Buy the full study
Summary of our market study
Sales of children's books total over 60 million copies a year, representing over 600 million euros.
The worldwide market for children's literature is estimated at $12.2 billion
Young French people devote 3 hours and 14 minutes a week to reading. Half of young people read a book after watching it adapted into a film or series. 40% of young readers read digital books, mainly on smartphones
Comics, novels, science fiction and manga top the list of preferences. 50% of young people read manga, 25% novels.
Amazon and cultural superstores take precedence over bookshops.
The number of bookshops in France exceeds 2,400
Pass Culture offers 18-year-olds a 300-euro cultural allowance, boosting book sales
French children's book market players
- Gallimard Jeunesse
- Talents Hauts
- Flammarion Jeunesse
- Hachette Jeunesse
- Bayard/Milan
- Auzou
- L'École des Loisirs
- Editis
- Fleurus
to understand this market
Detailed content of our market study
Inforamtion
- Number of pages : ~ 40 pages
- Format : Digital and PDF versions
- Last update :
Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition
Children's literature is a genre of literature aimed primarily at children and young adults, generally up to the age of 18. Books for children and young adults are often written with vocabulary and grammatical structure adapted to their age and developmental level, and are often illustrated to help young readers understand the content.
Children's literature can include different genres such as illustrated albums, children's novels, teen novels, comic books, activity books and educational books. Stories can be based on reality or be fantastical, and can deal with themes such as friendship, family, personal growth, adventure, history, science fiction, romance, dystopia and more.
The aim of children's literature is to awaken the imagination and interest of young readers, to offer them moments of pleasure and emotion, and to encourage them to develop their reading skills. It is also a means of teaching important life lessons and encouraging critical thinking in young people.
Worldwide, the children's literature market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 1.4% over the period 2022-2027. In France, the children's book market exploded during the pandemic: +19% between 2020 and 2021. Young French people are still reading as much as ever, even if new trends are emerging with the digitalization of society: books are no longer necessarily physical, and the desire to read is emerging more and more after watching a series or film.
France is home to dozens of publishing houses, providing a varied range of children's books that are renewed every year.
1.2 The global children's book market
According to The Business Research Company, the market for children's and teen books is expected to grow at a CAGR of *.*% over the period ****-****, reaching $**.* billion in **** (***).
sales trends in the children's book market World, ****-****, in billions of dollars
Publishers are increasingly offering personalized storybooks that allow children's names ...
1.3 The national children's book market
According to a Gfk study, more than ** million children's books were sold in France in ****. The children's book segment represents a significant share of the book market, with sales of ***.* million euros in November ****. However, compared to ****, this figure is clearly down, with a **% drop in volume and a *% drop in ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 What young French people read
Young French people (***). Novels lost the most readers, dropping from **% to **%.
Book genres read by young French people France, ****-****, in Source: ****
It is possible to refine these results by age group. For example, primary school, junior high and high school students read differently. Primary and secondary school pupils prefer comic ...
2.2 Novels remain popular with young French people
Within the "novels" category, science fiction and fantasy books (***) are the most popular among French *-** year-olds. These are also the novel categories with the strongest growth since ****.
Types of novel most read by young French readers France, ****-****, in Source: ****
2.3 Young French people's relationship with reading
There are many reasons why young French people don't read or read less. The digitalization of society plays a major role in the decline in reading time: on average, *-** year-olds read * hours ** minutes a week, but spend * hours ** minutes a day in front of a screen, and * hours ** minutes on ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Where to buy children's books and the culture pass
According to an Ipsos survey entitled "Les jeunes Français et la lecture" (***), most children's books are purchased on the Amazon website or in large cultural stores such as Fnac, Espace Culturel Leclerc or Cultura. Bookshops only come third.
Places where young French people buy books France, ****, in Source: ****
The creation ...
3.2 Digitalization and the Internet's influence on children's literature
More and more young people (***) are influenced in their reading choices by social networks and the Internet more generally. For example: many Youtube influencers will recommend - whether paid or not - educational books, novels etc., which will help the book in question to gain notoriety. What's more, in the age ...
3.3 Bookshops in France
We wanted to study the number of bookshops in France, as well as the number of employees. To do this, we used NAF code **.**Z: Retail sale of books in specialized stores. This code covers bookshops in general, without taking into account Fnac-type stores, for example, or superstores that also sell ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 The most popular children's books
In ****, the ten most popular children's books were the following:
Source: ****
Note that **% of the books were written by French authors, **% by an American (***) and **% by two British writers.
4.2 Book price breakdown
According to the Librinova articleamong the various players involved in children's books, the bookseller receives **.*% of the book's sale price, more than * times as much as the author (***).
