AST Publishing House

AST Publishing House is a major Russian book publisher based in Moscow. Established in 1990, it developed during the post-Soviet transformation of the Russian publishing market, when privately owned publishing businesses began to replace or complement the state publishing structures that had dominated book production in the Soviet period. The company built its position through a broad catalogue rather than through a single specialist genre, publishing translated and Russian fiction, popular nonfiction, children's literature, educational materials, reference works, and other mass-market titles. The AST name is associated with a large publishing operation serving both general readers and institutional or educational audiences. Its catalogue has included novels, literary series, genre fiction, biographies, practical books, popular science, history, psychology, self-development, study materials, and books for children and young adults. Like other large publishers, AST has used imprints and editorial lines to separate audiences, genres, and price points. The breadth of its list has allowed it to work with internationally known authors as well as Russian writers and specialist content providers. A major turning point came through the consolidation of the Russian publishing sector. AST became connected with Eksmo, another leading Russian publisher, and the two businesses were subsequently organized within the Eksmo-AST group. This created one of the most significant publishing groups in the Russian-language market while allowing the AST name to continue as a recognizable publishing label. The relationship also provided greater scale in rights acquisition, editorial production, printing, distribution, retail relationships, and digital publishing. AST's business is principally content and rights based. Its activities include acquiring publishing rights, commissioning or editing manuscripts, translating works, producing physical books, distributing titles through bookstores and online channels, and making selected content available in electronic formats. The company has operated in a market affected by changing reading habits, the growth of online retail, e-books and audiobooks, paper and printing costs, copyright enforcement, and regulatory requirements affecting books sold in Russia. The brand should be distinguished from unrelated uses of the abbreviation AST. In the publishing context, it refers to the Russian publishing house and its associated imprints, not to a general technology, finance, or consumer-goods company. Publicly available reference material supports identifying AST as an active Russian publisher within the Eksmo-AST group. Detailed current information about its corporate legal structure, individual executives, revenue, and exact international sales footprint is not consistently available in reliable English-language sources.

AST was established in 1990, at the beginning of the major economic and institutional changes that followed the end of the Soviet Union. The emerging Russian publishing sector was characterized by the creation of private publishing companies, the reorganization of distribution networks, and the rapid expansion of commercially selected fiction, translated literature, reference books, and educational titles. AST grew in this environment by developing a wide catalogue and addressing several readership segments rather than limiting itself to one literary category. Over time, the publisher became associated with books for the general consumer market, including Russian and translated fiction, genre literature, popular nonfiction, children's books, young-adult titles, educational publications, and practical or reference works. A broad list helped AST spread commercial risk across different categories and age groups. It also enabled the company to work with multiple editorial brands and series, although the public visibility of individual imprints has varied over time. The company later became part of the consolidation of Russia's large publishing businesses. AST and Eksmo were brought together in the Eksmo-AST structure, combining two significant publishing operations. The consolidation increased scale in rights purchasing, editorial services, production, logistics, distribution, and relationships with retailers. AST continued to function as a publishing name within the larger group rather than disappearing as a consumer-facing brand. The publisher's modern activities reflect the broader evolution of book publishing. In addition to traditional printed books, its business has included electronic editions and participation in digital distribution. Its performance has been influenced by online bookstores, changing consumer discovery habits, the development of e-books and audiobooks, printing and paper costs, currency conditions, copyright licensing, and Russian rules affecting the sale and circulation of books. Reliable public sources identify AST as a Moscow-based Russian publishing house and as part of the Eksmo-AST group. They do not provide a consistently documented public record for every historical executive, current legal entity, financial result, or individual publishing decision. Such details are therefore not included here.

• 1990

  AST is established

  [1]AST (publishing house), Russian Wikipediaru.wikipedia.org

  AST is founded in Russia during the formation of the post-Soviet private publishing market.

• AST joins the Eksmo-AST consolidation

  [3]AST joins the Eksmo-AST consolidationru.wikipedia.org

  AST becomes part of the broader Eksmo-AST publishing group, combining major Russian publishing operations.

A broad-based, mass-market Russian publishing house with substantial fiction, nonfiction, children's, educational, and digital publishing activity.

• Books

  Fiction

  AST publishes Russian and translated fiction across literary, commercial, fantasy, science-fiction, crime, romance, and other genre categories. Its fiction activity is organized through publishing lines and imprints aimed at different readerships and price segments.

• Books

  Nonfiction

  The nonfiction catalogue covers popular history, biography, psychology, self-development, practical subjects, popular science, and other general-interest topics. These titles extend the brand beyond literary publishing and support its broad mass-market positioning.

• Books

  Children's and young-adult books

  AST publishes illustrated books, reading series, educational entertainment, fiction, and young-adult literature for different age groups. Children's publishing is a substantial category in the Russian book market and forms part of AST's multi-segment catalogue.

• Educational publishing

  Educational and reference publications

  The publisher has issued study aids, reference works, learning materials, and practical books. These products serve students, families, teachers, and general readers seeking structured or instructional content.

• Digital publishing

  Digital editions

  AST has participated in the digital distribution of books, including electronic editions and related digital formats. Digital publishing complements its print catalogue and allows selected titles to reach readers through online book platforms.

• Consolidation with EksmoM&A

  Background

  The Russian publishing market underwent consolidation as large publishers sought greater scale in rights acquisition, production, distribution, and retail relationships.

  Action taken

  AST was incorporated into the Eksmo-AST publishing structure while retaining its publishing identity.

  Aftermath

  The consolidation created a larger Russian-language publishing group and expanded the organizational scale surrounding the AST brand.

  Source

• AST became part of the consolidated Eksmo-AST publishing group[1]AST (publishing house), Russian Wikipediaru.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  The AST publishing business was consolidated with Eksmo, creating the Eksmo-AST group and combining two major Russian publishing operations.

1. 1AST (publishing house), Russian Wikipediaru.wikipedia.org
2. 2Eksmo-AST, Russian Wikipediaru.wikipedia.org
3. 3AST joins the Eksmo-AST consolidationru.wikipedia.org