Storytel
Storytel is a Swedish subscription platform for audiobooks and e-books, combined with a publishing and content-ownership business.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
Storytel is a Swedish digital reading and listening company headquartered in Stockholm. Founded in 2006 by Jonas Tellander and Jon Hauksson, the business developed around a subscription model that gives customers access to catalogues of audiobooks and e-books through digital applications. Its activities extend beyond distribution: through acquisitions of publishing houses and content businesses, Storytel has built a vertically integrated position spanning publishing, rights ownership, local-language content production, and consumer subscription services. The company’s international development has been driven by a combination of organic market entry and acquisitions. In 2016, Storytel acquired Norstedts förlag, one of Sweden’s major publishing houses, and Danish digital book service Mofibo. The following year it acquired the Danish publisher People’s Press and expanded into Russia, Spain, India, and the United Arab Emirates. These moves broadened Storytel’s geographic reach while adding local publishing relationships and catalogues to its platform strategy. Storytel continued its acquisition-led expansion in 2018 with the purchase of Turkish audiobook service Seslenen Kitaplar. In 2019 it acquired Gummerus, described as Finland’s oldest publishing house, strengthening its position in Finnish-language publishing and digital audio. In July 2020, Storytel acquired a 70 percent stake in Icelandic publishing company Forlagið. Together, these transactions gave the group access to established publishing brands, local authors, and regional rights portfolios across several language markets. A major step in Storytel’s English-language strategy came in November 2021, when it acquired Audiobooks.com from RBMedia for $135 million. Audiobooks.com operates as an English-language audiobook service with availability in more than 150 countries, giving Storytel a distribution channel with a substantially broader international footprint than the company’s core Storytel-branded subscription operations. The acquisition also expanded the group’s presence in English-language audio entertainment and reduced its dependence on any single regional market. Leadership changed during the company’s international expansion. Co-founder Jonas Tellander stepped down as chief executive in February 2022 for personal reasons and joined Storytel’s board. Johannes Larcher, a former HBO executive, became chief executive in August 2022. In July 2024, Storytel announced the appointment of Bodil Eriksson Torp as the group’s new chief executive. The leadership transitions reflect the company’s evolution from a Scandinavian digital-book start-up into a multinational subscription and publishing group. Storytel’s positioning combines convenience, recurring access, and local-language depth. Its consumer proposition is based on allowing subscribers to listen to and read a broad catalogue through digital devices, while its publishing operations help secure content and develop market-specific offerings. The group has also faced regulatory scrutiny over alleged anti-competitive practices in Turkey, Iceland, and other countries. Publicly available reference material identifies these investigations but does not provide sufficient detail here to establish their outcomes. Storytel remains an active international audiobook, e-book, and publishing business.
History
Storytel was established in Sweden in 2006 by Jonas Tellander and Jon Hauksson. Its original business concept was based on subscription access to digital books, particularly audiobooks, delivered through an online platform and mobile applications. The model positioned Storytel within the emerging digital transformation of book consumption, offering users recurring access rather than requiring individual purchases of every title. The company’s early identity was strongly Nordic, but its growth strategy soon combined international expansion with ownership of publishing assets. In 2016, Storytel acquired Norstedts förlag, one of Sweden’s largest publishing houses, and Mofibo, a Danish book subscription service. The transactions connected the platform with established publishing catalogues and strengthened its presence in Denmark and Sweden. In 2017, it acquired People’s Press in Denmark and entered Russia, Spain, India, and the United Arab Emirates. Storytel broadened its regional content base through further acquisitions. In 2018 it bought Seslenen Kitaplar, a Turkish audiobook service. In 2019 it acquired Gummerus, a Finnish publishing house with a long history in the country’s book market. In July 2020, the company purchased a 70 percent stake in Forlagið, an Icelandic publisher. These deals supported a model in which Storytel could combine subscription distribution with local publishing, rights management, and content development. The group’s most significant English-language transaction was the acquisition of Audiobooks.com from RBMedia in November 2021. The reported purchase price was $135 million. Audiobooks.com gave Storytel access to an English-language audiobook operation available in more than 150 countries, complementing Storytel’s own service, which was available in more than 25 countries according to the reference material. The acquisition therefore represented both a product expansion and a geographic strategy, adding a global English-language channel to a business historically built around national and regional markets. Leadership changed after the Audiobooks.com transaction. In February 2022, co-founder Jonas Tellander stepped down as chief executive for personal reasons and joined the board. Johannes Larcher, previously an executive at HBO, became chief executive in August 2022. In July 2024, Storytel announced Bodil Eriksson Torp as the group’s new chief executive. These changes occurred as the company operated across subscription technology, audiobook distribution, and publishing. Storytel’s business scope consequently extends across consumer subscriptions, audiobooks, e-books, publishing, and rights-based content operations. Its competitive proposition rests on catalogue breadth, ease of digital access, recurring subscription economics, and the ability to provide content in local languages through owned or affiliated publishing businesses. The company has also attracted regulatory attention: available reference material says it was investigated for alleged anti-competitive practices in Turkey, Iceland, and other countries, but does not provide enough information to determine the specific allegations, decisions, or consequences. Storytel remains an active Swedish international digital-book and publishing group.
