Thank you, Marie, for the insightful article on the realm of reading in France. I also notice the amount of physical book reading in France - parks, metros, buses, cafes, someone inevitably has a book open. I’ve heard about the government support of independent bookshops, and am still happy to see so many independent shops open. As a bookshop employee and eventually bookstore owner, I survived the conflagration of independent bookshops by Barnes and Nobles in the ‘90s, and Amazon in the ‘00s. A few interesting points. The proliferation of published materials and the seeming lack of a publisher’s returns system in France, if this is the case. In the US, most unsold new books can be returned for credit. (Thus creating a secondary book market called remainders which sell at high discount.) This practice may go against the French system of discounted items, which only happens twice a year during “soldes.” This apparently stops amazon from offering deep discounts, which was the dagger at the heart of many independents.
I’m intrigued by a few of the comments. The shift to an app-based corporate gift cards is unfortunte if someone can’t use it at independent shops. But isn’t librariesindependantes.com set up for those gift cards? Thus getting holiday shopping to independents involved with that system?
Still, I’m deeply encouraged by the steady place of reading in France, this certainly helps to add to those two hour lunches everyday.
Thank you so much for sharing your feedback and perspectives. I am glad that your (former) shop survived when the giants arrived. How is this in the U.S., in general? Are there still many independent shops, or mostly chains?
Interesting that you mention the return system as well.
Here in Norway, there's no return system, as far as I know. At least there wasn't when I worked in bookshops myself. We just got assigned the amount of books the chain management decided that we should sell. The chains (owning the vast majority of the stores) are owned by the biggest publishing houses. They also own the distributors. So it's more like a cartel. The prices (new books) are regulated by law, as in France, but not to protect independent stores. With a few exceptions, they all were acquired 20-25 years ago. Sad, I think.
Wow! That’s quite the horizontal monopolized system! Do the different chains sell each other’s products, to greater or lesser degrees? I wonder if that’s the same in France. It certainly sounds like it as far as quantity of book shipments are concerned. That is likely where good negotiations in contracts come in. Maybe @judymacmahon will uncover this in her later post.
They all sell the same books + boardgames, the only difference I can see is some variety in terms of pens, paper, toys etc. Most bookshops sell those items as well.
To have public parcs nearby in your city or the town hall will have one and you’ll see everyone from different age groups reading. Plus the parcs will have free books to grab to read or swap out.
Love all these pictures of French readers. I didn’t realize the average number of books read/ person was so high. No wonder I like it here. Something that amuses me: I’m a marine biologist turned writer, and when I used to tell people I was a biologist, they would kind of yawn. When I started introducing myself as a writer, people were so into it. Even if I say I haven’t published a book, only essays, they’re like, that doesn’t matter—what matters is you’re writing! Pretty funny for a country of engineers.
Oh, how I love this, Elizabeth. A wonderful example. It must be satisfying to experience this, as it would be the opposite way in many other cultures. I’m Norwegian, and I can imagine the reaction here would be something like: Sounds nice to write, but what’s your real job😅
As an older traveller to France, I love the many book shops and benches suitable for reading. In recent years, I have fallen in love with La Charité sur Loire, a small town in Bourgogne where there are so many shops for such a small town. I love to cross the bridge to the island faubourg and find a reading seat by the river.
Thank you for recommending it, Joanne. I’m planning a trip to several parts of France this fall, this may be one of the places I’ll visit. I’ll let you know if I go there.
Yes, it is! I’m Norwegian, and here we also have similar price regulations as in France. But for the last 25 years, most of the independent bookstores has been acquired by the big chains.
I worked for a couple of them during my studies, by the way, had a lovely time there.
Whenever I go to Paris, I do notice people reading real books, especially in public transport, and it is a lovely image.
But Paris is only part of France, and in much of the country independent bookshops are suffering. Overall, French people are reading less, and not just young people -- this information may be in the same study you cite.
Toulouse, France's 4th biggest city, has lost two emblematic bookstores in the past years: Castela on the Place du Capitole and Tire-Lire, a 48-year-old business specialized in children's books.
The number of books published per year in France, although impressive, has become a heavy weight on smaller bookshops in contracts with major publishers. The former just can't deliver the turnover of everything being printed by the latter, and unsold books pile up.
Online book sales have also eaten into independent bookshops' turnover, but the big box store Cultura, which sells not only books but games, art supplies, and other culturally-adjacent items, is perhaps the biggest "culprit" delivering the coup de grâce to bookshops in small to mid-sized towns.
