Montparnasse Station. Direction Quimper, Nantes, the entire Atlantic coast and even Spain. Holidays at last. Before getting on the train, a last book for the road. Passengers, already loaded with luggage, rush to the aisles of the Relay (formerly called Relais H in the 1980s) to stock up on books to enjoy during the trip, or later, at the beach or elsewhere.
Caroline takes ten books in her hand and goes through the titles and the back cover, with a greedy face. “I already have seven in my suitcase, all out this year, smiles this police officer from Val-d'Oise, but it's stronger than me! "The forty-year-old, who leaves with her family in Bordeaux, has already bought books that are talked about a lot, such as" Le Consentement ", by Vanessa Springora," Le Temps des Tempêtes ", by Nicolas Sarkozy, or" The lying life of adults », Elena Ferrante.
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This devourer, who spends "on average 250 euros per month in traditional bookstores" to satisfy her passion for reading, always arrives very well before leaving for a last shopping trip. In general, she takes the opportunity to afford a ... thriller. "I love the style of Franck Thilliez, very realistic", comments the policewoman. In addition, she chose Guillaume Musso's latest novel, "La vie est un roman", and admits to being "disappointed" by the current number one sales in the network, "The Enigma of the Room 622", by Joël Dicker.
Covid-19 lowers attendance
On the other side of the aisle, 32-year-old Eloi, backpack and Bermuda shorts, also makes his choice. “Coming here is my little summer ritual,” says this Parisian consultant who is traveling to Spain via Toulouse. "I'm going to stay seated for six hours," anticipates the young man who likes to take the time to read. He leans more towards “The sinking of civilizations”, by Amin Maalouf, “which encourages reflection on the evolution of society”. Eloi also opts for the latest novel by academician Jean-Christophe Rufin, “Le Flambeur de la Caspienne”, 5th in the ranking at the head of the gondola.
The high attendance in the Relays is not a surprise, even if the Covid-19 reduces the number of visitors in the summer of 2020. But “in normal times, July is our strongest month, with + 20% of turnover. 'business during this period, compared to that of the other months, ”explains Catherine Le Bel, France's Books Director of Lagardère Travel Retail, which owns the Relays.
The points of sale which sell the most in France are, in the capital, those of the stations of Lyon, Montparnasse, East and North. In the provinces, it is in Lyon, Strasbourg, Lille and Bordeaux that we source the most, deciphers the patron saint of station bookshops, who takes care of every detail of this success.
4,000 annual references offered
It is in fact Catherine Le Bel, herself who, with her team, selects the 4,000 or so annual references offered in the boutiques. “We have to choose them from among the 40,000 references offered each year by publishers,” she explains. The goal is to make Relays “topical bookstores”. It is quite the opposite of the rosewater books that were once called “station novels”, a somewhat pejorative expression that has nevertheless remained very much alive in the minds of the French.
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Result: in the shelves are logically bestsellers. “The ones everyone is talking about”. If novels, in large formats or in pocket, take the lion's share, "documents, political or economic essays are very popular with business customers and account for 10 to 15% of sales", explains Catherine Le Bel. The trend is also towards personal development books (psychology or philosophy or daily life) and especially travel guides. Necessarily.
"It's a bit like their holy grail"
It is not easy to select books calmly: "We are extremely in demand all year round by publishing houses," says this enthusiast. Because “the authors are very proud to be exhibited in these popular and busy places. It's a bit like their holy grail, ”she laughs.
To match customer tastes as closely as possible, the brand organizes a literary prize each year, where, alongside professionals, readers and internet users are also part of the jury. The award goes this year to the novel “The Subtraction of Possibilities” by Joseph Incardona, published by Finitude. “It's a way of supporting small publishing houses against giants that are usually more prominent. “Among the current station novels are therefore also hiding nuggets. It's up to you to find them.
Sarko in front of Musso
In the 215 Relay shops in SNCF stations in France, the time has come more than ever for "works that make literary news", indicates the Lagardère group. Here are the best sales recorded this week.
In the large format category, "Le Temps des tempêtes", the story of the start of his five-year term, by Nicolas Sarkozy comes first. It is followed, in order by four novels: "The Enigma of the room 602", by Joël Dicker, by Guillaume Musso's last opus, "La Vie est un roman", then by "La Vie mensongère des adults" , Elena Ferrante, and "Flambeur de la Caspienne", by Jean-Christophe Rufin.
In the pocket collections department, we find, unsurprisingly, at the top of the ranking of successful authors. Guillaume Musso is once again number one, with “The Secret Life of Writers”, followed by “When our memories will come to dance”, by Virginie Grimaldi. In third place, we find “I had to dream too hard”, by Michel Bussi. Agnès Martin-Lugand is in fourth position with “Une evidence”. Finally, “Cupid has cardboard wings” by Raphaëlle Giordano completes this top 5.