2 hrs ago
India’s Young Adult Book Market Gains Readers and Momentum
More young people in India are reading and buying young adult books.
Publishers say social media helps readers find books and talk about them.
Popular stories include fantasy, romance, mysteries and books about growing up.
Readers enjoy books from around the world, but interest in stories by Indian authors is also increasing.
Many young readers still like owning printed books, especially special editions of popular series.
E-books are available too, and publishers see both formats as useful.
The children’s and young adult category makes up about one-quarter of India’s trade book sales.
India’s book market revenue grew 27% in 2024 and 20.7% in 2025, according to NielsenIQ’s annual BookData report.
Children’s and young adult books account for about 24% of India’s trade book sales.
Publishers report growing interest in YA fiction, especially series-led and social-media-driven titles, with discovery aided by platforms such as BookTok and Instagram.
Fantasy remains popular, alongside romance, mystery, thrillers, contemporary fiction, horror, science fiction, manga and non-fiction.
International titles remain strong, while publishers report rising interest in Indian stories; print remains dominant, with e-books serving as a complementary format.
- Who
- Young adult readers, authors and publishers in India.
- What
- The young adult book segment is growing, with readers exploring more genres and Indian authors gaining visibility.
- Where
- India.
- When
- The market data cited covers 2024 and 2025; publishers describe growth over the past five years.
- Why
- Publishers point to social media, greater discoverability, international trends and television adaptations as factors supporting readership and sales.
Print remains preferred
Digital offers access and convenience
Role of e-books and print
Print remains preferred
Publishers say print remains dominant for leisure reading and YA, with readers valuing physical editions, special designs and collecting series.
Digital offers access and convenience
Publishers say e-books provide convenience, portability and immediate availability, and digital channels help readers discover books; they expect digital formats to grow.
Key facts
- Indian book-market revenue growth, 2024
- 27%, according to NielsenIQ’s annual BookData report.
- Indian book-market revenue growth, 2025
- 20.7%, according to NielsenIQ’s annual BookData report.
- Children’s and young adult share
- About 24% of India’s trade book sales.
- Print share
- Pan Macmillan India’s Radhika Raje says almost 90% of published books are purchased in print.
- Reported YA author sales
- Simon & Schuster India’s Rajeev Das says Lauran Roberts and Lynn Painter together sold 100,000 units this year.
- Indian children’s and YA titles
- Das says industry coverage in 2026 reported Indian publishers collectively publish roughly 200 children’s and YA titles by Indian authors annually.
Quotes
Andaleeb Wajid
Young adult author.
“A whole new reading culture has evolved with the right aesthetics, but sometimes I wonder how much of it is for the enjoyment of the book and how much of it is social currency.”
financialexpress.com
“The biggest change is the number of YA books being published and the frequency with which young readers are actively discovering, discussing and buying them.”
financialexpress.com
Sources
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