Zhorzh loses nearly 400,000 books as Polish authors offer rights and royalties

Ukrainian publishing house Zhorzh lost around 400,000 books in Russia’s Aug. 1 attack on the RNK-Ranok logistics center in Kharkiv, while its financial losses exceeded its annual sales. The publisher reported the figures to Chytomo.

Over its 10 years of operation, Zhorzh developed a catalog of contemporary fiction, nonfiction, children’s literature, and leisure publications, including anti-stress coloring books and drawing guides. Some print runs were almost entirely lost and will no longer be available unless the publisher secures the substantial funding required to reprint them.

Only a few days before the Russian strike, the publisher received newly printed copies of Nicki Pau Preto’s “Velytelka kistok” (“Bonesmith”). Zhorzh managed to dispatch only several dozen copies to its partner network before the remaining books were destroyed.

No Zhorzh employees were injured in the attack. The publisher said that the safety of its staff remained the most important consideration, but warned that the financial losses threatened its ability to continue operating.

Without financial assistance, Zhorzh could cease operating within a couple of months. The publisher said its logistics system in Kharkiv had been completely destroyed. Its team has also worked for years amid constant threats to their lives and heightened anxiety, making it particularly difficult to respond to a crisis of this scale.

Zhorzh has not yet determined how the situation may affect book production costs. Its immediate priority is securing enough funding to continue printing books. Despite the losses, the publisher is consolidating its available resources and looking for ways to maintain operations.

Polish authors support Zhorzh

The consequences of the attack have also prompted support from Polish authors.

Polish writer Jakub Ćwiek offered to grant Zhorzh the rights to one of his series or any other book free of charge. He learned about the consequences of the Russian attack from Ukrainian translator Halyna Tkachuk. His book “Charivni pani” (“Panie Czarowne”, “Magical Ladies”), published in Ukrainian by Zhorzh, was also destroyed in the strike.

Jakub Ćwiek and Halyna Tkachuk, translator of “Charivni Pani,” at the Krakow Book Fair

Ćwiek said the most important fact was that none of the publisher’s employees had been killed. He added that everything else could be rebuilt as long as there were people passionate about continuing the work. The writer also encouraged readers to purchase Zhorzh books that survived at other warehouses or contribute to the publisher’s fundraising campaign. Ćwiek offered Zhorzh a two-year license for any selected work or series without an advance or royalty payments, allowing the publisher to direct more resources toward its recovery.

Polish writer Joanna W. Gajzler transferred to Zhorzh the royalties from sales of her book “Nekroveta.” The first copies of both parts of the book were destroyed in the attack. Gajzler expressed support for the publisher’s employees and Ukrainian readers, stressing that Russia’s war against Ukraine and its consequences for culture concerned people beyond Ukraine.

“This is not only ‘your’ war — it is ‘our’ war. When culture suffers, everyone suffers,” Gajzler said.

Zhorzh encouraged readers to support the publisher by preordering books through its Instagram account, purchasing its remaining titles from bookstores and retail partners, and sharing information about the consequences of the attack.

Zhorzh is a Ukrainian publishing house founded in Kharkiv in 2016. It publishes books for children, teenagers, and adults, combining translated literature with works by Ukrainian authors. Its catalog includes books by David Mitchell, R. F. Kuang, Marlon James, Shirley Jackson, Martha Wells, Matt Haig, and Mona Awad, as well as Ukrainian writers Nataliia Dovhopol, Khrystyna Lukashchuk, Oksana Dumanska, Petro Yatsenko, Kateryna Pekur, and Miia Marchenko.

As reported earlier, Russia’s Aug. 1 attack caused a large fire at RNK-Ranok’s automated logistics center in Kharkiv. According to preliminary figures released by the company, the attack destroyed approximately 8 million book copies representing 28,000 titles, including 600,000 school textbooks intended for delivery to Ukrainian schools by Sept. 1. The destroyed stock included books published by Fabula, Readberry, Korali Books, One More Page, Varvar Publishing, Osnova, Svoie, Kenguru, 4mamas, Glimmer, Urbino, Hto Tse?, Artbooks, Vidkryttia, Safran Book and Babylon Library.

Russian attacks have repeatedly damaged Ukraine’s publishing infrastructure. More than 1.5 million Ukrainian book copies were destroyed in July alone. An overnight Russian missile-and-drone attack on Kyiv on July 18–19 destroyed or damaged around 850,000 books, devastated the Konvi printing facility, destroyed a #knygolove warehouse and Mison’s office, and damaged the Arc.ua office.

Main image: Zhorzh/Nakypilo