A Digital Library Moment: New Technologies Are Expanding Opportunities for Writers and Readers
Interest in digital publishing and self-publishing continues to grow in Russia. The number of users of the Rideró publishing platform is approaching one million, signaling a broader shift toward digital content distribution that matters both for contemporary literature and for the digital economy.
Authors Turn to Self-Publishing
Rideró has released its results for 2025. By January 2026, the platform’s user base had reached 938,000 people, with more than 90,000 new users registering over the past year. A total of 187,335 books are now available on Rideró, with roughly 13% of them published in 2025 alone.
This growth reflects a steady migration toward digital channels, where authors gain more control over distribution and readers benefit from wider access to new titles. Revenue from partner distribution grew by 20%, with 962,000 copies sold during the year. Of those, 232,000 copies were purchased in print through the print-on-demand service, while 730,000 copies were sold in electronic format.
Rideró operates one of the most extensive partner sales networks in Russia. In addition to its own online store, books by Rideró authors are available on marketplaces such as Ozon and Wildberries, on Litres and its partner stores, via the KION Stroki service, on Yandex Books, and on the Russian-language storefront at Amazon.com, among other platforms. Authors can also reach offline audiences through national bookstore chains like Chitai-gorod and Bukvoed.
Royalties, Reach, and Reader Demand
According to Rideró, the platform paid authors more than 54 million rubles in royalties last year (approximately $650,000), including over 7.5 million rubles in personal income tax, representing a 17% year-over-year increase. The highest royalty payout to a single author in 2025 reached 2.113 million rubles (about $25,000). The all-time record for a single author has now climbed to 4.687 million rubles (roughly $56,000).
Rideró also shared insights into reader preferences. Among the most popular categories were poetry collections by TikTok creators, personal development titles, and books on financial literacy. Author preferences varied depending on the sales platform.
“If readers on Wildberries tended to buy esotericism, psychology, and health-related books, Ozon users favored educational guides and self-help titles. On Yandex Books, readers gravitated toward detective fiction and fantasy, children’s books, historical prose, popular science, and business literature,” said Ekaterina Shlyakhova, Rideró’s marketing director.
AI Becomes Part of the Creative Workflow
Rideró reports particularly strong growth in audiobooks. In 2025, the number of audiobooks on the platform increased by 30% compared with 2024. Of all audio releases, about 55% were recorded using Rideró’s professional narrators, around 9% were produced with neural network voices, and roughly 35% were recorded directly by the authors themselves.
More broadly, the use of AI tools has become a defining trend. Authors are increasingly relying on artificial intelligence to create and promote their work.
“They generate illustrations and book covers using Shedevrum, Midjourney, and other neural networks. They proofread texts with ChatGPT and DeepSeek, and produce promotional videos using tools like Shedevrum and Sora. According to surveys conducted by Rideró in May and June 2025, more than 30% of authors use neural networks while working on a book, most often to correct errors and create illustrations,” Shlyakhova said.
Rideró itself also uses AI technologies to accelerate book moderation. In 2025, its content-checking system was upgraded to better account for contextual references.
Technology as a Growth Engine
Rideró remains Russia’s largest self-publishing platform, showing sustained growth in both audience size and publication volume. Deep integration with major marketplaces has expanded book availability and become a key factor for authors choosing a publishing service. Royalty payments point to tangible commercial opportunities that continue to grow alongside technological innovation.
By using AI, authors have been able to reduce the time required for proofreading and design while improving the visual quality of their books. As audiobooks grow in popularity, authors are increasingly turning to neural networks for narration, helping them reach wider audiences and build a loyal reader base more quickly. Industry observers note that Rideró has strong long-term prospects, including potential expansion into international markets through partner platforms.
