Literature

A continued reading offensive

The results of the international PISA study into (among other things) the reading pleasure of fifteen-year-olds are alarming. The reading skills of Dutch youngsters have declined again between 2018 and 2022. Currently, one in three 15-year-olds has insufficient reading skills. The Netherlands is therefore performing below the OECD average for the first time and has the second lowest score in Europe (Meelissen et al. 2023, Leesmonitor 2023d).

The figures fit into a long series of studies that collectively show that both young people and adults have been reading less for years. These studies also indicate that young people enjoy reading less and less as they get older, with reading media often losing out to other media in leisure time (Leesmonitor 2023c, 2023d, 2024d). However, there are also positive sounds: more Dutch people have been reading since the corona pandemic than before (KVB Boekwerk 2023b). More than 60 percent of Dutch people read a book every month (Nagelhout et al. 2024).

'De-reading' and declining reading skills are nevertheless among the most important themes within the field of Literature. With numerous campaigns, interventions and programs the sector is trying to counter this. Tens of thousands of young people are reached every year with programs such as BookStart and the Library at school, the teaching programs of The School Writer, the author appearances of The Writers' Center and campaigns like The whole of the Netherlands Reads, Young People's Book Week, Young Jury, Read2Me, Step on the Red Carpet!, READ app en The National Reading Competition. Research shows that such programs have positive effects on reading motivation, reading skills and reading pleasure (De Schoolschrijver zj, De Schrijverscentrale zj, Leesmonitor 2021, 2023b, 2024a, 2024b, 2024c, 2024e, 2024f). For the broader public, the multi-year awareness campaign 'Whoever reads has a good story'.

In addition, there is a lot of attention for the place that reading and literature occupy in the fixed education curriculum. In a large number of schools, a lot is done to prevent negative reading experiences and to offer positive experiences. For example, there is increasing attention for free reading in primary schools, and in secondary education there is increasing attention for Young Adult Literature as a bridge between youth and adult literature (Reading Monitor 2024g, 2023a). Another positive and important thing is that the plans for the new education curriculum request a greater place for reading motivation, that an additional 29,7 million (increasing to 58,7 million in 2025) has been made available for libraries, among other things for the benefit of reading pleasure and reading skills, and that in 2022 a start has been made on renewing the Dutch examination program. In September 2024, the first draft core objectives were delivered to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (Curriculum.nu 2019, Uslu 2023, Teunis 2024). In December 2023, the following was also submitted: ReadEvolution has started, an eight-year research project to improve Dutch reading education (Stichting Lezen 2023).

It is clear that in promoting reading, the literary sector and education must go hand in hand. Libraries also play an important role in this. Former State Secretary for Culture and Media Gunay Uslu wrote in her May 2022 Main points letter culture2022 that the government will continue to work on a future-proof library facility in every municipality, and that the OCW ministers will continue to make joint efforts to strengthen cooperation between schools, libraries and the environment around young people in the field of reading promotion (Uslu 2022a). Also in it Masterplan Basic Skills of former Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Dennis Wiersma, much attention is paid to increasing reading skills and motivation (Wiersma 2022). As part of this plan, 2023 million euros will have been invested in the end of 74 BookStart in childcare and the Library at school, intended for the period 2023-2025. Municipalities are also obligated to provide a future-oriented library facility for their residents (Uslu 2022b, Uslu 2022c, Stichting Lezen 2022b). In 2023 and 2024, more than 65 million euros have been made available to municipalities as investment for libraries and reading promotion (Bruins 2024). In 2022, the Library Act was amended so that anyone under the age of 18 can become a member of the library (Reading Foundation 2022a).

In Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, efforts are also being made to strengthen the library network. In recent years, various measures have been taken to raise library facilities in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom to a higher level. On average, 5 percent of residents are members of the library. The libraries jointly possess almost 250.000 materials, the majority of which consist of physical books (Library Network 2024c).

Growth and development

Data shows that readership growth remained stable in 2022. Older age groups read more than younger age groups and more women than men read (KVB Boekwerk 2022d, 2022e, 2023b, 2024c). The reading frequency has increased in 2024 compared to previous years (2020-2023). For example, in 2024, 37 percent read or listen to a book at least three times a week to every day, compared to 29 percent in 2020. The number of Dutch people who never or very little read has decreased for the first time in years in 2024, by 7 percent compared to 2020 (KVB Boekwerk 2024d). For example, in the period 2020 to 2023, an average of 38 percent never or very little read, compared to 32 percent in 2024. It is questionable whether this development will continue in this way. Book sales in 2024 are 43 million books; this number has been stable since 2021 (KVB Boekwerk 2025). The growth in turnover and sales of e-commerce channels has decreased in 2024. The market share of the e-commerce channel has been growing for years, but this development accelerated in 2020: online stores saw their turnover increase while physical stores made losses. The growth in turnover and sales of physical stores has actually increased since 2021. Since 2021, physical stores and e-commerce channels have sold approximately the same number of books. The sales share of physical stores is larger than that of e-commerce channels in 2024 at 56 percent (KVB Boekwerk 2025). 

