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Books

If you’re looking for books on Denmark, consider “How to Live in Denmark” and “How to Work in Denmark” by Kay Xander Mellish. Both are based on the popular “How to Live in Denmark” podcast.

“How to Live in Denmark” is about what it’s like to move to Denmark and integrate into Danish culture. Dating in Denmark and making friends in Denmark are also covered in the book.

“How to Work in Denmark” is about the do’s and don’ts of the Danish workplace. It talks about finding a job in Denmark and even what to wear to the office in Denmark. The book also discusses how to get along with your Danish colleagues and how to understand your Danish boss.

“Working with Americans” and “Working with Danes” are a look at the differences between US business culture and Danish business culture. In particular, they examine how Danish modesty and “Janteloven” sometimes clashes with American ambition and self-promotion, and offers tips on business small talk and other aspects of doing business in Denmark or doing business in the USA.

You can buy the books on Amazon, Saxo, Google Play and iTunes in eBook form, or order the paperbacks from our webshop.

Audiobook versions of some of our books on Denmark are also available from Audible and Mofibo.

Books, Stories about life in Denmark

“How to Work in Denmark” book in a brand new version

A brand new version of the “How to Work in Denmark” book is now available, with three new chapters.

“How to Work in Denmark:Tips for Finding a Job, Succeeding at Work, and Understanding your Danish Boss” has helped thousands of newcomers since it was issued in 2018 – but things change, and I have updated the book for the times.

Three new chapters

One new chapter talks about internationals managing Danes. Five years ago, a non-Danish boss with a Danish team was a rarity, but it isn’t any more. What’s it like to manage and motivate Danes?

We also look at what it’s like to work with Danes virtually – the top boss may be wearing a hoodie and dialing in from his summer house – and how Danes work with their neighbors, including Swedes, Norwegians, and the all-important Germans, who are Denmark’s top import and export partners.

The brand new “How to Live in Denmark” book is already available in eBook form via Saxo and Amazon. Paperback is open for webshop orders and you can also order it from any Danish bookstore. Order in bulk for your company or agency to get a volume discount.

Why job titles aren’t important in Denmark

It explains why job titles aren’t that important in Denmark, how to fine-tune your approach to the Danish job market, and look at whether joining a union is worth it. It also has tips on your first day at work, handling a meeting in Denmark, and the secrets of socializing with your Danish colleagues.

The book also talks about birthdays and gifts in the Danish workplace, decoding your Danish pay slip and your Danish taxes, and when to take sick leave.

It includes the special chapters “Will I ever be promoted?” and “Can I date my Danish colleague?“

November 15, 2022 by
Books, Stories about life in Denmark

Get the “How to Live in Denmark” Audiobooks

I *love* audiobooks – and I’m so pleased to announce that four of my audiobooks about Denmark are now available on Mofibo aka Storytel, Nextory and Amazon’s Audible.

The audiobook versions of “How to Live in Denmark“, “Working with Danes: Tips for Americans“, “Working with Americans: Tips for Danes” and “Top 35 Mistakes Danes Make in English” can now keep you company while you drive, look out the train window, or clean out your closets.

All four books are read by the author – in other words, me. I’ve discovered that while reading the books aloud isn’t hard (a lot of hot water and Red Bull help) editing them is the real work.

It took me months, which is one of the reasons I didn’t publish a new paperback book in 2021. (You can see my paperback books about Denmark on my books page.)

Mofibo, Nextory, and Audible all offer free 30-day trials, so if you’re an audiobook fan like me, check them out.

I’ll meet you on the other side of the headphones! 🎧🎧🎧

January 5, 2022 by
Books, Denmark and the USA, Working in Denmark: Danish Business Culture

Working with Americans: Tips for Danes – Get the book!

Working with Americans: Tips for Danes, my new book, is now available!

Many Danes work for companies that are US-owned or have US divisions. Others deal with American colleagues on the telephone or online every day. Some even travel to the US to meet customers, suppliers or colleagues.

Because Danes speak great English and are exposed to so much American TV, movies, and radio, they tend to think that they have a handle on the American culture and way of doing business.

