Book as weapons: What challenges are standing today to Ukrainian publishers

For Ukrainians, this holiday sounds especially - because our libraries have become "quiet halls for books" into real points of indomitable. It is equipped with shelters, free educational courses, volunteer staffs, meetings for children who have lost their home. In the cities of the frontline, librarians often remain the only cultural workers holding the community "afloat". In addition, in war, the book itself became a weapon - a weapon against oblivion and Russian myths.

In Ukrainian libraries today they are most often asked for historical literature: from the Cossack era to modern research on the Maidan and the war in the Donbass. Books on the history of Ukraine, translations of Ukrainian authors in the world and even comic books on the war become a means of forming national identity. But the library is not only a repository of historical volumes. It is a living organism that is filled with new books that reflect the present and dreams of the future.

Ukrainian readers are increasingly turning to fantasy: during the war, this genre gives the opportunity to escape from reality, while thinking about metaphors and alternative worlds.

About how fantasy in Ukraine becomes a book of survival and what means to be a young publishing house in the war - Focus spoke with Ruslan Nonka - the owner of a new Ukrainian publishing house Lobster, which specializes in genres that provoke reflections and discussions: scientific fantasy and historical documentary. Why is it so difficult to gain the right to translate the world bestseller? This is a separate and rather confusing "game".

If the book becomes a hit, several publishers are claiming a translation, and then the auction is started. The right holder or agent considers the proposals, chooses a partner, and the price is constantly increasing. Another challenge is to find the owner of the rights. It can be an author, agency or a large corporation. Sometimes our letters remain unanswered for months. Does it happen that the rights of Ukrainian translation are sold at once to several publishers? Such cases occur, but rarely.

Usually rights are sold exclusively - one publishing house has the right to publish a book in Ukrainian in the world. However, sometimes several publishers receive the same rights, and this creates a certain chaos. How long does it take from the first letter to signing the contract? On average about four months. When it comes to a small author without an agent, you can negotiate in a few weeks. But with large agencies or corporations, negotiations can last half a year.

Often, the process stops through exhibitions or holidays when agents simply do not answer. Do the book business be detrimental to amateur translations in Telegram channels? They do not do special harm. This is the work of enthusiasts for a narrow audience. A much bigger problem is pirate printing houses that take electronic or paper copies and print books without any rights. They work quickly and cheaply, and it really beats the authors and legal publishers.

What is more difficult: to convey the style of the author or to adapt cultural realities? Depends on the language and genre. In English or German prose, the main thing is rhythm and style. And with Chinese literature everything is different: it is necessary to explain cultural references, traditions, even household things that are not clear to the Ukrainian reader. In this sense, the translator becomes a cultural mediator.

Fiction requires accuracy with terms - we always consult with scientific editors to avoid mistakes. Have you ever refused publication after buying rights? Yes, that happened. We signed a contract, but after a deeper reading, we realized that the text contains narratives that were unacceptable to us. And we deliberately abandoned the project, despite financial losses. Because the values ​​and reputation of the publishing house are more important to us.

Do Ukrainians read more or less than before? After the start of the full -scale war, readers became less - people often lack the strength and resources. But those who read now buy and consume more books than before. This is such a "audience core effect": fewer people but more committed readers. Another important change is that Ukrainian -language literature has become much more popular. What has previously been limited circulation is now in high demand.

Audiobooks and podcasts are competition or a new opportunity for the market? Audiobooks are more likely to expand the market. They are listened to in transport, gym, at home. This is another way to "consume" books. Podcasts take time from all formats, books are no exception. But globally audio occupies only 5-10% of the market, and is unlikely to be dominant. Will the classic reader disappear through the development of new formats? No, classic readers were and will be.

Someone likes to store paper books as artifacts, someone reads only an electron, and someone chooses a mix. But it is also the fact that competition is crazy: series, social networks, games - all this competes for the same time that once was "books". So our task as publishers is to make books so high quality and attractive that people consciously choose them. How do you choose authors and texts? There are several factors. First, these are the genres that we are interested in.

Secondly, we need to like the plot itself, and we pay great attention to readers' reviews from other countries. We also focus on statistics: sales, ratings in book communities. It helps to understand that it will be an interesting Ukrainian market. It is important and distinguishing bestsellers (which are quickly sold and just as quickly forgotten) and Longcelers (which have been consistently purchased for years).

What were the biggest problems at the start? It was most difficult to overcome the "entry barrier": to find the right contacts, to establish communication with agents, to understand the logic of the rights market. The second problem is competition. Any interesting book is claimed by several publishers, and it is difficult to win in this struggle. Recall that the Ukrainian complained about the high price of a new detective Joan Rowling.