In 2021, the number of bookstores still fell by 8,1 percent, but after a slight increase in 2022, the number of bookstores increased by 2023 percent in 12,9, to a total of 660 bookstores on January 1, 2024. By comparison, in 2019, the Netherlands had 685 bookstores (CBS 2024c). Data from the Chamber of Commerce also show that the number of online bookstores has more than doubled in the past five years (Chamber of Commerce 2024). This is a positive development, although not all problems have necessarily been resolved. In recent years, bookstores have had higher costs and incurred debts, and had less money to invest in supply or stock. The question is what the long-term consequences of this will be for bookstores.
For creators, the number of mediations for author performances has increased since 2021 (De Schrijverscentrale 2024). At the same time, lending rights fees decreased in 2023 compared to 2022, although this is partly due to one-off payments for Belgian Lending Rights over the period 2016-2020 that were paid out in 2022 (Lira 2024).

There are also worrying developments. One in seven writers experiences aggression, intimidation or threats, especially online (Ipsos I&O 2024). The income position of authors has been under pressure for some time. For example, a slightly larger share of turnover goes to foreign-language books and bestsellers every year (KVB Boekwerk 2023f). Translators also experience that their position is under pressure. This is partly due to similar developments that affect authors, but the rise of AI is also a factor. More research is needed into the influence of AI on the translation profession and into ways in which AI can be an addition rather than a threat. (Andel 2025). For example, authors from the publishing group VBK were approached in a pilot to translate their books into English with AI to increase the chance of an 'international breakthrough', while the Authors Association advises not to go into this here.
Finally, the closure of language studies at universities is cause for concern. This affects the quality and diversity of language education in the Netherlands and therefore also the profession of translator (Dutch Foundation for Literature 2024b).

Until 2022, much attention was paid to the compensation for the increasing number of loans via libraries at schools. Due to an education exemption in the Copyright Act, lending rights compensation sometimes had to be paid for these loans (if the borrowed book was in the possession of the library) and sometimes not (if the borrowed book was in the possession of the school). This led to confusion and conflict. In July 2022, all parties involved therefore made new agreements on, among other things, an amendment to the Copyright Act. From now on, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science will make 3,5 million euros available annually for loans via libraries at schools, in addition to a one-off compensation of 6 million euros for creators for missed compensation in previous years (Auteursbond 2022, Stichting Lezen 2021, VOB 2022).

The digitalisation of the book market also presents challenges for authors, for example due to the rise of streaming and subscription services for e-books and audiobooks. These platforms determine how much each publisher and author is paid, but there is still not always clarity or agreement on this. For example, is payment made when a book has been read for a certain period of time, or after a certain number of pages have been read? In 2022, then State Secretary Uslu announced an additional investment of 3,15 million euros in digital lending from the public library, for the benefit of authors and their publishers (Uslu 2022a). This is a relevant investment; the number of loans of e-books and audiobooks is becoming increasingly popular. The range is growing and more users are reading and listening via the online Library (Bibliotheeknetwerk 2024b).
Municipal and provincial subsidies for libraries have increased in recent years (CBS 2024b). Former State Secretary Uslu allocated an additional 2023 million euros in 29,7 to strengthen libraries, increasing to 58,7 million in 2025 (Uslu 2023). The number of physical loans shows an increase, with 53,6 million books loaned in 2023 compared to 39,8 million in 2021 (CBS 2024b). The use of online offerings is also increasing. In 2023, almost 7,8 million e-books and audiobooks were borrowed (Bibliotheeknetwerk 2024b). The number of activities that libraries organize is also increasing, after the corona years in which libraries were forced to experiment with new (digital) offerings and adapted services (KB 2024c).

With numerous campaigns, new (digital) initiatives and various support measures, the value and importance of books, the library and the (local) physical bookstore are once again confirmed. In recent years, more has been read and more has been read aloud (Leesmonitor 2024h, KVB Boekwerk 2024d, 2023b, Nagelhout et al. 2024). Innovation has accelerated and cooperation and collectivity within the sector have been strengthened. The coming years will show how the literary sector will develop further.

Diversity, equity and inclusion in the arts

That too little attention is paid to diversity and inclusion in the literature sector seems to be widely acknowledged and longer known. Various studies underline this image. For example, the work of female authors is structurally less valued in the literary field (Koolen 2018), Dutch youth books mainly focus on the white perspective (Bossche 2020), (unconscious) (pre)judgments play a role in the publishing industry that work to the disadvantage of authors of color (Koren et al. 2019, Saha et al. 2020) and 'the image of the white, male writer from the Netherlands' dominates reading lists in secondary education (Dera 2019). Even a number of years after these studies, no structural solution seems to have been found for this.

