Posted on Jan 6, 2022, 4:49 p.m.Updated Jan 6, 2022, 7:01 PM
As the years go by, the literary winter return has less and less to envy its autumnal big sister. This year, 545 novels were launched, against 521 at the start of the school year in September, according to the specialized publication “Livres Hebdo”. This volume had not been reached, at this time of the beginning of the year, since 2015. A traffic jam in perspective due in particular to the 385 French novels planned for this return. This represents a record level since 2013.
Why such an influx? ” There is still a containment effect. There are some authors who have been waiting for their book to come out for almost two years. », Notes Sophie Charnavel, director of Robert Laffont editions. Above all, the period seems most favorable to launch a book as the sector has just closed a 2021 financial year in gold. At the end of November, the turnover of the physical new book market was up 28% over one year and 19% compared to the same period in 2019, according to GfK Market Intelligence France, while, for decades, the sector oscillates between slight increases and decreases every year.
As a result, publishers’ revenues should cross the symbolic wall of 3 billion euros for the first time in history. ” Calmann-Lévy is up 20% compared to 2019, confides Philippe Robinet, managing director of the publishing house which was founded in 1836. It’s the best year in the history of the group, ”Continues the boss of the French number 3, in the general literature segment, behind Gallimard and the leader Albin Michel, in terms of turnover.
Big names in shambles
In this literary winter season, Calmann-Lévy will also put Pierre Lemaître’s new book: “Le Grand monde”, scheduled for early February, into orbit. One of the most anticipated releases for an author who boxes in the category of the few writers able to sell several hundred thousand copies of their work.
Before Pierre Lemaître, Michel Houellebecq will take a prominent place on the shelves of bookstores with “Destroy”, which is on the market this Friday. Already crowned by the autumn literary prizes, the two renowned authors have since abandoned this return. They are not the only ones to be in this situation. Far from there.
Very bottled in terms of volume, the current period is also marked by the presence of many other big names and big book sellers: Nicolas Mathieu (“Connemara”), Leïla Slimani (“The Land of Others: Watch us dance”), David Foenkinos (“Number two”), Karine Tuil (“The Decision”), Eric Vuillard (“An honorable outing”), etc. “Generally, the literary winter return leaves more time for an author to settle in a bookstore. There is not the ax of literary prices which arrive very quickly and refocus all the media attention on a few writers “, Advances Philippe Robinet.
The concentration of book releases is also explained by the presidential election
But the presence of this slew of “best-selling” authors mechanically leaves less room for newcomers. ” For first-time novelists, this period becomes as difficult as the fall start “, Argues Sophie Charnavel, while the literary winter return is generally favored by publishers to launch new feathers.
This year, the very high concentration can also be explained by the presidential election. ” It’s a time when people are buying fewer books because all of the public debate is focused on it. Normally, book releases are more spread out over time, especially in spring. », Notes Sarah Rigaud, editorial director of the Les Escales publishing house. Presidential years are generally not good years for publishing. »
This is undoubtedly the only downside for the French market – above which hovers the merger between the two giants Editis and Hachette. Because it overcame, until then, the strong tensions on the paper market which considerably lengthened the lead times from a few weeks to several months. For the time being, no industrial accident is to be deplored. ” We had fears for restocking (ordering new copies: Editor’s note) at the end of the year, but everything went well, assures Pierre Dutilleul, general manager of the National Publishing Union. But there is still a scarcity effect and these tensions are expected to continue beyond the summer of 2022. »