Hachette Book Group is investing $200,000 in its Raising Readers campaign, founded a year ago by CEO David Shelley to combat the growing decline in children's reading for fun and entertainment. The campaign's focus began with Hachette authors, illustrators, and translators being given the option of having a page at the back of their Hachette adult books where they could talk about "the value of fostering a lifelong habit of reading for pleasure and tips on how to do so."
Shelley commented: "In 2026, we aim to take Raising Readers to the next level. 2026 serendipitously marks the 200th anniversary of Hachette Livre. Milestones like this are often celebrated internally, but given the urgency of the reading crisis, I believe the most meaningful way to mark the bicentenary is to invest more deeply in Raising Readers."
With the $200,000 investment, the company is expanding Raising Readers' purview to include:
- Providing curated classroom libraries to 200 underfunded schools and education programs in confirmed book deserts. This will allow at least 50,000 students to gain sustained access to books that support literacy, rehabilitation, and educational advancement.
- Mobilizing at least 200 volunteers to deliver reading or literacy support.
- Launching a minimum of 200 Little Free Libraries in book deserts with committed replenishment throughout 2026. Priority will be given to neighborhoods with low access to bookstores and libraries, plus areas surrounding reentry housing and transitional communities. This will allow Hachette to place at least 40,000 books in circulation throughout the year.
- Hosting 200 author visits to classrooms (virtually or in-person) for immersive author sessions and read-alouds, providing access to at least 10,000 participants, all of whom will gain direct exposure to the joy of reading.
- Supporting evidence-based literacy programs that measurably improve reading proficiency via structured tutoring, classroom literacy coaching, family literacy, community library rebuilds, or community programs that aim to close the gap in lower-than-average literacy rates.
In the past year, at Hachette Book Group and Hachette UK, six million books include the Raising Readers message about the reading crisis and sharing the importance of encouraging a child's lifelong love of reading. By the end of 2026, the company predicts this number will be more than 25 million in more than 3,000 works.
Already 23 organizations have partnered with Hachette to tackle this reading crisis, including the American Booksellers Association, the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, the National Book Foundation, PEN America, Poets & Writers, We Need Diverse Books, and the Book Industry Study Group, among others. In addition, Reese Witherspoon is the Raising Readers audio spokesperson.
Shelley added, "I really believe it's possible to change behavioural patterns if an industry is able to get the message out there in the right way, and to make its products widely available. All of us in the book's ecosystem know the benefits of reading, but any vox pop of the wider community will tell you that not everyone does--and that not everyone has equal access to books.
"I'm realistic about the fact that what we can do at Hachette is only part of the solution--but equally, we're the world's second largest trade publisher, and we want to do all we can to encourage more people to discover a love of reading, and to make books available to everyone. And we believe, if we all work closely together on it, Raising Readers can have an impact."