Samizdat market grew by 30% in the first half of the year

According to the results of the first half of the year, the samizdat market in Russia exceeded 2 billion rubles, having increased by 30% year-on-year, Litres Group calculated. Thus, the segment reached the indicators of the entire 2020. The main growth factors were the expansion of the portfolio of distributors, as well as the growth of the client base, market participants say. In addition, experts clarify, many platforms still allow the publication of works that traditional publishers do not allow for political reasons.

The general director of Litres Group of Companies (develops Litres: Samizdat) Sergey Anuryev told Kommersant that the samizdat market grew by 30% in the first half of the year, to 2 billion rubles. This is comparable to the results for the whole of 2020. Moreover, the dynamics is accelerating: in the second quarter, sales growth amounted to 44%. At this rate, the market increased in the pre-crisis 2021.

The top manager added that the share of self-published digital books (ebooks and audiobooks) is now 35%, which is 5% more than in June 2022: “In the category of e-books (text format), its share reaches 45%, and by the end of the year, samizdat may well take half.

The Litres: Samizdat platform itself showed a 24% increase in revenue in January-June, they say in the service. The number of registered authors, according to Sergey Anuriev, increased by 12%, the market share remained the same – 37%. Litres specifies that the revenue of the group’s publishing services for the same period increased by 28%, from the sale of its own audio content – by 39%.

According to the results of the first quarter, the samizdat market in Russia for the first time exceeded 1 billion rubles, having increased by 18% year on year (see Kommersant of May 11).

But market participants emphasized a serious slowdown compared to those before the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine. At the end of the year, samizdat grew by only 20%, the total market volume amounted to 3.2–3.65 billion rubles. (see Kommersant dated February 27). Publishers expect a recovery in momentum in 2023.

Ridero increased its revenue by 15% in the first half of the year, says Evelina Logunova, executive director of the holding. The service also notes the expansion of the portfolio of distributors on platforms where books by Ridero authors are sold: “The growth in revenue is also due to an increase in the client base, which is much more active in writing, preparing and publishing books compared to 2022.”

Viktor Levchenko, Executive Director of JSC T8 Publishing Technologies (Rugram), noted that the beginning of the year was difficult for the paper book market, but the segment of independent authors still showed growth: “This was facilitated by the interest in self-publishing among authors and their transition from traditional publishing houses to platforms “. The paper book market, which is under great pressure from inflation, costs and a fall in effective demand, was artificially supported by retailers: “They significantly reduced the retail margin for a paper book at the expense of their own margin. If this struggle for the online consumer continues, then we are optimistic about the second half of the year.” Litnet declined to comment.

Samizdat wins due to the fast way of publication, the interlocutor of “Kommersant” in the market believes: “It is easier for authors to contact the reader directly.” In addition, this type of publication does not require almost any expenses from the author and allows you to follow trends more quickly, the Kommersant source emphasizes.

In the current conditions in Russia, the samizdat market “may return to its historical meaning,” adds a Kommersant source in the digital services market: “Many works published online could not be published for political reasons. But a number of existing platforms still allow you to do this. This is probably the reason for the growth.”

Julia Yurasova