Not only Zabuzhko and Kostenko: which Ukrainian authors have earned millions
3 October 21:58
RATING
In 2023-2024, 10 Ukrainian authors sold more than 900,000 paper books and received at least UAH 17.3 million in royalties. This is reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to Forbes.
According to Forbes Ukraine, in order to earn such money, Ukrainian writers sold about 904,000 copies of their works.
How the income of writers was calculated
The formula for calculating income was based on data from 19 of the 30 largest publishing houses that provided information about the authors with the highest sales. The Ukrainian Book Institute determined the average retail prices for publications, after which they were adjusted to wholesale prices (coefficient 0.55). Royalties were calculated at an average rate of 9% for adult literature and 6.5% for children’s literature.
Important: the calculation did not include sales abroad, e-books and audiobooks, as well as works by some famous writers whose data turned out to be incomplete or protected by commercial secrets. For example, there is no information about Serhiy Zhadan and Yuriy Izdryk.
Leaders of the book market
Illarion Pavlyuk took the first place. His books sold over 163.6 thousand copies, which could have brought him about UAH 4 million.
Max Kidruk took the second place, selling 138.3 thousand copies and earning about UAH 2.7 million.
The third place goes to Lina Kostenko, whose works were bought in the amount of 96 thousand copies. Her royalties are estimated at UAH 1.9 million.
Next on the list:
- Volodymyr Stancyshyn – more than 100 thousand books sold and UAH 1.6 million in income.
- Anastasia Levkova – more than 62.8 thousand books, which brought her UAH 1.4 million.
- Yevheniia Kuznetsova – 78 thousand books and also about UAH 1.4 million.
- Oksana Zabuzhko – 60.5 thousand copies and UAH 1.2 million in royalties.
- Andriy Semyankiv (Med Goblin) – 70 thousand books and about UAH 1.2 million.
- Maria Matios – 55 thousand books, which brought her UAH 1 million.
- Andriy Kokotyukha – 79.3 thousand copies sold and UAH 900 thousand in revenue.
A new generation of writers alongside the classics
It is interesting that most of the authors on the list are “newcomers” who have broken into the literary market over the past five years.
Among them:
- Illarion Pavliuk with his thriller I See You Are Interested in Darkness;
- psychologist Volodymyr Stancyshyn with his book The Walls in My Head;
- Yevhenia Kuznetsova with her novel Ask Miechka;
- Andriy Semyankiv with his book Dancing with Bones;
- Anastasia Levkova (There is Land Beyond the Dig);
- Max Kidruk (“Colony”).
Their works compete in popularity with books by recognized masters of words-Lina Kostenko, Oksana Zabuzhko, Maria Matios, and Andriy Kokotiukha. Thus, the market demonstrates a balance between classics and new voices that shape the face of contemporary Ukrainian literature.
Those who are missing from the Forbes list
Forbes emphasizes that the list is incomplete. It does not include writers who died because of the war with Russia but left a significant mark on literature, such as Maksym “Dali” Kryvtsov, Victoria Amelina, and Volodymyr Vakulenko. Also missing are the authors of textbooks and some writers about whom it was not possible to collect sufficient data.
The media emphasizes that despite the fact that the market is going through difficult times due to the war and economic challenges, Ukrainian writers are demonstrating tangible commercial success. uAH 17 million in royalties is an indicator that Ukrainian readers are ready to support both classics and new names. At the same time, the revenue potential can be even higher if we take into account electronic editions, audiobooks, and international sales.
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This ranking not only illustrates the financial achievements of authors, but also shows the growing demand for Ukrainian literature, which is gradually strengthening its position in the domestic market and has the potential to enter foreign markets.
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