France literary season faces declining reading rates

The 2026 French literary 'rentrée' is approaching, with approximately 461 novels expected to reach bookstores by October, including 344 French titles. This represents a slight decrease from the 484 titles released the previous year.

Data from the Centre national du Livre (CNL) indicates a decline in reading habits across France. The 6th CNL barometer shows that the percentage of French citizens identifying as readers is decreasing in all categories, particularly among regular readers. Furthermore, the proportion of people reading at least five books in a year has dropped to 63%, and daily reading has reached its lowest level in a decade.

The decline is most pronounced among young people. According to the study ‘Les jeunes Français et la lecture’, youth spend an average of 3 hours and 1 minute per day in front of screens, compared to just 18 minutes reading books. Régine Hatchondo, president of the CNL, emphasized the importance of preserving reading as an essential time for oneself.