- 2024
Bodil Eriksson Torp named group chief executive
[1]Storytel announces Bodil Eriksson Torp as its new group chief executive.
- 2022
Founder-led chief executive transition
[1]Jonas Tellander leaves the chief executive position and joins the board; Johannes Larcher later becomes chief executive.
- 2021
Audiobooks.com acquisition
[1]Storytel acquires Audiobooks.com from RBMedia for $135 million.
- 2020
Forlagið majority investment
[1]Storytel acquires a 70 percent stake in Icelandic publisher Forlagið.
- 2019
Gummerus acquisition
[1]Storytel acquires Finnish publishing house Gummerus.
- 2018
Seslenen Kitaplar acquisition
[1]The company acquires Turkish audiobook service Seslenen Kitaplar.
- 2017
Further Danish expansion and new market entries
[1]Storytel acquires People’s Press and expands into Russia, Spain, India, and the United Arab Emirates.
- 2016
Norstedts and Mofibo acquisitions
[1]Storytel acquires Swedish publisher Norstedts förlag and Danish digital book service Mofibo.
- 2006
Storytel is founded
[1]Jonas Tellander and Jon Hauksson establish Storytel in Sweden.
Products and positioning
A global digital reading and listening platform combining subscription access with locally rooted publishing and content ownership.
Audiobook and e-book subscription
Storytel subscription
Storytel’s core consumer service provides subscribers with digital access to catalogues of audiobooks and e-books. Availability, catalogue composition, and language coverage vary by market, with the service built around recurring access through digital devices rather than single-title ownership.
English-language audiobook service
Audiobooks.com
Audiobooks.com is an English-language audiobook service acquired by Storytel from RBMedia in November 2021. The service is available in more than 150 countries and provides Storytel with a broad international channel for English-language audio content.
Publishing
Norstedts publishing
Norstedts förlag is a major Swedish publishing house acquired by Storytel in 2016. It contributes publishing capabilities, catalogues, author relationships, and rights that can support both traditional book publishing and digital audio distribution.
Digital book subscription
Mofibo
Mofibo is a Danish digital book service acquired by Storytel in 2016. Its addition supported Storytel’s Nordic subscription footprint and brought an established local digital reading proposition into the group.
Publishing
People’s Press
People’s Press is a Danish publisher acquired by Storytel in 2017. The acquisition expanded the group’s Danish publishing assets and strengthened its access to local-language titles and rights.
Audiobook service
Seslenen Kitaplar
Seslenen Kitaplar is a Turkish audiobook service acquired by Storytel in 2018, adding a Turkish-language audio operation to the group’s international portfolio.
Publishing
Gummerus
Gummerus is a Finnish publishing house acquired by Storytel in 2019. It expanded Storytel’s Finnish publishing presence and provided additional local content and rights resources.
Publishing
Forlagið
Forlagið is an Icelandic publishing company in which Storytel acquired a 70 percent stake in 2020. The investment gave Storytel majority ownership of a local publishing operation in Iceland.
Controversies
Investigations into alleged anti-competitive practices
Storytel has reportedly been investigated over alleged anti-competitive practices in Turkey, Iceland, and other countries. The available reference material does not specify the precise conduct under examination, the regulators involved, or the final outcomes.
Brand decisions
2024
Bodil Eriksson Torp appointed group chief executiveOtherBackground
Storytel announced a further chief executive transition after Johannes Larcher’s tenure.
Action taken
The company announced Bodil Eriksson Torp as its new group chief executive.
2022
Change in chief executive leadershipOtherBackground
Following Storytel’s international expansion and Audiobooks.com acquisition, co-founder Jonas Tellander stepped down as chief executive for personal reasons.
Action taken
Tellander joined the board, and Johannes Larcher was appointed chief executive in August 2022.
Aftermath
The company moved from founder-led executive management to leadership by an executive with prior experience at HBO.
2021
Acquire Audiobooks.com to expand English-language reachM&ABackground
Storytel had built much of its presence through Nordic and other regional markets, while Audiobooks.com offered an English-language service with availability in more than 150 countries.
Action taken
Storytel acquired Audiobooks.com from RBMedia in November 2021.
Aftermath
The transaction broadened Storytel’s international audiobook distribution and added a major English-language service to its portfolio.
Reported acquisition price. $135 million (November 2021)
Recent events
Spotify and Storytel announce audiobook partnership[2]
Reported:
Spotify announced a partnership with Storytel that will let existing Storytel subscribers link their accounts and access audiobooks in Spotify’s app; the integration was planned to go live later in 2021.
Storytel announces acquisition of Kitab Sawti[3]
Reported:
Storytel announced that it is acquiring Arabic audiobook service Kitab Sawti. The closing was expected on 10 July 2020; the announcement said the purchase price would be paid partly in cash and partly through the issuance of Storytel shares.
Storytel launched its Korean service[4]
Reported:
Storytel officially launched its audiobook streaming service in South Korea, offering a monthly subscription with access to about 50,000 Korean- and English-language books.
Sources5 sources
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