Main points
- Ukrainian publishers predict a 20-30% increase in book prices due to rising printing costs and declining sales.
- All due to rising costs, particularly for generators, and a shortage of workers.
Books in Ukraine will increase in price by 30% / Shutterstock
Ukrainian publishers are increasingly cautious about assessing the market situation: despite the recent upswing, sales of printed books have begun to decline. So they predict that the cost of books could rise to 700+ hryvnias this year.
How and why are books becoming more expensive in Ukraine?
The book business is recording a drop in sales, writes NV.
Director of the Ranok publishing house, Viktor Kruglov, says that alarming signals appeared last year. Sales began to fall, and this is atypical: demand usually grows in the fall, and the peak falls in December.
According to him, even the situation with printing houses has changed: while previously publishers had to book printing several months in advance, now there is more free capacity than orders. The state program has supported the market a little:
In December, the “Winter Thousand” more or less saved the situation, approximately 4% of the population used this money to purchase books, but as soon as they were allowed to spend it on food, book sales with this state support stopped,
– says Kruglov.
Kruglov also warns that a serious crisis is looming, which will be visible as early as the second quarter of 2026:
- The situation is complicated by rising costs: printing houses are running on generators, paper is becoming more expensive, and there is a shortage of workers. All of this leads to higher book prices and reduced print runs.
- Therefore, book prices may jump by another 20-30%.
- If a few years ago the “comfortable” price of an art book was about 200 hryvnias, later – 300-400 hryvnias, now new releases can cost over 700 hryvnias.
Vivat also talks about changing customer behavior. The head of the publishing house, Yulia Orlova, explains that people have become more careful about spending money. The priority is only the most necessary. And this is a problem not only for the book market.
In addition, some Ukrainians who went abroad gradually learned other languages and left the national market, says Oleksandr Krasovytsky, founder and CEO of Folio. In his opinion, in 2026, the sales reduction could reach 15% in money and a quarter in copies.
How will businesses change prices after the introduction of VAT?
As economist Oleg Getman explained to Channel 24 , the likelihood that the new tax bill will come into effect in 2027 is quite low. He predicts that it will either come into effect in 2028, or in the year when Ukraine joins the EU.
In addition, according to Hetman, entrepreneurs will be reluctant to switch to VAT if the bill is passed, in particular, he says that only 20% to 30% of individual entrepreneurs can do this. And all the rest will most likely use the scheme of splitting the individual entrepreneur, opening it to one of the family members.
Oleg Getman
Coordinator of expert groups of the Economic Expert Platform
Accordingly, it is not worth expecting that after the change in taxation, the prices of all goods will increase sharply. This will affect more those who will still pay VAT. At the same time, their share in the total turnover is relatively small, and therefore the overall impact on prices will be limited.
However, analyst Yuriy Shchedrin, in a conversation with Channel 24, expressed the opposite opinion regarding the VAT for individual entrepreneurs, which is currently under discussion. As Shchedrin explains, the changes will affect not only entrepreneurs, but also ordinary Ukrainians, who will be forced to pay more for goods or services if the bill is adopted.
Yuri Shchedrin
Analyst at the NGO “Center for Urban Development”
The introduction of VAT for individual entrepreneurs will hit those working in the services and trade sectors the hardest. According to preliminary estimates, this will affect about 250,000 individual entrepreneurs.
In addition, taxes on digital platforms and parcels from abroad, which amount to up to 150 euros, will also affect prices in Ukraine.