Book market of Russia

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• The most read books in Russia

Book Market in Russia

2023

Sales of paper books on the Internet for the first time exceeded 50% of the market

In Russia, for the first time, sales of paper books via the Internet exceeded 50% of the total market volume. This is evidenced by the data of the Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation, published in June 2024.

According to the ministry's materials, excerpts from which Vedomosti cites, in 2023, sales of paper books on online platforms, including marketplaces, its own websites of publishers and bookstores, amounted to 50.1% (or 45.7 billion rubles) of the total distribution volume, which reached 91.3 billion rubles. Thus, online stores have become the leading retail distribution channel for paper books, ahead of traditional bookstores.

In Russia, for the first time, sales of paper books via the Internet exceeded 50% of the total market volume

According to Ministry of Digital Development, the share of bookstores in sales of paper books decreased to 41.7% (38 billion rubles). In 2019, this figure was 67.3%, while online stores occupied only 22.9% of the market. In recent years, there has been a steady trend in the growth of the share of online sales: in 2020 - 33%, in 2021 - 40.4%, in 2022 - 43.6%.

The growth in sales on online sites is explained by several factors. According to the general director of the Eksmo publishing house Yevgeny Kapyev, marketplaces and online stores offer significant discounts and attractive conditions for customers, which makes them competitive compared to traditional bookstores. In 2023, sales of paper books on marketplaces increased by 58%, while the total segment of paper books grew by only 9% in monetary terms.

According to Vedomosti, in 2023 sales of paper books on their platform increased by 71% compared to 2022. Ozon, Yandex.Market and Megamarket did not disclose their indicators, but confirmed significant growth in this segment.

According to the Ministry of Digital Development report, the decline in the share of bookstores is also due to a drop in sales in this channel. Bookstore sales were down 4.9 per cent on the previous year in 2023. The largest chain "Chitai-Gorod - Bukvoed" recorded a fall of 6.4%, to 14.4 billion rubles, while sales of all other bookstores decreased by 3.9%, to 23.6 billion rubles.^[1]

Growth in sales of paper books by 9% to 94 billion rubles

In 2023, paper books worth 94 billion rubles were sold in Russia, which is 9% more than a year earlier. The market volume in physical terms also increased - by 3%, to 231 million units. This was announced in mid-February 2024 by the co-owner of the largest publishing group in Russia, Eksmo-AST (unites Eksmo, AST, Mann, Ivanov and Ferber, Azbuka-Atticus) Oleg Novikov.

According to him, the negative impact on the dynamics of the Russian book market in 2023 was exerted by the refusal of some authors to publish their works and piracy, including paper editions.

Paper books worth 94 billion rubles were sold in Russia

It is visually difficult for readers to distinguish a fake from an original edition. They are faced with the fact that the book does not meet elementary quality requirements, but it is already quite difficult to abandon it, - said Novikov.

Publishers call marketplaces and the main distribution channel for counterfeit books. However, Ozon assured that they are responding to complaints from copyright holders, preventing counterfeit goods from entering the site.

Speaking about the decision of some foreign authors to abandon the distribution of books in Russia, the co-owner of Eksmo-AST noted that their books "are not protected and, in fact, anyone can print new works today." At the same time, the technical director of Freedom Letters, Vladimir Kharitonov, believes that publishers of illegal translations violate the rights of authors, regardless of their presence in Russia.

But the police will not excite anything without a statement, and the Russian publishers of those King books that are still officially published are not authorized to do this, the Kommersant expert quotes.

Kharitonov added that what happened in 2022-2023. the rise in price of books by 40%, which ensured the growth of the market in money, "causes a shock to an ordinary visitor to a bookstore."^[2][3]

Every third bookstore closed in Russia since January 2020

The number of bookstores in Russia decreased by a third from January 2020 to autumn 2023 - from 8.3 thousand to 5.3 thousand. This is evidenced by the data of the Kontur. Focus service, which were published in October 2023.

By this time, the largest number of books is located in Moscow (more than 500), Moscow region and St. Petersburg (about 300). The first five are closed by the Krasnodar Territory (238) and the Sverdlovsk Region (192). Least of all such stores in the Kherson region (1), Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Tuva (2 each), RIA Novosti reports.