According to discussion partners, awareness of the need to take action on diversity has increased since 2021 increased significantly. One of those actions is to gain more insight into the state of affairs in the field of diversity and inclusion within the humanities. At the beginning of 2022, KVB Boekwerk therefore published an initial exploratory study into where the book trade stands in the field of diversity and inclusion. The results are mainly indicative, but show that diversity and inclusion are considered important by a large proportion of respondents, and that a significant proportion also pay attention to this. At the same time, this attention is often not structural or embedded in an organization. There is also room for improvement: for example, the diversity of the book supply only receives a narrow pass mark, and the book trade is still mainly seen as a white and highly educated stronghold (KVB Boekwerk 2022b).

Diversity research done on diversity. The KB, national library and TU Delft are working together on a study as a possible basis for new recommender technology 'that does more justice to the diversity and polyphony of the library' (Bibliotheeknetwerk zja). Since 2022, the KB, national library and CBS have jointly published a dashboard that gives public libraries more insight into the members and non-members in their area of ​​work. At three quarters of libraries, the diversity of the staff composition is a policy objective (Bibliotheeknetwerk 2024a). In June 2022, a study was also published that showed that diversity and inclusion in school library collections are considered important, but in practice they are not various reasons (Bruijn et al. 2022).

In addition to research, taking action is especially important. Many organizations in the chain have expressed ambitions to contribute to a more inclusive literary sector, or have already taken steps to do so. In 2022, the Authors' Union signed the Diversity and Inclusion Code and the manifesto Diversity is a fact, inclusion is an act published to provide guidance on how to apply the code (Auteursbond 2023a). The Reading Guide for Diversity and Inclusion in Children's Literature has been developed as a tool to work with this theme from education and youth. The reading guide helps to determine whether and how a book lends itself to discussions about diversity and inclusion (Stichting Lezen 2024b).
In addition, there are numerous organizations and initiatives that play a major and valuable role in this. At the beginning of 2022, KVB Boekwerk collected 31 Dutch initiatives that are committed to diversity and inclusion in the book trade (KVB Boekwerk 2022c). For a diverse and inclusive range of (children's) books, book buyers can, for example, go to the bookstore EduCulture, or they can take out an inclusive book subscription at Books by Ani. This more diverse range of books comes from publishers such as Rose Stories, Wilde Haren Publishers of Pluim Publishers in collaboration with the podcast Dipping Sauce. Organizations like Alphabet Street ('guild for Black (visual)linguists'), Poetry Circle ('the national platform for writing performers and performing writers') and El Hizjra ('literary bridge builder between the Netherlands and the Arabic-speaking world') are also committed to a diverse group of authors, and connect them with each other or with the public. Writers collective Fix this was founded to raise awareness about gender inequality.

Innovation within and outside the book

The book trade cannot ignore it: the rise of AI is a theme within the Arts. Translators, authors, libraries; multiple groups within the sector are affected by it. A much-discussed form of innovation was the announcement by NBD Biblion in March 2022 that book reviews would henceforth be written by artificial intelligence (AI), which would replace the 700 human reviewers. Although this software can make book information available to libraries more quickly, there are to care on the quality of artificial texts and their consequences for library collections and knowledge about books (Jong 2022).
AI is a topic of discussion in the literary sector at various levels. Some see opportunities and call on the book industry to get started with it today, for example by supporting authors in the creative process with good prompts (KVB Boekwerk 2024a). Translators also indicate that AI can be a useful tool for quickly researching specific topics that appear in a book that they are not yet familiar with, or for collecting synonyms (Liebreks 2025). Others also see the risks and call for cooperation in order to deal responsibly with AI (Bibliotheeknetwerk 2023). The question of how the sector deals with copyright in relation to generative AI is also current and still unanswered (Auteursbond 2023b, 2023c). Nevertheless, the applications of AI in the book industry are becoming increasingly visible and opinions are divided. From publishers who experiment with English translations made by AI, to writer and former publisher Wouter van Oorschot who in NRC states that the attitude of the Authors Association against this initiative is 'too defensive' and that AI 'offers the opportunity to all those writers who now remain untranslated'. Nevertheless, publishers, teachers and translators express the wish that the quality of books should not be at the expense of the potential efficiency gain that AI offers (Andel 2025).

Innovation is taking place in all sorts of ways around the paper book. For example, innovation is taking place with new ways to let books and readers find each other. In 2020, in the context of the so-called 'Delta Plan for the book trade', consideration was given to greater efficiency and cost savings in the chain. This resulted in six innovation projects and a research project, some of which have now been completed (KVB Boekwerk 2021a, 2022a).

