Book prices in Russia set to increase by 7-10 percent in 2025

Russian publishers will raise the prices of printed books by 7 to 10 percent starting in 2025, reports Kommersant.

Sources in the book market attribute the hike to rising printing costs, which were up 20 percent as of November 2024 compared with the previous year. Logistics expenses have also risen by more than 20 percent, while marketplace service fees increased by 4–7 percent.

Publishers do not anticipate a decline in sales, noting that book prices in Russia remain two to two and a half times lower than in Western countries.

The price increases are part of a two-year trend linked to Western sanctions imposed on Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since spring 2022, shortages of printing equipment, paper, and ink have strained the industry. By mid-2023, however, major publishers had addressed the lack of coated paper by transitioning to Russian-made alternatives, according to RBC.