So the book market situation is not all rosy in France and I hope the most struggling bookshops will be able to carry on. Some have turned to crowdfunding.
That said, I feel that anyone who lives in France or visits should make a contribution to keeping French independent bookshops alive, and I try to do my best!
Hi, @bettycarlson, I’m intrigued by your mention of smaller shops burdened by publisher’s contracts. See my comment about the returns system in the US. And thank you for your insights to the Toulouse bookselling situation. It’s always a sad day when on long-loved bookseller closes.
Hi John, I haven't kept up with all of the comments on this thread. First, are you from Tacoma? If so, yet another PNWer here gabbing about France on Substack. I don't have detailed information about the returns system in France, I did hear a program on France Inter where several independent bookseller's were complaining about the overload of new titles and how the system of taking them in was untenable. I'm sure selling "remainders" would be against the "prix unique" policy for French books. Are you thinking of opening a bookshop in France? Would love to hear more about that.
Betty, hm, I’d love to find out more about system of new books. I’ll have to inquire a bookshop owner next time I’m in France. And I’ll try to search France Inter and find the interview. I had a wonderful chat the other day at the Shakespeare and Co rare book room, which was empty as opposed to the “Tik Tok” line waiting to get into the main store. We wondered how many people in that line actually bought something. We walked away with a lovely illustrated Poe and put in a book search request for Graham Greene’s elusive (in the US) “J’Acusse.” No, not reentering the bookshop business again, but we still run adjacent book efforts. Something I keep in the back of my mind as I’ll return for good in a few years.
Definitely! I'm actually only reading in French for the moment and buying all my books at local bookshops. I usually buy Folio editions or other small paperbacks, so it's not too expensive. The information about the high number of titles came from a radio program or news item, I think on France Inter. I had not been aware of it either.
Thank you for inspiring me to start reading in French again. I’ve been doing it for years — on and off — as a way to practice the language while learning more about French literature. And of course, enjoying the books🙏 Now it’s been a while since the last one.
I love the size of the Folio editions, by the way, that they’re even smaller than many other paperback books. Any bag has room for one.
So interesting Betty I've been researching this and hope to soon have one of my deep-dive articles exploring the issue. Irrespective, I do love the way Paris is still doing the public paper READING :)
One thing that’s really not obvious, but could be hurting independent bookstores, is the rise of the app-based cheques cadeaux given by many large French companies each holiday season in lieu of a Christmas bonus. My husband used to receive paper cheques which could be used most places (and could also be lost—ask me how I know!). Now he gets money for gift cards on an app—you can choose in which shops you’ll convert your euros into gift cards, but it’s only the large shops that participate. The past few Christmases, I’ve found myself, an avowed indie bookstore shopper, buying books at Cultura because I can use our gift cards. I feel awful about it! It would be great if the local shops could get a piece of the pie.
Glad to hear that. I miss working in bookshops. One of my first employer was the second or biggest bookshop in Norway. It had recently become part of a national chain (as most of them are today), but still kept its soul and characteristics. 3 floors of pure joy, and a lot of regulars spending time there reading and discussing literature.
Hi, a life redirect. I switched to librarianship, a return to my original career. We handed over the business to our employees, they have continued successfully on what we started.
Hej Marie 👋 I have read every day, preferably real books!)since early childhood, so no, my visits to France have not changed my habits. 😊 But living in countries where Swedish or English books are not easily available, downloading ebooks to read was the next best thing. 😉 I love the way French people read and the way that book sellers are so well supported. 👏 👍
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this. I’ve also been reading daily since young age, just as you describe, I think this habit is a gift in life. 💛
What a super read this is. Its so enlightening to know that people still want to read the actual book! Thank you for your thoughtful insight.
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback! I truly appreciate it! 🙏
Thank you, Marie, for the insightful article on the realm of reading in France. I also notice the amount of physical book reading in France - parks, metros, buses, cafes, someone inevitably has a book open. I’ve heard about the government support of independent bookshops, and am still happy to see so many independent shops open. As a bookshop employee and eventually bookstore owner, I survived the conflagration of independent bookshops by Barnes and Nobles in the ‘90s, and Amazon in the ‘00s. A few interesting points. The proliferation of published materials and the seeming lack of a publisher’s returns system in France, if this is the case. In the US, most unsold new books can be returned for credit. (Thus creating a secondary book market called remainders which sell at high discount.) This practice may go against the French system of discounted items, which only happens twice a year during “soldes.” This apparently stops amazon from offering deep discounts, which was the dagger at the heart of many independents.
