Chytomo’s 2023 book sales report reveals the top 12 bestselling books in Ukraine

Chytomo has taken the initiative to conduct its own annual monitoring of book sales in Ukraine. This year, data was collected from 35 leading publishers who agreed to share their figures. The results highlight a diverse range of bestsellers, including a psychological thriller, an epic sci-fi novel of over 900 pages, a long-standing popular history book, and a classic novel written in 1965.

In Ukraine, there is currently no specialized data provider focused exclusively on tracking book sales. While the Ukrainian Book Institute conducts yearly research to assess the market’s volume, it doesn’t specifically monitor book sales. Addressing this gap, Chytomo’s list is compiled based on data received directly from the publishers.

The top-selling book of 2023 in Ukraine is “I Can See You’re Interested in the Darkness” by Illarion Pavliuk, reaching a remarkable 44,000 copies sold. This psychological thriller, spanning over 600 pages, explores the depths of human indifference and darkness. Illarion Pavliuk, a multifaceted figure, is not only an author but also a journalist and soldier since 2015. Currently, he serves as the head of the press and information department at the Ministry of Defense.

“I Can See You’re Interested in the Darkness” by Illarion Pavliuk (Ukrainian edition by the Old Lion Publishing House)

“The Colony. New Dark Ages”, the first book of a science fiction trilogy by Maksym Kidruk, is following closely with 37,000 copies sold.

Both books took top two positions among the bestsellers at the audio bookstore Abuk.

The list of bestselling titles by copies sold in 2023:

1. “I Can See You’re Interested in the Darkness” by Illarion Pavliuk (The Old Lion Publishing House, 2020) – 44,000 copies sold;

2. “The Colony. New Dark Ages” by Maksym Kidruk (Beared Tamarin, 2023) – 37,000 copies sold;

3. “A Thousand Boy Kisses” by Tillie Cole (BookChef Publishing) – 35,000 copies;

4. “Taming Tigers: Do Things You Never Thought You Could” by Jim Lawless (BookChef Publishing) – 35,000 copies sold;

5. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (Family Leisure Club- KSD, 2021; firstly published in Austria in 1946) – 30,000 copies sold;

6. Dance with Bones: A Medical Thriller by Andriy Semyankiv (Vikhola Publishing, 2022) — 27,603 copies sold;

7. There Is Land Beyond Perekop by Anastasiya Levkova (Laboratoria publishing, 2023) — 26,000 copies sold. The book was shortlisted for the BBC Book of the Year 2023;

8. The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen (KSD, firstly published in English in 2001) — 25 000 copies;

9. The War of Two Queens (Blood and Ash, #4) by Jennifer Lynn Armentrou –25000;

10. From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash, #1) by Jennifer Lynn Armentrou – 24,500;

11. God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World by Stephen Prothero (firstly published in 2010, published in Ukraine by BookChef Publishing in 2021)— 24,000 copies sold;

12. Gates Of Europe A History Of Ukraine by Serhii Plokhy (KSD, firstly published in Ukraine in 2015) — 22 000 copies sold; Shevchenko National Prize winner (2018).

RELATED: BBC Book of the Year 2023: Kyivan Queen of France, family dramedy, and adventures of Ukrainian Literature