As the great American composer George Gershwin once wrote, “It ain’t necessarily so.”

Working with Americans: Tips for Danes covers aspects like:

  • What should you expect in meetings and negotiations with Americans?
  • How can you make small talk with your American colleagues – and which topics should you avoid?
  • What do American employees really want from a manager?
  • Why do your US customers expect you to be available all the time?
  • Why won’t American employees go outside their job descriptions?

Book an event
If you represent a company or organization and would like to have an American keynote speaker in Denmark make a presentation to your group, contact Kay via this site’s contact form for more information.

Alternately, you can read more about all of Kay’s events on the How to Live in Denmark events page.

Flip Book Working with Americans Working with Danes

Buy Kay Xander Mellish’s new book, Working with Danes: Tips for Americans/Working with Americans: Tips for Danes on our webshop, or at Amazon, Saxo, Google Books, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble Nook, or via our webshop.

Or follow Kay on LinkedIn.

Read also:
Tips for Danes working with Americans, and Americans working with Danes
Danish Managers and American Managers: 5 big differences
Tips for Working with Americans in Børsen
US and Denmark: The enthusiasm gap
Amerikansk foredragsholder Kay Xander Mellish

July 1, 2020 by
Books, Working in Denmark: Danish Business Culture

Get the How to Work in Denmark book

The “How to Work in Denmark” book is now available!

Working in Denmark comes with a lot of benefits – but a lot of unwritten rules, too.


  • Why is it so important to take a break and eat cake with your colleagues?
  • How can you promote your skills in a job interview without breaking “The Jante Law”?
  • Is learning to speak Danish necessary? Can you succeed in your career without it?
  • What’s the secret to understanding Danish humor at the office?

With its high salaries and good work-life balance, Denmark is an attractive place to work for professionals from all over the world. But the Danish workplace, like Danish culture is a whole, is built on unwritten rules and unspoken expectations.

“How to Work in Denmark”, the book, explains some of the rules of the road in the Danish workplace as well as how to find and keep a job in Denmark.

How to buy the book
You can buy the paperback book from Arnold Busck on Strøget in Copenhagen or from Bog og Ide in Frederiksberg Center.

Or order the paperback from our webshop, or from any bookshop using the ISBN 978-743-000-80-8.

You can download the “How to Work in Denmark” eBook from Amazon, from Saxo, from iTunes, or from Google Play.

February 2, 2018 by
Books

Get the new, updated How To Live in Denmark 2017 book

The 2017 update of Kay Xander Mellish’s classic book “How To Live in Denmark” is finally here – with 8 new chapters, including “How I Finally Learned Danish”, “Danes and Singing”, “Danish Birthdays”, “Salaam and Goddag: Denmark for Muslims”, and “Cat Bites and Dental Vacations: The Ups and Downs of the Danish Health Care System.”

The eBook costs only US$7/DK49 to download from Amazon, Saxo.com, Google Play, and iTunes. If you like the book, please leave a review!

A print paperback will be in stores soon, or you can order direct and we’ll send the book anywhere in the world.

Why an update?
Kay says: “It’s been three years since I published the initial version of the book, and I realized that a few chapters had become outdated. One suggested that there was very little cybercrime in Denmark, something that has certainly changed since 2014: almost all the Danish government ministries have been hacked.

“I also thought it was important to talk about both the fashion for all things Danish that has emerged over the past couple of years, as well as the increasingly harsh tone the Danish government has taken against every kind of foreigner.”

Book Kay for your group
Kay is also a popular public speaker. If you represent a corporate or community group and would like to have Kay make a presentation about arriving in Denmark at your location, please get in touch via this site’s contact form for more information. Or read more about Kay’s other events.

May 2, 2017 by
Books, Stories about life in Denmark

Top 35 Mistakes Danes Make in English: The best-selling book

If you’re Danish or have friends or family who are Danish, you may enjoy my new book, “Top 35 Mistakes Danes Make in English.”