I’m intrigued by a few of the comments. The shift to an app-based corporate gift cards is unfortunte if someone can’t use it at independent shops. But isn’t librariesindependantes.com set up for those gift cards? Thus getting holiday shopping to independents involved with that system?
Still, I’m deeply encouraged by the steady place of reading in France, this certainly helps to add to those two hour lunches everyday.
Thank you so much for sharing your feedback and perspectives. I am glad that your (former) shop survived when the giants arrived. How is this in the U.S., in general? Are there still many independent shops, or mostly chains?
Interesting that you mention the return system as well.
Here in Norway, there's no return system, as far as I know. At least there wasn't when I worked in bookshops myself. We just got assigned the amount of books the chain management decided that we should sell. The chains (owning the vast majority of the stores) are owned by the biggest publishing houses. They also own the distributors. So it's more like a cartel. The prices (new books) are regulated by law, as in France, but not to protect independent stores. With a few exceptions, they all were acquired 20-25 years ago. Sad, I think.
Wow! That’s quite the horizontal monopolized system! Do the different chains sell each other’s products, to greater or lesser degrees? I wonder if that’s the same in France. It certainly sounds like it as far as quantity of book shipments are concerned. That is likely where good negotiations in contracts come in. Maybe @judymacmahon will uncover this in her later post.
They all sell the same books + boardgames, the only difference I can see is some variety in terms of pens, paper, toys etc. Most bookshops sell those items as well.
This is very true indeed it’s also common
To have public parcs nearby in your city or the town hall will have one and you’ll see everyone from different age groups reading. Plus the parcs will have free books to grab to read or swap out.
Thank you🙏 I love that!
Love all these pictures of French readers. I didn’t realize the average number of books read/ person was so high. No wonder I like it here. Something that amuses me: I’m a marine biologist turned writer, and when I used to tell people I was a biologist, they would kind of yawn. When I started introducing myself as a writer, people were so into it. Even if I say I haven’t published a book, only essays, they’re like, that doesn’t matter—what matters is you’re writing! Pretty funny for a country of engineers.
Oh, how I love this, Elizabeth. A wonderful example. It must be satisfying to experience this, as it would be the opposite way in many other cultures. I’m Norwegian, and I can imagine the reaction here would be something like: Sounds nice to write, but what’s your real job😅
ha! love this Elizabeth!
Judy
As an older traveller to France, I love the many book shops and benches suitable for reading. In recent years, I have fallen in love with La Charité sur Loire, a small town in Bourgogne where there are so many shops for such a small town. I love to cross the bridge to the island faubourg and find a reading seat by the river.
Thank you for recommending it, Joanne. I’m planning a trip to several parts of France this fall, this may be one of the places I’ll visit. I’ll let you know if I go there.
Hi Joanne, I haven't been there, but it sounds delightful!
Judy
This is so interesting... and the fact that so many books are sold through independent bookshops is amazing.
Yes, it is! I’m Norwegian, and here we also have similar price regulations as in France. But for the last 25 years, most of the independent bookstores has been acquired by the big chains.
I worked for a couple of them during my studies, by the way, had a lovely time there.
It’s such a shame when small independent stores are acquired by larger companies… they almost certainly lose their charm.
Whenever I go to Paris, I do notice people reading real books, especially in public transport, and it is a lovely image.
But Paris is only part of France, and in much of the country independent bookshops are suffering. Overall, French people are reading less, and not just young people -- this information may be in the same study you cite.
Toulouse, France's 4th biggest city, has lost two emblematic bookstores in the past years: Castela on the Place du Capitole and Tire-Lire, a 48-year-old business specialized in children's books.
The number of books published per year in France, although impressive, has become a heavy weight on smaller bookshops in contracts with major publishers. The former just can't deliver the turnover of everything being printed by the latter, and unsold books pile up.
Online book sales have also eaten into independent bookshops' turnover, but the big box store Cultura, which sells not only books but games, art supplies, and other culturally-adjacent items, is perhaps the biggest "culprit" delivering the coup de grâce to bookshops in small to mid-sized towns.
So the book market situation is not all rosy in France and I hope the most struggling bookshops will be able to carry on. Some have turned to crowdfunding.