The number of publishers from January 2020 to autumn 2023 decreased from 4.7 thousand to 3.9 thousand.. The closures were almost double the openings: 1.8 thousand against 989.

Most stores closed during the height of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic in Russia and the world - from 2020 to 2021. Then, as experts note, several hundred stores were closed once a month.

The circulation of books has been falling for several years, said Galina Perova, head of the press statistics and international numbering department of the RCP RGB complex. According to her, the decline in book production is associated both with demand and with the capabilities of publishers.

In addition, the termination of foreign licenses could affect the reduction in the production of books, Vladimir Kharitonov, ex-head of the Association of Internet Publishers, told Kommersant. He noted that the situation is also affected by the problem of piracy.

Now more and more people are turning either to free digital copies on the Internet, or to illegal publications on marketplaces, the newspaper quotes Kharitonov as Marketplaces.

The general director of "Eksmo-AST" Evgeny Kapyev also said that the book industry is not developing due to a decrease in the number of bookstores. According to him, the state needs to launch a network of Russian bookstores abroad.^[4]

Sales of literature in a foreign language in Russia in February decreased by 20%

The fall is due to the withdrawal from the market of Penguin Random House, Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster, an international wholesaler of Gardners books, as well as a decrease in the number of foreigners in the Russian Federation. Publishers and marketplaces sell off inventory at discounts. They are convinced that the reduction in the supply of literature in a foreign language will not have any impact on the market, since this segment has always been in demand by a very narrow audience.

2022

Sales growth by 10% to 109 billion rubles

The volume of the Russian paper book market, excluding educational literature, reached 109 billion rubles in 2022, an increase of 10% compared to a year ago, when the growth rate was measured by the same 10%. This was announced in mid-February 2023 in the Eksmo-AST publishing group (combines Eksmo, AST, Mann, Ivanov and Ferber, etc.).

In terms of the number of copies sold, the commercial market for paper books in the Russian Federation in 2022 decreased by 7%, to 229 million copies, against an increase of 26% in 2021. Sales of paper books in specialized individual bookstores showed a drop of 1%, to 28.6 billion rubles, in federal book chains - an increase of 17%, to 18.6 billion rubles. Sales in online stores increased by 18%, to 46.2 billion rubles, but the channel's growth slowed down (in 2021, an increase of 31% was recorded). The growth was demonstrated by the segments of fiction (by 22%) and children's (by 20%), while the segment of applied literature (non-fiction) grew by only 1%.

Market participants interviewed by Vedomosti with the Eksmo-AST assessment generally agreed. The market dynamics was influenced by a decrease in purchasing activity - for many, books have become a non-priority product, as well as an increase in the selling price and the departure of a certain group of buyers from Russia, says Irina Kukushkina, commercial director of the Alpina publishing group.

The book market grew by a symbolic 2-5% in 2022, said Boris Kuznetsov, director of the Rosman publishing house. The increase in the cost of production of books, according to him, is today the most important problem of the book market.

Production costs are increasing, so are book prices. But it is impossible to continue to raise them, because purchasing power is not growing, he added.[5]

30% increase in the cost of production of books

The cost of book production against the background of rising prices for paper and printing services by September 2022 has grown by more than 30% since the beginning of the year. Book publishers call the current dynamics of rising production prices "the most anomalous in the last 20 years."

Amid the shortage of printing capacity associated with the conflict between Russia and the United States in Ukraine, the largest book publishers are even considering transferring production to Iran or India.

2021

Rising sales of esoteric books

Sales of esoteric literature, books on predictions, spiritual practices, awareness and positive thinking in Eksmo-AST (combines Eksmo, AST, Mann, Ivanov and Ferber, etc.) at the end of 2021 increased by 53%, thanks to which the group earned 400 million rubles. In 2020, the growth of this category was measured at 13%. Such data were published on February 1, 2022.

