Contemporary Russian children's and young adult literature is both a growth area and a risk zone. On the one hand, there is active development—new authors are emerging, topics of moral and patriotic education are in demand, and there is a qualitative shift toward modern formats and targeted communication with audiences.
On the other hand, the industry faces a number of systemic challenges. The main ones are declining purchasing power, rising prices, the tax burden on the publishing industry, bookstore closures, and price dumping by marketplaces.
It is important to strengthen interaction with parents and teachers as direct mediators between authors and readers, institutionalize the professional community's participation in educational and cultural policy through councils, working groups, and expert commissions, and move fr om isolated initiatives to networked programs to promote reading.
On October 28, the 9th All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference "Program for the Support and Development of Children's and Young Adult Reading: Problems and Prospects" was held in Moscow at the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation. The event was organized by the Interregional Library Cooperation Center (ILCC) with the support of the Russian Library System (RKS), the Russian Ministry of Digital Development, and the industry journals "Book Industry" and "University Book."
Through three thematic discussion panels, representatives of government agencies, educational and cultural institutions, publishers, distributors, scholars, translators, writers, and linguists shared their observations on the current situation in the children's and young adult literature segment, discussing drivers, barriers, and key factors influencing its development. Of particular interest was the analysis of reader preferences, popular formats and genres, cross-industry projects, and industry initiatives.
Reading as a Habit: Expert research and a Recommendation environment
Reading as a skill develops unevenly across different age groups. Research conducted by the Pushkin Institute's Laboratory for Cognitive and Linguistic Studies shows that the specific reading strategies of children, adolescents, and students require targeted approaches. Laboratory Head M.Yu. Lebedeva shared the details.
It has been found that in elementary school, a mismatch between the difficulty of texts and a child's abilities (lexical, syntactic, and cognitive) hinders the development of confident reading. When working with difficult texts, a child's attention shifts fr om understanding the meaning to overcoming technical difficulties. Therefore, regulating complexity and gradually increasing cognitive load—from literal understanding to semantic reconstruction and interpretation—are important.
Today's teenagers read a lot, but in a different way: they "scroll" and frequently switch between sources. This method of perception fosters superficial understanding and reduces the depth of semantic processing.
Under these conditions, the ability to choose a reading method appropriate to the task and to slow down for comprehension becomes crucial. The development of these skills is associated not so much with the quantity of reading as with consciously managing attention and semantic focus. It is also crucial for developing mature readers to use different types of texts: fiction, informational, educational, and media texts. Working with different registers and genres fosters a flexible, adaptive understanding of the world.
A shift toward functional-instrumental reading has been observed among students: they prefer essays, summaries, and annotations. There is an increase in nonlinear reading strategies—searching through search engines, working with neural network results, and comparing fragments. Despite the effectiveness of such strategies for solving quick problems, they are accompanied by a decrease in critical evaluation of sources and a weakening of argumentation analysis skills. A new pedagogical challenge arises: developing critical and reflective reading in a digital environment, and with the advent of AI, this challenge is only intensified.
According to the expert, only continuous training in reading as a meaningful activity allows for the preservation of depth of thought and a culture of working with text in the age of digital redundancy. Reading skills aren't developed overnight: they require ongoing development from elementary school to university. Without systematic work to develop reading strategies, neither high-quality education nor cultural continuity is possible. Supporting children's and adolescent reading is impossible without incorporating reading pedagogy into every stage of education.
According to writer and laureate of the Russian Federation Government Prize in Education, T. Kryukova, reading books expands the brain's capabilities: this is demonstrated by the latest neurophysiological research. The expert is convinced that children and primary school students only need paper books. As the speaker noted, the main problem with children who don't read isn't their laziness, but the ignorance of parents who don't understand how gadgets are damaging their immature brains. Therefore, the primary task is to educate parents and teach them how to avoid turning their children away from reading. Reading for pleasure—that's the key to introducing books.
D. Storublevtseva, Head of the Department of Theory and Methodology of Library and Information Services for Children and Adolescents, calls people who grew up in the age of digital multitasking the "Ctrl+Tab generation": they constantly switch between apps and information sources. For them, remembering how to access content is more important than the information itself, and their smartphones become intelligent assistants. This generation is characterized by non-linear reading and a rejection of slower practices. However, the speaker believes that the current situation is not a problem, but a challenge requiring a new approach to teaching and upbringing. The expert recommends developing critical thinking and information literacy skills to analyze information and evaluate its reliability. Expanding effective reading practices in a digital environment (active reading): highlighting key points and taking notes to enhance comprehension. It is important to develop mindfulness and the ability to focus on one task at a time, so as not to be distracted by other types of content.
