Legal and Social Context

In principle, the starting position for authors in Austria is no different from the situation in the neighboring German-speaking countries. The copyright, publishing and contractual regulations are similar; there is a standard publishing contract for Germany and a model publishing contract for Austria, and the social and tax requirements are essentially the same. Writers work on their own behalf in both countries. The contracting parties are the publishing houses; the legal position of authors vis-à-vis the publishing houses is a little better protected by law in Germany, while in Austria the support options for authors to promote their work and works are more numerous.
In general, greater interconnectedness is developing throughout the German-speaking world in the publishing landscape, in the politics of book awards, and in their perception by the media and the public. At the same time, many authors also experience the opening of the market as a delivery to the book and media market. A symptomatic example of this is Marlene Streeruwitzʼ critical reference to the awarding of the German Book Prize and the Frankfurt Book Fair in her 2014 novel Nachkommen.