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A last-minute Christmas rush helped save the French book trade from what might otherwise have been a disastrous end of year because of protests and riots by the gilets jaunes (yellow vests) movement.
The 200 independent members of the observatory run by the French Booksellers Association (Syndicat de la Librairie Française, SLF) reported that year-on-year sales in December rose 0.8%, compared to a drop of 0.4% for the first three weeks of the month and a weekly drop of 16.8% in the middle of the month.
2019 has started on an upbeat. Bestselling author Michel Houellebecq’s latest novel Sérotonine, which was published on 4th January, is the book of the year, according to French media reports. Houellebecq’s publisher Flammarion has already ordered a second print-run of 50,000 copies on top of the initial 320,000.
Xavier Moni, co-founder of the bookshop Comme un Roman in central Paris and SLF president, said the book has been the fastest selling title since his outlet was created 18 years ago. He sold about 100 copies the first day and 100 the second, and has ordered an extra 500 copies. “We didn’t think its success would be so rapid, particularly as it was released during the holiday break.”
But the book sector remains fragile, despite numerous initiatives to boost sales and reading in 2018, according to Vincent Montagne, president of the French Publishers Association (Syndicat de l’Edition Nationale, SNE). This is illustrated by the fact that members’ sales dropped by an estimated 1% last year, he said at a New Year’s reception on Thursday (10th January).
Looking ahead, Montagne told The Bookseller he hopes that customers buying Houellebecq’s new novel from bookshops will walk away with another couple of titles under their arm. Turning to his own company, Media Participations, he added that a new Asterix album would be published in October or November, with a slated print run of five million copies worldwide.