Kazakhstan’s book market remains in a formative stage, according to optimistic voices in the publishing industry. However, the average Kazakhstani still spends far less on books annually than readers in the United States.

Optimists Organize Exhibitions

Astana will host the 8th Astana Eurasian Book Fair from April 23-27. Organizers promise one of Central Asia’s largest literary events, featuring 70 companies from Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Uzbekistan, Spain, Portugal, and China, including publishing houses, booksellers, academic institutions, and printers.

The Kazakhstani publishing house behind the event is especially upbeat. It plans to accelerate its domestic expansion and grow both sales and its catalog. In 2023, the publisher released 243 projects, approximately 90% of them in Kazakh, according to RegTV.

Real Demand Remains Modest

Despite this optimism, national statistics suggest a slow uptick in reading interest. In 2024, the volume of services provided by publishing companies increased by just 0.8% year-on-year, according to the Bureau of National Statistics. Much of that figure still reflects newspaper and periodical printing. Textbooks continue to dominate sales, KazTAG reports.

Spending data further illustrates the challenge: the average Kazakhstani spends about $3 per year on books, while Russians spend five times as much, according to Spik.kz.

Though a third of the population holds library cards, usage statistics are unclear. A 2023 survey by the AMANAT Institute of Public Policy found that only 26.5% of respondents had read at least one book in the previous year. More than half cited a lack of time (52%), while over one-fifth (21.4%) simply said they did not enjoy reading. Among those who did read, the national average was five books per year. Top reading regions include East Kazakhstan (10.6 books), North Kazakhstan (6.95), and Akmola (6.34), while Shymkent (3.8), Ulytau (3.7), and Zhetysu (3.59) ranked lowest, according to Azattyq Rýhy.

More than 80% of published titles are textbooks or teaching aids. Markups at retail locations range from 60% to 100%. Comparatively, annual reading averages in France and Canada are 17 books, in the U.S. 12, and in South Korea 11.

In the Shadow of the Russian Market

Roughly 90% of books sold in Kazakhstan are printed abroad. In 2022 alone, imports from Russia totaled $14.7 million. This dependence hinders the domestic industry’s development, experts argue. Russian e-books cost just a few dollars, while Kazakhstani publications may sell for $20-$30.

Writer Bakhytzhan Bukarbai has warned that Russian publishers, facing international sanctions over the war in Ukraine, are relocating to Kazakhstan and dominating the market. “The state must protect its own publishing industry. Protectionism should work to support Kazakhstani publishers,” he told Kursiv.

A study by Orda.kz found that Kazakh-language e-books remain underrepresented and often overpriced, unless they are reprints of classics like those by the celebrated writer Abai. However, such titles are already widespread in most households, and readers are seeking new material.

High production costs, exacerbated by reliance on imported paper and materials from Russia and China, contribute to the pricing issue. Kazakhstan also lacks robust self-publishing platforms and a developed literary criticism ecosystem.

Still, some Kazakh-language titles consistently perform well. These include Abai’s Words of Edification, historical novels by Ilyas Esenberlin, and works by Olzhas Suleimenov and Dulat Isabekov. New bestsellers often orbit these classics, such as recent studies by historian Radik Temirgaliev, as well as children’s, ethnographic, and biographical literature, according to Esquire Kazakhstan.