Showcase of new books – a year into the war (for the Book Arsenal)

Analysis of the development of Ukrainian book publishing and literature during the war in the format of an online catalog with new books in the publishing market.

The project is implemented by the Chytomo NGO, which has been operating since 2017. In a time of abundant information, the team is trying to create valuable projects and anticipate the needs of the audience making materials that do not lose their relevance, capture reality, launch trends, and contribute to constructive changes in the sector.

Relevance

Ukrainian book publishing is devastated by the war. The effort of Ukrainian publishers is huge, but the visibility of their activities is minimal. Ukrainian book fairs are canceled or reduced in scale. Bookshops disappear. However, new book stores are opening, and they also need a lot of support to roll out since state subsidies for this business have not worked. National Ukrainian media pay attention to other types of news, for obvious reasons. 30% of publishers do not have resources for staff salaries, neither for promotion, which reduces the ability to sell books and save organizations and teams.

To further support publishers and inform readers, the Chytomo team launched a special project "Showcase of book novelties — a year of war (to the Book Arsenal)" – as of 2023, a single platform for virtual book display. The project consists of a special landing page with branding, which contains book novelties, as well as curated collections of publications. The latter are intended not only to show the most interesting books, but also to highlight those that are significant for the Ukrainian literary process, but that can be lost as books of "small publishers" that have not been strengthened by proper promotion.

Why?

The project is aimed at promoting new books published during the war in order to support the culture of reading and the recovery of book publishing and cultural sector from the consequences of the war.

Focus Areas

• promotion of reading
• support for Ukrainian book publishing
• cultural practices
• sharing information
• documentation

Who For and With?

The project targets wide audiences interested in supporting Ukrainian book publishing, such as readers, Ukrainian publishers, representatives of the public and civic sectors, international actors who distribute Ukrainian books abroad.

Project Impact

• informing readers about new books published in the context of a full-scale invasion
• support of book publishers and promotion of Ukrainian books
• informational support for authors who continue their activities during the war

The project is implemented by the Chytomo NGO with the financial support from ЗMIN through the Grant Program 2023