For the past 16 years, I’ve made my living at least in part by correcting Danish people’s English at big companies like Danske Bank and Carlsberg. And I run into the same mistakes again and again.

Confusing ‘fun’ and ‘funny.’ Mixing up ‘customer’ and ‘costumer’. Spelling ‘loose’ with two ‘o’s and ‘see’ with only one ‘e’. Confusing ‘learn’ with ‘teach’ and ‘loan’ with ‘borrow.’ And saying ‘meet’ to mean the time one starts work. “You must meet at 9.” Meet who?

This book is an attempt to put myself out of business.

Continue Reading

June 11, 2016 by
Books, Stories about life in Denmark

Get your ‘How To Live in Denmark’ book at the Statens Museum for Kunst / Danish National Gallery

I do a lot of writing in the lovely, sunny cafe at the Statens Museum for Kunst, otherwise known as the Danish National Gallery.

This museum is free to the public and has a great collection of both historic and contemporary art.

Now I’m excited to say that you can get a paperback copy of the ‘How To Live in Denmark’ book in English at the Statens Museum for Kunst gift shop.

You can also buy a copy of the book at the shop at Denmark’s National Museum, at the Politiken Bookstore on Radhuspladsen, or at Made in Denmark on Brolæggergade 8. It can also be special-ordered from any bookstore in Denmark, although you may have to wait a couple of weeks. It’s also available in Aarhus at Stakbogladen near the university.

Not in Denmark? You can get the How to Live in Denmark Book sent anywhere in the world, or download the How to Live in Denmark eBook right now!

May 23, 2015 by
National Museum of Denmark shop book
Books, Stories about life in Denmark

Get your ‘How To Live in Denmark’ book at the National Museum of Denmark

Stop by the shop at Danmarks Nationamuseet /The National Museum of Denmark to get a paperback copy of the ‘How To Live in Denmark’ book in English or Chinese.

Denmark’s National Museum is located in downtown Copenhagen, and it’s got a great collection of Viking artifacts as well as a wonderful kids section where kids can dress up as Vikings and ride in a play Viking ship.

You can also buy a copy of the book at the Politiken Bookstore on Radhuspladsen, or at Made in Denmark on Brolæggergade 8. It can also be special-ordered from any bookstore in Denmark, although you may have to wait a couple of weeks.

Not in Denmark? You can get the How to Live in Denmark Book sent anywhere in the world, or download the How to Live in Denmark eBook right now!

May 2, 2015 by
Books, Stories about life in Denmark

恭喜發財! The ‘How to Live in Denmark’ Chinese version is now available.

After a process that seemed to take longer than building the Great Wall, the Chinese version of ‘How to Live in Denmark’ is finally available, just in time for Chinese New Year. This is the year of the Goat, an auspicious year for creative enterprises. 恭喜發財!

Thanks to my Singapore-based translator, John Zhao, as well as the many Denmark-based Chinese speakers who took time to help me out! I appreciate it.

You can access the eBook version here on the site or via Apple’s iBooks store. (Due to an agreement with the Chinese government, Amazon does not support Chinese for Kindle Direct Publishing.) It’s also available via the Danish online bookstore, Saxo.com.

A print version of the How to Live in Denmark Chinese version will be available March 1.

Please contact me if you’re interested in a volume package to distribute to your student or work organization,  of if you’re interested inviting me to China (I would be happy to visit my old colleagues at the South China Morning Post) or having me stage a live ‘How To Live in Denmark’ event.

February 19, 2015 by
Books

How to Live in Denmark eBook now available!

If you enjoy the podcasts and this website, you may also enjoy the new How To Live in Denmark book, now available for download from Amazon, iBooks and Saxo.com.

The book is an easy-to-read collection of essays from the first year of the How To Live in Denmark podcast, which premiered in summer 2013.

It includes material from some of the most popular podcasts, like ‘No Planned Hangovers: Ways I will not Integrate in Denmark’ and ‘Tips for Dating a Danish man’ and ‘Tips for Dating a Danish woman.’

There’s also an extra essay with a little bit more personal information about me, such as how I first came to Denmark.

July 21, 2014 by