Average breakdown of a book's selling price France, ****, in The average selling price of a book is estimated at ** euros. Source: ****
Authors' share ...
4.3 The trend towards reading on digital media
The digitalization of society has not spared the children's book sector. Many publishers, initially sceptical about the idea of reading on a screen, have now embraced this new market. There are many e-readers on the market (***), and the market is growing rapidly. [***]
The market for e-books and audio books
The children's ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Regulations
Book economics concerns the economic aspects of book production, publishing, distribution and marketing. Players such as authors, publishers, bookshops and private and public libraries interact in a competitive market with sometimes divergent interests. Over the years, new distributors and distribution methods have emerged, leading legislators to adapt the laws governing the ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation of players in the children's book market
- Gallimard Jeunesse
- Flammarion Jeunesse
- Auzou
- Fleurus Editions
- Rageot
- Scrinéo
- Hachette Jeunesse
- EDITIONS DU SEUIL
List of charts presented in this market study
- The market for children's and teenagers' books
- Publishing market share
- Publishing houses with more than five children's titles a year
- Average breakdown of a book's selling price
- Where young French people buy books
All our studies are available online in PDF format
Take a look at an example of our research on another market!
Latest news
Board games: Hachette acquires Catch Up Games - 05/06/2023
- Acquisition of Gigamic in 2019
- Acquisition of Hiboutatillus (creator of Blanc Manger Coco) in 2021
- Acquisition of La Boîte de Jeu (Au Creux de ta Main, Cerbère...) in 2022
- Acquisition of a majority stake in French publisher Catch Up Games, founded in 2014
- 20 games in the Catch Up Games catalog (e.g. Sobek 2 players, Cubirds, The Loop)
- 8th studio to join Hachette Boardgames thanks to acquisition of Catch Up Games
- Catch Up Games joins Funnyfox, Studio H, Sorry We Are French, Le Scorpion Masqué, Hiboutatillus, La Boîte de jeu and Gigamic within Hachette Boardgames
Hachette launches metavers, a publishing first - 01/06/2023
- Hachette is the French leader and number three worldwide in publishing (excluding the professional sector).
- Hachette to acquire a stake in French start-up PowerZ in summer 2021
- The launch of PowerZ's educational game project, which aims to become the "Fortnite of education"
- Around ten Hachette publishing houses, mainly focused on the youth segment, are working or will be working with PowerZ
- The metaverse developed jointly by Hachette and PowerZ is entitled "Beyond the pages" and is freely accessible.
- Two works featured in the metaverse are "Panique dans la Mythologie" by Fabien Clavel and "Le Dernier Ours" by Charlotte Bousquet.
Companies quoted in this study
This study contains a complete overview of the companies in the market, with the latest figures and news for each company. :
Choosing this study means :
Access to more than 35 hours of work
Our studies are the result of over 35 hours of research and analysis. Using our studies allows you to devote more time and added value to your projects.
Benefit from 6 years' experience and over 1,500 industry reports already produced
Our expertise enables us to produce comprehensive studies in all sectors, including niche and emerging markets.
Our know-how and methodology enable us to produce reports that offer unique value for money.
Access to several thousand articles and paid-for data
Businesscoot has access to all the paid economic press as well as exclusive databases to carry out its market research (over 30,000 articles and private sources).
To enhance our research, our analysts also use web indicators (semrush, trends, etc.) to identify market trends and company strategies. (Consult our paying sources)
Guaranteed support after your purchase
A team dedicated to after-sales service, to guarantee you a high level of satisfaction. +44 238 097 0676
A digital format designed for our users
Not only do you have access to a PDF, but also to a digital version designed for our customers. This version gives you access to sources, data in Excel format and graphics. The content of the study can therefore be easily retrieved and adapted for your specific needs.
Our offers :
the children's literature market | France
- What are the figures on the size and growth of the market?
- What is driving the growth of the market and its evolution?
- What is the positioning of companies in the value chain?
- Data from several dozen databases
Pack 5 études (-15%) France
- 5 études au prix de 75,6€HT par étude à choisir parmi nos 800 titres sur le catalogue France pendant 12 mois
- Conservez -15% sur les études supplémentaires achetées
- Choisissez le remboursement des crédits non consommés au terme des 12 mois (durée du pack)
Consultez les conditions du pack et de remboursement des crédits non consommés.
Our customer references
They have consulted our studies
Discover the opinions (+500)
Malcolm Vincent
Astoria Finance
Gregoire de Castelnau
Stags Participations
Timothé Huignard
PWC
Paul-Alexis Kebabtchieff
BCG
Aymeric Granet
Publicis Consultant
interviews & case studies
All interviews and case studies (45)
