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.