Russian translator, Scandinavian philologist, literary critic, and chief bibliographer at the Center for Children's Books and Children's Programs at the M.I. Rudomino Library of Foreign Literature, O.N. Myaeots, is convinced of the ineffectiveness of bans. Many books now considered children's classics were initially banned. The expert drew attention to the paradox of children's books: they are created and read by adults with an eye on their own childhoods, but they are intended for readers who are focused on the future. The most important quality that people will need in the future is not a set of acquired knowledge, but imagination, to anticipate technological progress, not simply use new gadgets, but set goals for their development.
Today, everyone uses technology, gadgets, and AI as tools that assist us in our work. We criticize them, pointing out their imperfections: AI errors, fake news, the limitations of computer graphics. But, the speaker recalled, the internet, social media, and AI were created by visionaries who set themselves the task of creating something unprecedented and nonexistent. Therefore, we must become such visionaries and set vital, yet seemingly impossible, goals for books in any format. If an e-book isn't a primitive replica of a paper book, but rather a creative blend of the best of literature, drawing, film, augmented reality, animation, and even music and architecture, this will help children develop their imagination and creativity.
All experts are documenting changes in reading patterns: fast, superficial, and clip-based. But an alternative is already emerging—slow reading with immersion in context. Russia is one of the pioneers of this genre, and despite its still undervalued and underused status among readers due to the traditional text-centricity of the older generation, it is already being actively practiced and is gradually becoming fashionable.
According to the expert, visual literacy (the ability to read images) contributes to slow and thoughtful reading, and this skill is important to develop. The picture book genre, wh ere both text and illustrations are equally important and inextricably linked, is ideally suited to the needs of the reader of the future. The goal is to foster visual literacy, from the family and kindergarten to university and adulthood.
Publishing tactics and strategies: Сreative collaborations and interindustrial projects
According to forecast, approximately 13,900 children's book titles with a circulation of 71.2 million copies will be published in 2025. The share of Russian authors in children's literature has reached 80% for the first time. However, only about 1,116 children's writers in the country have published more than two books with professional publishers, which is woefully inadequate for a country with nearly 32 million children and adolescents. The average circulation of children's books has decreased by almost a quarter over the past five years, a direct consequence of demographic decline and the high cost of printed materials (the average retail price of a children's book is now over 750 rubles). Experts discussed forecasts and development strategies, potential, and risks.
B. Kuznetsov, CEO of Rosman Publishing House, believes that a promising direction for children's book development lies in moving beyond traditional products. Demand for comics is growing, and original projects for preschoolers are beginning to take off. Clearly, such projects must be accompanied by excellent art with well-developed characters, a truly targeted promotion program, and external collaborations. But it is through partnerships that the key opportunities and drivers of children's books can be developed. The industry has not yet fully mastered its interaction with film and animation, and children's theaters are a completely unexplored platform, but one with enormous potential. However, these must be genuine joint projects with mutual interest and engagement.
According to the expert, children's books are currently on the verge of breaking into the digital environment, with virtually all ecosystem platforms developing children's projects. And the content of children's books in such an environment must transform and become flexible—this could include real multi-voice audio performances, children's book musicals, coded links to partner sites for additional materials, animated illustrations for children's e-books, etc.
The topic was continued by O. Morozov, Chairman of the Russian Book Union's Children's Literature Committee and CEO of Mångata Publishing House. New formats and genres are the main drivers of audience engagement in reading. Comics, manga, interactive and multi-format projects combine books with games, videos, and social media. Cross-industry projects are creating an ecosystem around books. At the same time, there is a clear shortage in genre categories: popular science books for teenagers—contemporary publications about science, technology, professions, and the future; contemporary teen fiction about real life—stories "about us today"; domestic book universes—strong plots and characters that can be developed in films, TV series, comics, or games.
The formats for searching and interacting with authors are changing. Samizdat platforms are now becoming one of the key sources for finding authors. LitRes: Samizdat accounts for more than half of all digital publications (+36% year-on-year). Author.Today and LitNet provide publishers with analytics on reader engagement and preferences. A useful tool: selection metrics (number of readers, completion rates, comment activity).
In the digital space, supply creates demand: a successful story published online creates an audience and a genre trend.
According to the expert, social media is a source of recommendations for 67% of teenagers; family and school foster trust and reading habits; literary awards and competitions serve as a "seal of quality" for parents and libraries.
The expert identified key industry challenges, including rising production costs (+15-20% compared to 2024); increased marketplace commissions and rising logistics costs; the closure of offline stores; and low retail availability—one bookstore per 59,500 residents. Slow library collection renewal—the turnover of library collections is significantly below standard, limiting children's and adolescents' access to contemporary literature.
Without government support, regions are losing entry points to reading: libraries and bookstores are ceasing to fulfill their educational function.
