“A Trend Is a Tool, Not a Goal in Itself.” Yuliia Orlova on Publishing Ukrainian Manuscripts

Yuliia Orlova, CEO of the publishing house Vivat, in an interview with DeTalks.

Founded in 2013, Vivat became one of the top three players in the Ukrainian book market within just a few years. Amid shifting reader demand, the company has shaped its publishing policy around genre strategy, current trends, and finding untapped niches.

Yuliia Orlova, CEO of Vivat, spoke about this in an exclusive interview with DeTalks.

How many Ukrainian authors does Vivat currently publish?

“Vivat is consistently increasing the number of projects from Ukrainian authors. As of now, our editorial pipeline includes roughly a hundred manuscripts at various stages of work (some in prep for print, some still being edited, and some still being written).

Earlier this year, we announced plans for 2026 alone: over 50 new releases from Ukrainian authors, including detective novels and historical horror dramas, romance novels and romantic comedies, magical realism, wartime reinterpretations, nonfiction, and literary scholarship.

New projects are added to that list every month — both debut works and new books from already well-known writers. We're also continuing work on new editions in the 'Vivat Klasyka' series, which also reflects our strategic commitment to amplifying Ukrainian voices.”

Is there a problem with genre prose following Western models? How do you feel about that?

“There's definitely a certain tendency to follow Western models in genre prose — especially in fantasy, thrillers, and romance. You can see it in plot structure, character archetypes, even how series are built.

That's a completely natural process for a market where translated literature made up 85–90% of the catalog for a long time, effectively setting genre standards, narrative pacing, marketing formulas, and audience expectations.”

"That said, I don't see it as a problem. It's more of a natural stage in the development of genre literature in a country that's actively integrating into the global cultural context and, to some extent, 'catching up' with global trends."

“The global literary industry runs on well-understood, effective models for creating, promoting, and marketing texts, and leaning on already-proven formats lets authors enter a commercially viable space — sometimes with print runs that used to be nearly impossible for Ukrainian genre prose.

In a globalized, transparent culture, it's impossible to exist outside global processes. But integration doesn't mean losing your identity. On the contrary — relying on effective industry models creates an environment where genuinely unique Ukrainian voices can grow. We see this as an evolutionary process, not a threat.”

Is it important to follow literary trends and lean on tropes that are gaining popularity with audiences?

“Yes, it's critically important. They shape part of demand and directly affect sales. Ignoring reader expectations often leads to commercial failure, while thoughtful adaptation can lead to success.

It's not about mechanical copying, but about understanding what actually resonates with an audience: an emotional hook in romance, a distinctive world structure in fantasy, a particular rhythm of tension in thrillers.

On top of that, the global reader base is fairly uniform: active readers make up 60–70% of genre fiction sales in many markets. For them, being on-trend is an important marker in choosing what to read, since they look to familiar reader communities, recommendations from BookTok or Goodreads, and expect a certain emotional experience.”

"A trend is a tool, not a goal in itself. Leaning on popular tropes can get you into an audience's field of vision, but only an author's own voice, a local perspective, and the ability to add something new to a familiar formula create lasting value."

What genre and thematic niches in Ukrainian literature are currently underserved?

“Vivat closely tracks genre trends, analyzing foreign book markets, the dynamics of translated projects in Ukraine, and how well Ukrainian authors are represented in popular niches.”

"That kind of comprehensive approach lets us launch initiatives that meet reader demand and encourage the development of genre literature in niches where we sense there's a gap."

“For example, that applies to demand for 'recovery literature.' In 2023, the publishing house ran a contest called 'Feel Good Fiction' in response to audience demand for light, emotionally warm stories, sentimental and romantic prose, and texts that help readers recover and lower stress levels.”

“That covers both realistic prose and growing interest in 'cozy fantasy' — stories with a cozy atmosphere, without excessive cruelty or darkness. Texts like these serve a therapeutic function: they let readers catch their breath and regain a sense of safety.

As a result of the contest, the publishing house selected three texts, two of which still dealt with the war. Even so, the contest served as a push for some authors who realized their stories mattered. In 2026, for instance, Alona Riazantseva's book Na Vahu Zolota ('Worth Its Weight in Gold') is coming out — she finished her debut manuscript thanks to that contest.

In late 2025, we announced a themed contest, the Vivat Shadow Awards, which received 78 manuscript submissions. The expert panel is now working on selecting the winners, who'll be announced in March.”

Genre Purity: Risk or Advantage?

“Genre purity isn't valuable in itself — it's a tool. It helps build a clear marketing strategy, define a target audience, and set a clear 'horizon of expectation' for the reader. In mass-market genre fiction, that's often an advantage: readers come for a specific emotional experience and want to get exactly that.

At the same time, skillfully blending adjacent genres can broaden a book's audience and make the text more competitive.”

"What matters most is that the hybridity (and that's also one of the current trends in global genre literature right now — we're seeing some pretty unexpected combinations lately, like 'horrormance,' a blend of horror and romantic fantasy) stays deliberate rather than chaotic — that the author is consciously working with the formula rather than just mixing everything together."

“For so-called 'literary fiction,' hybridity is also often an advantage: it allows for an original concept, a distinctive voice, and a move beyond standard genre models. In that case, it's exactly the balance between recognizable form and authorial originality that adds value to the book.”