About
The Russian Book Union is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation founded in 2001 which unites leading Russian publishers, book distributors, printers, libraries and representatives of the paper industry; those in the fields of culture, science and education; and a number of writers’ organisations and associations for a total of over 1,500 book-industry entities. Sergey Stepashin is the union’s permanent president.
The tasks of supporting and developing the reading and book culture have always been and still remain a priority for the union. Our main task is to reignite a genuine interest in reading, especially among young people. Since 2015 (the “Year of Literature” in Russia), we have seen positive trends in the development of the book industry, reading by the younger generation, and growth in the number of active book readers.
The union cooperates with the State Duma, the Federation Council, the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, state ministries and other governmental bodies of Russia on a number of matters, advancing initiatives in legislation, the development of international relations and the support of creative writing. A number of coordination and cooperation agreements have been signed with the following agencies and organisations: Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education and Science, Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo), St. Petersburg Government, Moscow Region Government, Government of the Republic of Dagestan, Arkhangelsk Region Government and Moscow Patriarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Thanks to the union, the industry had the VAT on books related to education, science and culture reduced in 2001 to 10%, and this is still in effect. In 2006, the union developed the first National Program for the Support and Promotion of Reading in the Russian Federation. However, despite Vladimir Putin's instructions, following the 2013 Russian Literary Assembly, the program was not granted state-level status. Continuing to strive for this status is one of the union’s top priorities.
The union participates in the All-Russia People’s Front and is one of the founders of the Russian Historical Society (RHS). With the RHS, the union established the Clio Prize for History and Literature, which was awarded for the first time to Daniil Granin for his novel My Lieutenant.
Since 2006, the union has worked with the Government of St. Petersburg (along with the backing of the Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications) in organising the annual St. Petersburg International Book Salon. The union is also a permanent participant in the Moscow International Book Fair. It organises Russia’s participation in international book exhibitions in Astana, Belgrade, Bratislava, Havana, Minsk, Beijing, Seoul, Istanbul, Tehran and Helsinki. The union has also helped with the organisation of events in London, New York, and other cities.
Based on Russian Presidential Decree No. 426, dated 12 June 2014, entitled On the Arrangement of the Year of Literature in the Russian Federation, the Year of Literature Organising Committee and the Russian Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications commissioned the union to organise key events and be the chief administrator of 92 Year of Literature events, including the Books of Russia Festival held at Red Square, the 10th Saint Petersburg International Book Fair, the “Cultural Map of Russia. Literature. Reading” program, the “Most Well-read Region of Russia” national competition (the winner of which was granted Russian Literature Flagship status) and many others.
Based on Russian Presidential Decree No. 619, dated 21 December 2017, entitled On Perpetuating the Memory of D. A. Granin and Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of His Birth, and in order to implement the related program of major events approved by the Russian government, the union organised and conducted a cultural marathon named All the Faces of Granin. The marathon was a mobile exhibition consisting of displays and interactive areas: a cinema hall, library, video booth and discussion forum. It was held with great success in the Kursk, Volgograd, Pskov and Kaliningrad regions as well as in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Over the years, the union has established 16 branches in various regions of Russia from Kaliningrad to Siberia. Over the past three and a half years, the union has significantly stepped up its work in these regions: 21 agreements on coordination and cooperation have been signed with the heads of constituent entities of the Russian Federation, and 21 interagency work groups have been established. Most importantly, 21 regional reading-support programs have been developed with financial support raised by the union, and 24 regional book forums have been held. In total, more than 80 reading-based events have been held, and over 12,000 ads were used to promote reading in 16 regions of the country. The union, with its structure now completely developed, is actively working in 36 regions.
Another major event of the union was the "Commonwealth Readers Assembly", held in September 2019 with the support of the Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation of the CIS Member States and the Association of Book Distributors of Independent States. More than 400 participants from 17 countries gathered for the event at the site of another organiser, a branch of Moscow Polytechnic.
The union conducts public reviews of printed and e-schoolbooks and textbooks in order to recommend their inclusion or non-inclusion on the Federal List of Schoolbooks. Such books produced by publishers in Moscow and around 25 other Russian cities have been reviewed by the union, including books in the Bashkir, Chechen, Tatar, Udmurt and Yakut languages.
Now the union is focused on legislation, the fight against book piracy, the promotion of reading and the development of book distribution.
On 17 October 2019, at a meeting of the General Assembly of the International Association of Book Publishers, which was held within the framework of the Frankfurt International Book Fair, the union was elected a member of the International Publishers Association (IPA).
On 5 December 2019, the union held its 10th congressional meeting, where the results of 18 years of work were summed up and new goals were set.