Forlaget Oktober
Forlaget Oktober is a Norwegian literary publishing house founded in 1970, publishing approximately 50 new titles per year across novels, poetry, drama, and essays, distributed to Norwegian readers via its own e-commerce platform and bookstore chains and licensed internationally through Oslo Literary Agency.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1970
- HeadquartersOslo, Norway
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Forlaget Oktober does
Forlaget Oktober is a Norwegian literary publishing house founded in 1970, originally established by the Communist Party AKP (ml) and repositioned from 1980 onward as a purely fiction publisher focused on Norwegian contemporary literature. Headquartered in Oslo at Fridtjof Nansens plass 3 (operational) and Kristian Augusts gate 11 (registered corporate address, Forlaget Oktober AS, org nr 923 681 078), the company publishes approximately 50 new titles per year drawn from a roster of approximately 150 Norwegian authors, including Dag Solstad, Per Petterson, Karl Ove Knausgård, Maria Navarro Skaranger, and Tua Forsström.
The publisher's product portfolio spans physical formats (paperback, hardcover, pocket), digital e-books (with Send-to-Kindle delivery), and downloadable audiobooks. Supporting imprints and sub-brands include the Solstad-klassiker reissue series, the Oktobers gjendiktningsserie translation series, and the Oktobers korte short-book series. Distribution combines a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront at oktober.no (accepting Vipps and card payments) with Norwegian retail partners such as Norli. The publisher supplements transactional revenue with editorial content through Oktoberjournal (oktoberjournal.no), an online literary magazine carrying author interviews, themed reading lists, and literary commentary, alongside Facebook and Instagram channels and an email newsletter. Foreign rights, translation rights, and film rights are handled through the core partnership with Oslo Literary Agency, with Henrik Francke as Foreign Rights Manager.
The revenue model is predominantly unit-pricing (one-time purchases) across physical, e-book, and audiobook formats, with secondary royalty income from foreign rights licensing. Pricing is quoted in Norwegian Krone, with physical paperbacks between kr 129 and kr 429, e-books typically kr 179 to kr 229, and audiobooks kr 179 to kr 249. The company is 91%-owned by the Norwegian conglomerate H. Aschehoug & Co (W.Nygaard), operates with 11-50 employees, and is geographically constrained to Norway for physical fulfillment while exporting its catalog internationally through translation rights.
Forlaget Oktober firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Forlaget Oktober
- Legal name
- Forlaget Oktober AS
- Website
- https://oktober.no
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1970
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Forlaget Oktober is a Norwegian literary publishing house founded in 1970, publishing approximately 50 new titles per year across novels, poetry, drama, and essays, distributed to Norwegian readers via its own e-commerce platform and bookstore chains and licensed internationally through Oslo Literary Agency.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Forlaget Oktober industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Literary Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Literary & Classics Publishing (MPAJAAAC), Mass Market & Paperback Publishing (MPAJAAAD)
Keywords
Where Forlaget Oktober is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oslo
- HQ country
- Norway
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Forlaget Oktober business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Physical book sales: Sale of printed books (paperback, hardcover) directly through oktober.no and via physical bookstore distribution partners such as Norli.
- E-book sales: Sale of digital e-book formats through oktober.no, with immediate delivery upon purchase.
- Audiobook sales: Sale of downloadable audiobooks through the oktober.no platform.
- Foreign rights licensing: Licensing of translation and foreign rights for internationally selling titles such as Dag Solstad and Per Petterson to foreign publishers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Physical paperback books |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | E-books |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Audiobooks (downloadable) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Forlaget Oktober product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Forlaget Oktober is a Norwegian literary publishing house that publishes, markets, and sells literary works across multiple formats (physical books, e-books, audiobooks, and pocket editions). Its catalog spans novels, short stories, poetry, drama, essays, and translated fiction, drawing on a roster of 100+ Norwegian authors and producing approximately 50 new titles annually. Foreign rights for the catalog are represented internationally through Oslo Literary Agency.
Product overview
Forlaget Oktober is a Norwegian literary publishing house that operates primarily as a book publisher with a multi-format portfolio. The company publishes approximately 50 new titles annually and represents around 150 Norwegian authors. Their core offerings include physical books (paperback and hardcover novels, poetry, drama, essays), digital formats (ebooks), and audiobooks. The publishing house also maintains a literary magazine (Oktoberjournal), offers foreign rights licensing through Oslo Literary Agency, and provides a catalog of publisher catalogs going back to 2016.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Oktobers korte: A series of short books featuring selections from the publisher's catalog.
Quantifiable outcome
- Dag Solstad's books have been translated into nearly 40 languages and praised by readers including Lydia Davis, Peter Handke, Geoff Dyer, Haruki Murakami, and James Wood.
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Forlaget Oktober
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Forlaget Oktober technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Forlaget Oktober partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Oslo Literary AgencycoreOslo Literary Agency is Norway's biggest literary agency, representing Forlaget Oktober's authors for foreign rights, film rights, and reading copies. The agency was established in 2016, replacing Aschehoug Agency. Literary Agent Henrik Francke handles Oktober's foreign rights enquiries directly.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Forlaget Oktober competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Forlaget Oktober social profiles
Digital presenceForlaget Oktober financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Forlaget Oktober leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Forlaget Oktober funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Forlaget Oktober M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Forlaget Oktober
What does Forlaget Oktober do?
Forlaget Oktober is a Norwegian literary publishing house that publishes, markets, and sells literary works across multiple formats (physical books, e-books, audiobooks, and pocket editions). Its catalog spans novels, short stories, poetry, drama, essays, and translated fiction, drawing on a roster of 100+ Norwegian authors and producing approximately 50 new titles annually. Foreign rights for the catalog are represented internationally through Oslo Literary Agency.
Is Forlaget Oktober a public or private company?
Forlaget Oktober is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Forlaget Oktober founded?
Forlaget Oktober was founded in 1970. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Forlaget Oktober based?
Forlaget Oktober is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, in the Europe region.
How does Forlaget Oktober make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Physical book sales are the primary driver. The others are E-book sales, audiobook sales and foreign rights licensing.
Does Forlaget Oktober have an API?
No public API is recorded for Forlaget Oktober.
What industry is Forlaget Oktober in?
Forlaget Oktober's product category is Literary Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAA, General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction), with a secondary code of MPAJAAAC, Literary & Classics Publishing. Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.