How to get Gen Z to read books? Take notes from the Norwegian publisher Gyldendal and their award-winning Instagram book

NEW YORK and OSLO, Norway, May 5, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Gyldendal, Norway's leading group in the book industry, is proud to announce that Stays Between Us, a storytelling studio born out of the company, is among the winners of Fast Company's 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards.

The winners were announced today, honoring the businesses, policies, projects, and concepts that are actively engaged and deeply committed to pursuing innovation when it comes to solving health and climate crises, social injustice, or economic inequality.

During the pandemic, young people have increased their time spent on social media by 48 %. In addition, the number of young people who read for personal interest has decreased drastically in the US during the last decade – and the time they spend reading is also in decline.

Stays Between Us explores how to reach youth with well-crafted and bold stories to help them find and share their voice – beyond books.

Gyldendal has 100 years of literature experience and is a firm believer in the power of stories to drive change and empower the new generation.

And so, Stays Between Us was created, with a team aiming to find new ways to create, distribute and monetize stories.

Not just for the sake of it. For the sake of society.

This Stays Between Us is Norway's first Instagram book, a native digital story written by award-winning author Alexander Kielland Krag.

The story is told through a combination of text, visuals, and music. The story captures the intricacy of growing up, first love, and finding your place in life.

This Stays Between Us is currently running as a Show on Snapchat (Norwegian), and in August, the team will release "Afraid, that's all," a novel by Alexander Kielland Krag.

"I am thrilled for our small team. Our project is all about reaching young people with great stories that build empathy and relatability in a time that is meme-driven and polarizing. Traditional readership is in decline among youths, and we wanted to introduce stories on a platform where they spend much of their time," says Tom Christian Gotschalksen, Gyldendal's Executive Vice President for Services and Growth. "Winning this prestigious prize not only confirms the importance of our work, but encourages us to seek partnerships with brands, platforms and more storytellers in our quest to bring more quality stories to the youth market."

"There is no question our society and planet are facing deeply troubling times. So, it's important to recognize organizations that are using their ingenuity, impact, design, scalability, and passion to solve these problems," says Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. "Our journalists, under the leadership of senior editor Morgan Clendaniel, have discovered some of the most groundbreaking projects that have launched since the start of 2020."

About the World Changing Ideas Awards: World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company's major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.

Media Contact

Camilla Bruseland, Gyldendal, +47 +47 97717997, [email protected]

SOURCE Gyldendal