In 2024, paper books were sold in Russia for 98 billion rubles (almost 11 billion euros) - against 91 billion in 2023, according to the publishing association "Eksmo". And sales of e-books have grown in one year from 14.5 billion to 18.9 billion.
Formally, there is growth, but if inflation is taken into account, there is no growth. The total circulation of books and brochures last year was 369.5 million copies. This is ten percent more than in 2023, but still six percent less than in the pre-war 2022, and 15 percent less than in the pre-pandemic times. Sales of e-books are growing faster, but their market share remains modest - a little more than 15 percent.
At the same time, as reported by the publishing industry, in 2024 book publishing in Russia became more expensive by more than 15 percent - due to the growth of key costs such as wages, rent, taxes, etc.
Which authors have disappeared from bookstores
The de facto imposition of censorship has removed a number of popular authors from the book market, such as Boris Akunin (who was sentenced in absentia by a military court yesterday to 14 years of strict regime for aiding terrorism - ed.). In 2021, the writer was in seventh place among the most published authors - with 285,000 copies.
On his own initiative, Stephen King stopped publishing his books in Russian in March 2022 - in protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The total circulation of King's books in 2021 was over 781,000 copies - no one else could boast such numbers. In addition, the Russian market was abandoned by the largest Western publishers who work with other stars.
By the way, King's publishing house - Penguin Books - later decided to return and in 2024 the king of horror again fell among the most published authors, but took only tenth place. And the books of other publishers that left Russia enter the country in a semi-pirate way - through publishers in neighboring countries.
Books by Akunin and other sought-after authors have understandably disappeared from the ratings, but this does not mean that people have stopped reading them - their digital versions remain available on pirated sites. Akunin himself is developing his Babook project, which publishes both his own works and works by other authors.
What books do Russians prefer and why
The most published Russian author in 2024 is Anna Jane - the pseudonym of Anna Potapkina, who died in 2023. She is known for her youth romance novels such as "Love and Hate", "The Delightful Witch" and others. The total circulation of her books for the year exceeded 2.2 million copies. Only after her come Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Bulgakov and Erich Maria Remarque. The bestseller of the year is a book titled "How to Treat Yourself Gently".
The ratings do not include works of the so-called patriotic literature, despite the efforts of the authorities. However, interest in esotericism is growing - a trend that has been observed in recent years. These books occupy second place in popularity after publications related to psychology. Since 2020, the circulation of esoteric literature has doubled, with predictions being particularly sought after.
The growth of interest in esotericism is a sign of the deep existential confusion of Russians, suggests writer Nikolai Kononov. "People are faced with questions of life and death, the disappearance of the population after a nuclear war, etc.", Kononov points out. "And since this world no longer seems safe, many seek support in mysticism, which is neither under the control of Putin nor the Federal Security Service. Or even in magic, which is able to provide irrational salvation. When nothing rational helps."
Author: Oleg Loginov