Before the book, there was the word. Before we had reading, we had storytelling. Before narrative there were pictures. I scribe this not to give you all an ancient history lesson in how we got here, but to serve up a reminder that our tradition – one of long-form books, mass distributed and widely  read – is a relatively recent one and forms part of a continuum that pre-dates even The Bookseller.

This week, the National Literacy Trust (NLT) – the custodian of the upcoming 2026 Year of Reading – published a paper on how young people “read” today, suggesting that by broadening the definition of reading we might see a different picture emerge of their habits. Jonathan Douglas, chief executive of the NLT, said: “Literacy today goes beyond printed books and writing with pen and paper – it encompasses digital reading, audio storytelling, visual narratives and interactive media. Our task is not to defend one tradition over another but to recognise literacy as a living, evolving practice…”

Literacy is not a static concept, the paper argues, but rather, it is a dynamic activity, shaped continually by technological, social, cultural and academic forces. For now, the NLT looks for song lyrics, comics, news articles or fan fiction as signs of the type of activity that helps to sustain a positive relationship with reading. With a nod, no doubt, to next week’s British Audio Awards, it describes listening as “not opposites but partners” with reading, together forming a powerful route to literacy.

All of this, I imagine, will be a tough read for some. The education bar is lowered again, wrote the ever-despairing Times columnist Giles Coren in response to the NLT report, asking if the “back of the bog roll packet because you forgot to take a book into the loo” counts too? 

The book trade has many roles, from ‘reasserting the value of expertise’ to distracting us when we are in the bathroom.

Coren will have some support from within the sector. We are a conservative business, moving slowly, and built on a backlist that keeps all of that storied history forever in  our minds. And of course, some might accuse the NLT of widening the goalposts just at a moment when we are lining up to put the  ball in the net. Redefining reading may be easier than finding new readers, the critics might say.

But I do not buy this. Two hundred million print books are sold each year in this country, many, many more again lent by libraries, and many, many, many more read or listened to digitally. It may not always feel like it, but we come at this from a position of strength. It is not for nothing that this report was supported by the Beano and Audible – meeting readers and listeners where they are, rather than where we prefer them to be, is part of the job, as is recognising those businesses that do this work.

The book trade has many roles, from “reasserting the value of expertise” – as Oxford University Press’ Sophie Goldsworthy tells us – to distracting us when we are in the bathroom. To Coren’s point, yes you can begin a reading journey from the back of a Frosties packet, toilet roll, song lyric or snatch of news – only someone who has never been without books in their life would think differently. In fact, all this is a testament to how deep organisations such as the NLT will now go, when finding new readers, understanding current ones, and examining the gaps between.

As a sector we build the reading room and together we fill its shelves with books of all shapes and sizes, for readers of all types and abilities. That we do not lock the doors to outsiders, or ask people to turn off their mobiles or take off their headphones before they are allowed in, is a good thing. Word.