Hopes for the National Year of Reading were key among publishers hopes and wishes for 2026, as reported in the Bookseller.
Kate Elton, the new CEO of HarperCollins UK said:
‘The decline in reading for pleasure is undoubtedly the most urgent issue facing our industry and the launch of National Year of Reading 2026 offers a real opportunity to arrest the decline by meeting readers where they are – at HarperCollins, we have 12 years of research into children’s reading habits, and reversing the evident decline has been a priority for both our children’s divisions under Cally Poplak, a mission that the whole company shares as we “Go All In” for 2026.’
At Penguin Random House, CEO Tom Weldon said: ‘Predictions are a fool’s errand in today’s world. So instead of forecasts, here is a hope and a belief. I hope the industry seizes the National Year of Reading as a moment to act together – to spark curiosity and to create a new generation of readers who see books not as relics of the past, but as companions to a world where technology is today’s reality. I hope we can rediscover and share the joy, the surprise and the sheer fun of reading in all its forms.’
Joanna Prior, CEO of Pan Macmillan, said: ‘2026 is set to be a landmark year, and I am genuinely buoyed by the shared sense of purpose ahead of the National Year of Reading. Our goal is simple: we must take books and the joy of reading right into the heart of our culture – wherever the passion is, the reading is.’
Perminder Mann, CEO of Simon & Schuster UK said: ‘2026 being the National Year of Reading gives us a golden opportunity to really put books and reading at the centre of people’s lives. I’m excited to see how the campaign unfolds and how our own plans at Ssimon & Schuster UK come to life alongside it. This is a cause I cared deeply about throughout my presidency of the Publishers Association, and I feel genuinely privileged to have played even a small part in making it happen. I would love for all of us to make the most of this moment as the resulting impact could be seismic.’