Sonia Devillers, Philippe Jaenada, Amélie Nothomb, Philippe Besson, Ananda Devi. They all have one thing in common: they will be part of the 2026 literary season. Between now and October, some 461 novels, including 344 French titles, will reach bookshops. That is a slight drop compared with the previous year, when 484 books were published.
For publishers and booksellers, this period is unmissable, all the more so at a time when reading is playing a smaller and smaller role in our daily lives. "The share of French people who spontaneously describe themselves as readers is falling across all categories, particularly among regular readers (down 5 points vs 2023)", notes the 6th barometer from the Centre national du Livre (CNL), published in 2025. "Over the last 12 months, 63% of French people say they have read at least five books (down 6 points vs 2023) and the share of daily readers is declining (down 4 points vs 2023), reaching its lowest level in 10 years", the study also points out.
"It is our shared duty to reassert the central place of reading in our lives. Reading is a vital time, time for oneself, that absolutely must be protected", argues Régine Hatchondo, president of the CNL.
