In order to promote the purchase and availability of books, 9% VAT applies in Estonia and as of 1 May 2020, 9% VAT also applies to e-books and audio books.
The habit of reading fiction is decreasing among Estonians. The same trend has been observed in many other countries around the world. This is caused mainly by readers having less time, the insufficient availability of books and often high prices. The increase share of one’s time spent on other leisure activities certainly cannot be underestimated.
Legislation
Publishing is a field of economic law in private law and is subject to the general laws regulating Estonian business and economic activity. In addition, publishing is indirectly regulated by a number of cultural laws, and is directly impacted by the following legislation:
- Copyright Act
- Value-Added Tax Act
- Act to Regulate Dissemination of Works which Contain Pornography or Promote Violence or Cruelty
- Regulation of the Government of the Republic: Rates of Distribution of Remuneration Paid to the Author for Lending a Work from Public Libraries, Bases and Procedure for Calculating and Paying Remuneration.
Writers are directly impacted by the Creative Persons and Creative Associations Act, which has been in force since 2005, which among other things, regulates the support provided for the creative work of freelance artists.
Cultural journalism
Due to the small size of the Estonian publishing market, it is difficult to publish cultural journalism without state support.
In Estonia, the average monthly circulation of a cultural publication is less than 1,000 copies (except for Täheke and Loomingu Raamatukogu) and without state support, the price of a single copy could become extremely high. To prevent this, the state supports the publication of cultural journalism in Estonia through the Kultuurileht Foundation.
Kultuurileht Foundation
The Kultuurileht Foundation publishes the most important cultural journals and newspapers in Estonia: Akadeemia, Diplomaatia, Hea Laps, Keel ja Kirjandus, Kunst.ee, Looming, Loomingu Raamatukogu, Muusika, Müürileht, Sirp, Teater.Muusika.Kino, Täheke, Uma Leht, Vikerkaar, Õpetajate Leht ja Värske Rõhk.
All the issues of the foundation’s publications are digitised and available on Digar, the National Library’s digital archive.
Kultuurileht Foundation publications
Important partners
Estonian Children’s Literature Centre
Main professional and information institution for children’s literature, which collects, preserves and mediates children's and young people's literature as part of Estonia’s cultural heritage. Activity is supported by the Ministry of Culture.
Kultuurileht Foundation
Publishes the following cultural journals: Akadeemia, Diplomaatia, Hea Laps, Haridus, Keel ja Kirjandus, Kunst.ee, Looming, Loomingu Raamatukogu, Muusika, Sirp, Müürileht, Uma Leht, Teater.Muusika.Kino, Täheke, Vikerkaar and Õpetajate Leht. Activity is supported by the Ministry of Culture.
Estonian Literature Centre
Promotes Estonian writers and their works abroad, supports and trains translators, manages an English-language database of Estonian writers, their works, the translators and translations of Estonian literature. Activity is supported by the Ministry of Culture.
Author Compensation Fund Foundation
Pays compensation to authors and copyright holders for the works that are lent out and reprographically reproduced by public libraries.
Estonian Writers’ Union
A creative union uniting writers, which represents the interests of its members in the public arena and organises events promoting literature and reading (e.g. literary Wednesdays in the union’s black-ceilinged hall, authors’ tours of Estonian libraries and schools). The union receives state support under the provisions of the Artistic Associations Act.
Estonian Publishers’ Association
Organises Estonian exhibitions at international book fairs.
The Baltic Assembly Prize for Literature
The Baltic Assembly Prize for Literature is an international literary award, one of the three cultural awards of the Baltic Assembly. The award was established in 1994. The award is given for an outstanding literary work written in Estonian, Lithuanian and Latvian and has a significant impact on the cultural history of the Baltic region. The work must have been published for the first time within the past five years. According to the statute, award-winning literary works are published in other Baltic countries in two years.
The award – a statuette, a certificate and a prize money of 5000 euros – will be presented at the award ceremony of the Baltic Assembly during the annual session in late October or early November.
The translation and publication of the works of the winners of the Baltic Assembly Literary Award from Latvia and Lithuania is supported by the Ministry of Culture of Estonia. The works are published by Foundation Kultuurileht, official cooperation partner of Estonian Ministry of Culture in the context of Baltic Assembly Literature Prize.
Baltic Assembly Prize for Literature, the Arts and Science
More info
Madli-Liis Parts
Adviser on Baltic Collaboration
[email protected]
Contact
Last updated: 04.02.2025