Work is also being done to make book production and distribution more sustainable. For one fifth of book buyers, sustainability plays a role in the choice of the type of book (KVB Boekwerk 2023d). At the moment, work on sustainability is mainly being done on a small scale. The sector must work towards collective solutions to be future-proof, in which publishers and printers play an important role (KVB Boekwerk 2024f). Publishers are looking for ways to have books printed as sustainably as possible and to optimize print runs (Klein Lankforst 2019, Dessing 2022a, GAU nj) and distributors are making progress in the field of packaging materials and transport (see for example Bol.com nj, CB nj). More and more bookstores are also taking sustainable steps (Dessing 2022b). Libris P. For example, from the summer offer in 2024 onwards, publishers will be asked to upload their catalogues so that bookstores can process the entire order digitally (Dessing 2024).

A form of innovation that did not originate from the book industry, but from readers, is BookTok. This is a community within the social media platform TikTok, in which users make videos about books they have read and share reading tips. BookTok is particularly popular among young people, 42 percent of young people get book tips from social media and a quarter of them say they read books they have seen on TikTok. English-language books are particularly popular here, a third of 16-25 year olds prefer to read in English (KVB Boekwerk 2023c). The popularity of BookTok is unprecedented and encourages the sector to respond to this, for example by having more English-language publications, via special BookTok tables in bookstores ('Bekend van BookTok') or the BookTok Top 10.

Innovation is also taking place outside the traditional book, for example in the field of digital reading and digital literature. A large part of the entries on the longlist for the innovation prize Renew the Book 2024 had to do with digital reading. Other examples include research into the possibilities of making digital literature part of library collections, the interactive and digital Annual Reading and Writing Line of De Schoolschrijver, or the collaboration between Boekenweek van Jongeren and Readification to get more young people reading through stories and book tips in games (Bibliotheeknetwerk zjb, Stichting Lezen 2024a).

Finally, in addition to digital literature, spoken literature is also on the rise. The emergence of podcasts and audiobooks is not a recent development, but their rapidly increasing popularity is. For example, the number of audiobooks downloaded via the library increased twelvefold between 2015 and 2023, and no less than 51 percent of Dutch people sometimes listen to a podcast, compared to 2019 percent in 28. (CBS 2024a, Petit et al. 2024). Another form of spoken literature is the work of spoken word artists and recital artists. Although recital art is certainly not new, it is a form that is increasingly gaining interest. Since 2018, for example, these makers have been able to join De Schrijverscentrale, and from 2021 they can apply for a structural subsidy from the Dutch Foundation for Literature for the first time. In 2022, the fund also opened a new subsidy scheme for 'makers outside the book'. This pilot scheme will be evaluated from the end of 2024 (Dutch Literature Fund n.d.).

Numbers

More figures about the domain of Letters can be found in the Dashboard of the Culture Monitor. You have the possibility to search nationally and regionally.

CBS (2024-1) National digital public library, 2015-2023. The Hague/Heerlen: Central Bureau of Statistics.

The Writers' Center (2024-1) '2023 annual report'. On: www.deschrijvenscentrale.nl.

KB (2024-1) 'Activities and events in the library'. On: www.bibliotheeknetwerk.nl, October 9.

KB (2024-2) 'Library locationations and facilitiesOn: www.bibliotheeknetwerk.nl, October 9.

KVB Bookwork (2023-1) 'Makers Monitor 2022'. On: www.kvbboekwerk.nl, December 14.

KVB Bookwork (2023-2) 'Authors' income 2022'. On: www.kvbboekwerk.nl, December 14.

KVB Bookwork (2024-1) 'Sales figures 2023'. On: www.kvbboekwerk.nl, 7 March.

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Uslu, G. (2022a) Culture outline letter 2022: recovery, renewal and growth. The Hague: Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.

Uslu, G. (2022b) The power of creativity: culture at the heart of society. The Hague: Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.

Uslu, G. (2022c) A subscription to the whole world: strengthening the public library system. The Hague: Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.

Uslu, G. (2023) Letter to Parliament on the state of affairs of strengthening the public library system. The Hague: Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.

VOB, SPN and KB (2021) Public library facilities network agenda 2021-2023Utrecht, Assen and The Hague: Association of Public Libraries, Foundation of Collaborative POI's Netherlands and KB, National Library.

PDB (2022)'Lending right fee for dBos loans'. On: www.debibliotheek.nl, 19th of July.

VOB (2023) Network agenda: harvesting and safeguardingThe Hague: Association of Public Libraries.

Wiersma, D. (2022) Basic skills master plan. The Hague: Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.