As the head of the department of religion and esotericism "Eksmo" Maria Vinogradova said, the main interest of the audience goes in the direction of practical skills - working with the subconscious, understanding the purpose, karmic tasks and finding a resource. According to her, the actual adaptations of ancient spiritual teachings and philosophies have become clearer and more accessible. This is what attracts readers.

The online retailer Wildberries also noted an increase in sales of paper books on esotericism: in 2021, tarot entered the top 10 in popularity. A Complete Guide to Map Reading and Predictive Practice "by Konstantin Levo, and demand for tarot maps grew by 486%. At Ozon, unit sales of esoteric books rose 20%.

The trend is confirmed by e-book stores. For example, in Litres, sales of esoteric books increased by more than 12% in 2021 compared to 2020 and by almost 40% by 2019.

In "Chitai-Gorod" they did not disclose the dynamics of sales by category, but clarified that the top 3 books included "Radical Forgiveness" by Colin Tipping, "Bye-I-no-I: A Practical Guide to Transforming Fate" by Dmitry Trotsky and "Transerfing Reality" by Vadim Zeland. Alpina Publisher does not publish books "that are not based on the scientific paradigm of the picture of the world," but sales of literature on psychology and positive thinking in 2021 increased by 46%, says editor-in-chief Sergei Turko.

Online book sales in Russia turned out to be record

In 2021, online sales of paper books in Russia reached 29.5 billion rubles against 26.4 billion and 23 billion rubles a year and two years earlier, respectively. This was announced at the end of December 2021 in the publishing group "Eksmo-AST."

Record online sales of book products after the peak of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic in 2020, President of Eksmo-AST Oleg Novikov associates with the active development of marketplaces.

According to Data Insight, Ozon, Labyrinth and Wildberries are among the top 3 online book sales stores. The number of online orders for paper books from July 2020 to June 2021 increased by 38%, to 42.6 million units. Ozon accounts for about 60% of online sales of paper books in the regions. At the end of December 2021, Wildberries reported a 72 percent increase in sales of printing products on the site compared to a year ago.

Yulia Skripnik, director of Internet marketing at Alpina, believes that sales in marketplaces are growing on "strong new products." An increase in the usual volume of orders by one and a half to two times is provided by free delivery, she added. Eksmo-AST believes that the effect is also given by the promotion of books in social networks through bloggers.

This causes an influx of a new young audience, - said Oleg Novikov.

In addition to the development of marketplaces, market participants interviewed by the newspaper cited several other reasons for the growth in sales of paper books on the Internet:

• integration into the regions - opening new points for issuing books;
• free delivery - gives an increase of one and a half to two times to the usual sales volume;
• publication of "strong new products" - it is easier for new authors to sell their works through marketplaces;
• bloggers - recommendations in social networks give a significant influx of young audiences to online stores.

In 2022, publishers expect continued sales growth in the online channel. They predict their growth of 20-30%.^[6]

Offset shortage

In March 2021, publishers warned of the risk of a 20% rise in book prices due to a paper shortage. Book publishers in early 2021 faced a shortage of offset paper necessary to print illustration and text products, including books and brochures.

About 80% of paper products, including offset paper for printing books and brochures, as well as label paper and cardboard for packaging production, are imported in Russia. The main suppliers of these goods to Russia are China and Germany.

2020

Reduction in market volume by 12%, to 84 billion rubles

The volume of the entire book market in Russia at the end of 2020 amounted to 84 billion rubles (including VAT), having decreased by 12% compared to the indicator of one year ago. This data takes into account sales of paper, digital books and educational literature.

Sales Volume Reduction Forecast

2019: Russia leads the world's most reading countries

The survey was conducted in March 2019 among 7,800 respondents from Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa and Australia. The study also took into account the internal statistics of the Picodi.com platform on the book market in 41 countries of the world.

The largest online interest in books during the year was noted in November (14%). This may be due to the holding of autumn sales. Directly on Black Friday, books, unlike other categories of goods, are not in great demand, but even this level of demand is higher than the average. 13% of annual requests are in December. A significant decrease in interest was noted at the height of the summer holidays (July - 5%). However, this did not prevent books from gaining the status of one of the best-selling products in Russia in 2018.

1957

Notes