Publishing industry calls on government to create plan to boost reading for pleasure

The book industry has launched an open letter calling on the government to create a plan to boost reading for pleasure for children across the UK. The letter invited the Prime Minister “to make a cross-government commitment to prioritise the role of reading for pleasure for children”, investing in the development of children and the future of the country.

In her keynote speech at The Bookseller’s Children’s Conference, Bloomsbury children’s books publishing director Rebecca McNally asked the audience to support the “campaign to prioritise reading for pleasure – and to ensure that access to the benefits of books and reading doesn’t become the exclusive preserve of the privileged”.

McNally spoke about the decline in reading for pleasure and the risk of “losing a generation of readers”, despite the known benefits that reading brings to the lives of children. The publishing director explained that “reading for pleasure [is] at an all-time low” among children, with 800 libraries closing and library budgets being cut 53% in the past 14 years.

“One in seven primary schools doesn’t have a dedicated library space,” she said. Children from underprivileged backgrounds who might not have access to books at home are disproportionally impacted by the lack of libraries, she said, while McNally explained that “more than a third of children on free school meals leave primary school without reaching the expected level of reading”.

Publishers, authors, booksellers and others in the book industry called for policy that would help address this “crisis in children’s reading”, as well as a national reading for pleasure plan. 

“While there are many demands on your government in a challenging fiscal climate, an investment in reading for pleasure is an investment in our children’s, and the UK’s, future,” the letter said. “Equipping children to access books and to enjoy reading will help to fulfil Labour’s missions of growth and achieving opportunities for all and your commitment to a decade of national renewal.”

Those attending the conference today (30th September) have been asked to sign the open letter, which is supported by the Publishers Association. The letter will be available online from tomorrow (1st October).