During confinement, the French read ... but book sales plunged

Consigned at home, the French continued to read, to practice cultural activities but the sales of books collapsed during confinement, notes a study by the GfK institute published on Tuesday.

Read also: Bookstores, affected but not sunk

"Over the entire containment period, it sold nearly 15.5 million pounds, a decline of 60%" in volume compared to the same period of the previous year, said Camille Oriot, responsible for the book market at GfK. The fall in turnover was 67% during the eight weeks of confinement.

However, the study says, "there are some positive things to note . " First of all, the practice of reading has not been surpassed by digital entertainment, on the contrary. Eight out of ten French people read at least one book or comic strip during confinement and 34% of French people even spent more time reading than in “normal” time . Only 8% of French people spent less time reading than before. By comparison, only six out of ten French people played a video game and 31% increased their playing time.

Extracurricular books boosted sales

Another positive point, the French have not cut their purchases of books, especially on the children's offer which displays a good dynamic. Extracurricular works drove sales, with vacation notebooks at + 25%, support notebooks at + 54% and the Coloring, Games and Creative Hobbies offer also better oriented than the overall trend. In literature, the French have favored "sure values" (Guillaume Musso, Michel Bussi, Aurélie Valognes ...) and rather bought pocket books.

If the French have preferred to buy cultural goods online during confinement, the majority say they want to return to stores for their future purchases. Closed from March 17, bookstores reopened on May 11.