E. Kozhanova, Director of Strategic Communications and Branding at Eksmo-AST Investment Group, addressed the issue of limited promotion channels in her speech. Supporting social advertising for children's reading and contemporary authors is particularly important. Significant potential is seen in collaboration with libraries: currently, library purchases account for less than 5% of publishing house sales. It is also concerning that many parents do not consider books a fundamental part of their children's leisure time and personality development during preschool years. Given current and future demographic declines, this factor will contribute to a decline in children's literature.
Therefore, it is crucial to develop access infrastructure—modern libraries, bookstores, and cultural centers—with government support; and to support reading promotion programs (including events and festivals). integrate reading into the educational environment (through school clubs, recommendation lists, competitions).
How can we talk about children's books so that the publisher's voice is heard? Alpina Deti PR Director M.S. Kuramina highlighted three key areas:
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collaboration with psychologists, educators, and development experts to provide books with expert guidance;
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interaction with cultural projects, festivals, libraries, and parent communities to integrate books into the space of live communication, making them part of the family's shared cultural experience;
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launching cross-platform projects to ensure that books live beyond the confines of paper and continue their dialogue with readers through other formats.
Book distribution: What to offer and how to involve
According to the Book Distributors Association, children's literature sales in bookstores increased by 1.5% in value terms in the first nine months of 2025, while individual book sales decreased by 9.6%. This segment's share of total offline retail sales was 22.5%.
O. Olyushina, Director of External Communications at Chitai-Gorod, presented the largest retailer's key performance indicators. According to the expert, children's literature accounts for 14% of the chain's turnover, up 4.8% year-on-year. The youth segment accounts for 10%, but is growing at a faster rate, growing by 21.6%. The top sellers are young adult romantic fiction (36%), science fiction/fantasy/mysticism/horror (28%), and fantasy-themed books, film adaptations, and computer games (22%). The share of books by Russian-language authors in the top 100 is 38%.
The expert places great importance on live events in bookstores for promoting book culture. The most popular events include meetings with writers and literary icons; concerts and film clubs; craft clubs and game libraries; festivals and fan clubs; book stand-up comedy; collaborations, social projects, and even book readings with dogs and cats.
One such format is the family reading club. E. Fesenko, General Director of Lingua-F Publishing House, spoke about the partnerships and projects within the "Book Travelers" club. Last year's main themes included the history and landmarks of her native region, outstanding Russian figures, journeys into the world of book-related professions, and Russian family histories.
The club's formats also vary, including thematic meetings united by a common theme; interactive activities such as literary battles, quizzes, master classes, and games. The expert highlighted a special social project, "The Big Book of the Family," which engages audiences in studying their history, collecting sources and stories, and preparing books titled "My Family."
A. Dalskaya, founder of the Nastya and Nikita publishing house and the I Love to Read bookstore, also shared her projects, emphasizing the atmosphere a bookstore should create to attract children and their parents.
A. Nikitin, Deputy Director for Library and Information Services at the A.P. Gaidar Central City Children's Library, discussed the goals, objectives, and results of the "Thoughtful Reader" competition, which aims to cultivate a generation of readers who understand Russian cultural values through the best examples of modern children's literature. He also shared library recommendation services and his experience interacting with partners and readers.
1,600 participants, united in 200 teams from 152 schools across the country, participated in the qualifying rounds for the new season of the intellectual literary project "BiblioOlympus. Russia," which is being implemented with the support of the Russian Library System and the Foundation for Cultural Informatization (PFKI). The plan is to cover 10 regions of Russia. I. Belozerova, Deputy Director for Library Activities at the Regional Library Center of the Northern Administrative Okrug (SAO), a Moscow-based institution, spoke about this unique project. The qualifying rounds will be held in regional libraries across the country until March 2026. They will determine the strongest teams of young readers and culminate in regional finals in April 2026. The winners will meet in June at the grand final in Moscow.
The qualifying rounds are based on works of classic fiction and are dedicated to the works of Nikolai Nosov, Vladimir Odoevsky, Sofia Prokofieva, and other renowned writers. The first to take up the baton were the Republic of Bashkortostan and the cities of Kazan and Arkhangelsk, wh ere vibrant, exciting, and inspiring meetings were already held in children's libraries. Children from various schools enthusiastically answered questions, completed creative assignments, and reminisced about their favorite book, "The Little Humpbacked Horse," by Pyotr Ershov.
The awards ceremony will take place on the birthday of Alexander Pushkin: the champion team will receive the main trophy—the BiblioOlympus Russia Cup.
The intellectual marathon, filled with ideas, expert opinions, and the exchange of best practices, has concluded. Following the conference, a resolution will be prepared with proposals for supporting children's and young adult reading, effective promotion practices, cross-industry collaboration within the professional community, infrastructure development, and measures for interaction with the government and public institutions.
Photo: University Book