The article presents a survey of readers’ demand for books and periodicals conducted in Moscow libraries in 2018, which analyzes readers’ tastes and preferences. The most in-demand serious fiction writers include E. Vodolazkin, A. Ivanov, Z. Prilepin, A. Rubanov, D. Rubina and G. Yakhina. The author enumerates the reasons for a particular writer, book or journal to keep their top position in the readers’ ratings over a long period of time. Also described are writers’ advertising strategies, as well as the influence of television and screen adaptations on readers’ demand for new books. Noviy Mirhas long established itself as the main thick literary journal. The article also raises the issue of dwindling circulation of literary journals, and offers advice to writers, editors, publishers and librarians about promoting their products. As a separate topic, the article examines a growing demand for translated literature (published, among others, in Inostrannaya Literatura), as well as for children’s books.