That said, I feel that anyone who lives in France or visits should make a contribution to keeping French independent bookshops alive, and I try to do my best!
Hi, @bettycarlson, I’m intrigued by your mention of smaller shops burdened by publisher’s contracts. See my comment about the returns system in the US. And thank you for your insights to the Toulouse bookselling situation. It’s always a sad day when on long-loved bookseller closes.
Hi John, I haven't kept up with all of the comments on this thread. First, are you from Tacoma? If so, yet another PNWer here gabbing about France on Substack. I don't have detailed information about the returns system in France, I did hear a program on France Inter where several independent bookseller's were complaining about the overload of new titles and how the system of taking them in was untenable. I'm sure selling "remainders" would be against the "prix unique" policy for French books. Are you thinking of opening a bookshop in France? Would love to hear more about that.
Betty, hm, I’d love to find out more about system of new books. I’ll have to inquire a bookshop owner next time I’m in France. And I’ll try to search France Inter and find the interview. I had a wonderful chat the other day at the Shakespeare and Co rare book room, which was empty as opposed to the “Tik Tok” line waiting to get into the main store. We wondered how many people in that line actually bought something. We walked away with a lovely illustrated Poe and put in a book search request for Graham Greene’s elusive (in the US) “J’Acusse.” No, not reentering the bookshop business again, but we still run adjacent book efforts. Something I keep in the back of my mind as I’ll return for good in a few years.
I hope so too. Sad to see the high number of titles actually threaten many of the independent bookshops, I wasn’t aware of this.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and insights. Fingers crossed that people will keep reading and buying locally, all over France.
Definitely! I'm actually only reading in French for the moment and buying all my books at local bookshops. I usually buy Folio editions or other small paperbacks, so it's not too expensive. The information about the high number of titles came from a radio program or news item, I think on France Inter. I had not been aware of it either.
Thank you for inspiring me to start reading in French again. I’ve been doing it for years — on and off — as a way to practice the language while learning more about French literature. And of course, enjoying the books🙏 Now it’s been a while since the last one.
I love the size of the Folio editions, by the way, that they’re even smaller than many other paperback books. Any bag has room for one.
They're smaller yet the print is not too small. Definitely a favorite!
So interesting Betty I've been researching this and hope to soon have one of my deep-dive articles exploring the issue. Irrespective, I do love the way Paris is still doing the public paper READING :)
Judy
I’m looking forward to your deep-dive into the eco-system of French bookselling. See my comment on just surface questions I have.
One thing that’s really not obvious, but could be hurting independent bookstores, is the rise of the app-based cheques cadeaux given by many large French companies each holiday season in lieu of a Christmas bonus. My husband used to receive paper cheques which could be used most places (and could also be lost—ask me how I know!). Now he gets money for gift cards on an app—you can choose in which shops you’ll convert your euros into gift cards, but it’s only the large shops that participate. The past few Christmases, I’ve found myself, an avowed indie bookstore shopper, buying books at Cultura because I can use our gift cards. I feel awful about it! It would be great if the local shops could get a piece of the pie.
That’s a good point, I guess these app-based gift cards are spreading across France as they are here in Norway.
Here, almost all independent bookstores was acquired by big chains 20-25 years ago, though.
Shoot, I’m sorry to hear about your local bookstores. Hopefully France’s efforts to protect small businesses will prevail
Oh thats so interesting, Elizabeth, thanks for the insight!
Judy
Where was that John?
Tacoma, WA. The bookshop, King’s Books, is still thankfully supported by the community.
Glad to hear that. I miss working in bookshops. One of my first employer was the second or biggest bookshop in Norway. It had recently become part of a national chain (as most of them are today), but still kept its soul and characteristics. 3 floors of pure joy, and a lot of regulars spending time there reading and discussing literature.
Wow I’m always super impressed by bookshop owners on so many levels! Chapeau !
Judy
Can I ask what happened to yours?
Hi, a life redirect. I switched to librarianship, a return to my original career. We handed over the business to our employees, they have continued successfully on what we started.
Happy to hear that. What a good way to solve it when you wanted to change your path.
Hej Marie 👋 I have read every day, preferably real books!)since early childhood, so no, my visits to France have not changed my habits. 😊 But living in countries where Swedish or English books are not easily available, downloading ebooks to read was the next best thing. 😉 I love the way French people read and the way that book sellers are so well supported. 👏 👍
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this. I’ve also been reading daily since young age, just as you describe, I think this habit is a gift in life. 💛