In Montreuil, a professional stroll around teen fiction

Last straight line, and not the least. After a 100% family weekend, the book professionals got up early in the morning, Monday December 2, to open the doors of the Book and Youth Press Fair (SLPJ) in Montreuil one last time. And for good reason: this Monday is theirs. “It’s talk day!” slips us with humor Marianne Zuzula, co-founder and editorial director of La Ville Brûle. We are among professionals, more calm and above all, it is the opportunity to interact directly with those who put our books in the hands of the public”.

To increase these connections, the National Publishing Union (SNE) has, this year, imagined seven thematic routes. For an hour and a half, a professional advisor takes librarians, booksellers and librarians to meet a handful of publishers to discover their catalogs. “After Covid, our exchanges lost strength. This is why we wanted to reconnect with book professionals”explain Cécile Térouannegeneral director of Hachette Romans and co-president of the SNE youth group.

What trends in stories for adolescents?

Flanked by a poster reading “Professional career: teen fiction, genres and trends”, the editor tries to find the members of her group in the middle of a crowd concentrated at the Interprofessional and International Forum. “Do you have a small place left on the course? “, asks a librarian from the French Institute in Denmark. Between withdrawals and last minute enthusiasm, Cécile Térouanne is no longer one recruit away. Made up of around ten professionals, the joyful troupe makes a first stop at the Éditions Scrinéo stand, on the 2nd floor of the Show. “Today, we are developing four major segments aimed at young teenagers: mythology, history, contemporary literature and imagination”says the founder of the house, Jean-Paul Arif.

On the side of “Mythology”, a collection which “sweeps all ages” by being interested in monsters and “great forgotten ones of history”, the editor cites in particular I, Penelope, Queen of Ithaca of Sylvie Baussier or even You, Theseus against the Minotaura title imagined in the style of a “story in which you are the hero” and in which puzzles and games appear. Later in History with a capital H, pre-teens can discover World War II with The child of Oradour (2019), post-war with Butterfly madness or the Algerian war thanks to The survivor of Sophie Doudetpublished in October 2024.

In its “Engaged” collection, the house addresses more societal themes such as feminism (Feminine of Louison Nielman), harassment (The War of the Youtubers d’Arthur Tenor) or freedom of expression (Extreme of Michael Espinosa), with a reflection “at the level of middle school students”. Finally, for a total getaway, the publisher introduces the world of Manor of CastleCatzwhere the magic-cat duo sparks, or even that of Oath of Eldenai. “Even when our books are entertaining, they make the young reader think”, concludes Jean-Paul Arif.

Towards new mediations

The stroll continues a few steps further. Under the label “the large independent publishing market”, Bruno Douceyowner of the editions of the same name, offers a 360-degree turn with a catalog entirely dedicated to poetry. “Obviously, we publish contemporary poetry and poets from all over the world, but our specificity is to offer poetry in all languages,” explains the editor.

Here the covers are minimalist and refined because the emotion is played out elsewhere. If the house has benefited from great recognition sinceHelene Dorionauthor of My forestswas chosen for the French baccalaureate program, she also distinguished herself in youth with titles like The sunflower is the flower of the Romain the “Poés’ histoire” collection.

Big news for some librarians in the group, like Catherine Honorfrom the Côtes-d’Armor Library: “We may miss certain things. The Salon de Montreuil and this meeting trail can just remedy that. I didn't know, for example, that Bruno Doucey had a collection of poetry for teenagers. It allows me to imagine things like a mediation backed by the Spring of Poets.”

The success of genre literature

Third relay, Manon Sautreaueditorial manager of Octopus Fictions and Slalom (Edi8), gives the group big smiles. “In 2019, the Slalom catalog underwent an editorial shift with a line much more dedicated to adolescence,” she says, explaining the cohabitation, within the house, of a segment “contemporary and committed” with another branch focused on genre literature.

In terms of contemporary literature, the editor cites, among others, the LGBT+ romance of Kacen Callender, Felix ever afteror even Three times she d’Anne Loyer on “the question, over three different generations, of having a child or not”. Concerning the fantastic, fantasy or romantic genres, the title of Maiwenn Alix, Nobility obliges, divides the audience: “We discussed it a lot in the librarylet it be known Catherine Honor, from the Côtes-d’Armor Library. We wondered at what age a reader can read this work, in particular because of the sometimes violent scenes or the image of women.

Often debated within the inter-profession because of certain explicit scenes, the place of genre literature, like romance, is much less of an issue at Bayard Jeunesse. “We want to address a wide audience with the desire to support young readers through their transition to adulthood, giving them self-confidence and confidence in the world around them”declare Hélène Pasquet, editorial director of fiction and Cécile Burgardliterary director of foreign children's fiction.

Hook the young reader by all means

Without renouncing a trend very popular with young people, the house prefers to focus on fantasy with the phenomenon Twin crowns of Catherine Doyle et Katherine Webber or develop after “Goosebumps” with thrillers such as The dragon variantthe horrific Agatha or the feminist Ninth on the list. Titles “with rhythms without dead time, which hook the reader while having social and societal resonances », Comment the editors.

In the midst of his successful sagas including The border map of Marie Reppelin, Ilos of Marion Brunet, or even Neo of Michel Bussithe Pocket Jeunesse house – represented by its director, Natacha Derevitsky et Xavier d'Almeidacollection director – highlights its planetary phenomena as Inheritance Games or even Hunger Games, “including a prequel focusing on the character of Haymitch will appear in March”announce the publishers exclusively.

Big screen adaptations

“What about young readers who are alienated from reading, who flee from these imposing 300-page tomes? “, wonders Léa Gildhodez, librarian from Sète, in the south of France. It seems that Cécile Térouanne has the solution. In addition to similar trends to those observed earlier among its competitors, Hachette can boast of owning Le Livre de Pocket jeunesse, a preferred partner of large format publishers for 45 years.

The publisher has also seized on the TikTok phenomena, like Ashes falling for the sky (Albin Michel, 2018), only heritage classics revisited by the house with “abridged and respectful versions of the original text”as Frankenstein, Dracula or Red and black. While Hachette Romans has distinguished itself with audiovisual successes (Against the grain of Mercedes Ron, Tear maker d’Erin Doom), or graphic novels, including Heartstopper d’Alice Oseman, also boosted by its adaptation into a television series on Netflix.