Ukrainian books are being mailed abroad more frequently

International orders for Ukrainian books have increased significantly since 2021, according to Yakaboo and the “Knyharnya Ye” bookstore network. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has driven this demand for Ukrainian books as many Ukrainians flee abroad.

According to Yevhen Volovichenko, Yakaboo CEO, the top-selling book abroad is Illarion Pavlyuk’s “I Can See You’re Interested in Darkness.” As reported earlier, it was listed as top-selling book of 2023 in Ukraine, with 44,000 copies sold in 2023 and 100,000 copies sold in total.

The top-10 most popular books ordered from abroad include works by both Ukrainian and international authors:

• “I Can See You’re Interested in the Darkness” by Illarion Pavlyuk
• “There Is Land Beyond Perekop” by Anastasiia Levkova (26,000 copies sold in total in 2023, both in Ukraine and abroad)
• “Buy Yourself That Damn Bouquet” by Tara Schuster
• “Talking to Kids About Intimate Things” by Yuliya Yarmolenko
• “About Everything in the World for the Little Ones” by Sashko Dermansky
• “City of Girls” by Elizabeth Gilbert
• “Three Hundred Poems” by Lina Kostenko
• “The Walls in My Head: Living with Anxiety and Depression” by Volodymyr Stanchyshyn
• “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl
• “It Ends with Us” by Colleen Hoover

Kateryna Fedorenko, director of the “Knyharnya Ye” bookstore network, noted a similar trend. According to her, demand for books by Ukrainian authors abroad significantly increased after the war began. 

In the first two quarters of 2024, 35% of the 20 most popular international orders were works by contemporary Ukrainian authors. The top seller, Pavlyuk’s “I Can See You’re Interested in the Darkness,” was followed by Yuliya Yarmolenko’s “Talking to Kids About Intimate Things,” popular among families with children. Other top sellers include “The Walls in My Head” by Volodymyr Stanchyshyn and “Dances with Bones” by Andrii Semianykiv (MED GOblin). 

Works by international authors are also in high demand. Yakaboo and “Knyharnya Ye” report that some of the most sought-after books include those by J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, Agatha Christie, George Orwell, and Tess Gerritsen. 

Ukrainian books are most frequently ordered in Poland and Germany, which aligns with migration trends of Ukrainians after the war began. According to Yakaboo, 38% of international orders are sent to Poland, 26% to Germany, and the United States ranks third with 9%.

RELATED: Ukrainian Book Institute reports rising book prices, small print runs for Ukrainian authors, growing popularity of comic books

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Copy editing: Ben Angel, Joy Tataryn