Children’s books represent 27.9% of sales in the province in 2024, compared to 21.4% for adult literature, according to the Société de gestion de la banque de lettres de langue française (BTLF), which draws its data directly at retail checkouts.
The sector is doing so well that it is up 13.5% compared to 2023, which was an excellent vintage in itself. In fact, its share has been increasing steadily since 2016, the year from which children’s literature became number one.
If the picture is so rosy, it is thanks to the abundant supply in bookstores.
“There wasn’t this diversity when I was young. It has nothing to do with what we have now. Young people today are very lucky. But it’s hard for parents and teachers to sort through that and know what is beautiful literature and what isn’t,” underlines author Geneviève Guilbault between two writing sessions. with her colleague Marilou Addison, also prolific, with a view to a new collection of horror novels, which will be available in three books, one per primary cycle.
“It’s a genre that’s very popular with young people. I hadn’t written any horror novels yet, so I thought it was a great way to branch out.”
The Geneviève Guilbault phenomenon
However, his work is already rich, numbering around a hundred books, several of which have been published in Europe.
Geneviève Guilbault joins both girls, with her series of novels “Billie Jazz”, “BFF” and “Textos et cie” as well as her comic strips “Céleste la licorne”, and boys, with her numerous titles featuring the character of Ti-Guy La Puck, whose 15th volume was released in November.
It was to encourage her son to read that she wrote her first book.
“My son refused to read books in which there were no illustrations, so I thought it would be a great challenge to invent a story for him in which there were no images. As I know my son well, I created a story for him, according to his tastes and interests.”
Thus was born “Robin Dubois, good crook”. She had the audacity to present her manuscript to Éditions Pierre Tisseyre, who published it in 2013. “I said to myself: as long as I write it, so much the better if I am published. The goal of all authors is to be read as much as possible. Lots of people were able to benefit from it, not just my son.”
She immediately fell in love with writing. “I realized it was something I loved doing. Seeing my children’s eyes while reading my novel was truly magical. I found my X. I decided to quit my job and write full time. I had lots of ideas. That’s how I made the leap,” says the former early childhood educator.
His new career took off quickly. “It happened gradually, but it went up very, very quickly. The projects came together at lightning speed.”
After first wanting to please her son, she successfully repeated the experiment for her daughter.
“Then I alternated. I try to publish as much for boys as for girls. But we won’t hide the fact that boys read less than girls, so that can have an impact on sales. These are choices that we have to make when we decide which clientele we want to address,” she says.
His bet clearly worked: thousands of boys were hooked on the adventures of Ti-Guy La Puck, a hockey enthusiast who lives in Bâton-sur-Glace. More than 300,000 copies have been sold.
““Ti-Guy” is a great success. I can say it’s mission accomplished. This is the series of books for which I receive the most messages from parents who tell me: “my child didn’t like reading, but thanks to Ti-Guy, he discovered the pleasure of reading, he devours them, I saw his grades go up in class.” I am really proud of my dear Ti-Guy’s journey!”
Children first
Geneviève Guilbault was even a “victim” of her success. At the request of parents, she added to her catalog two series of books on the world of Ti-Guy La Puck.
“Parents wrote to me in large quantities to say: ‘my child has gotten older, he now reads this in two hours, could you write a series with Ti-Guy for the older children with more text?’ So I started the “Ti-Guy La Puck 2.0” series, then the “Ti-Guy La Puck junior” series at the request of parents who told me that the little brother or sister would also like to read “Ti- Guy La Puck.” I really try to listen.”
Besides, if she is the literary idol of many children, it is perhaps because they feel that she really cares about them.
“I draw a lot of inspiration from young people. It’s super important to me. My goal as an author is to get young people reading, to allow them to discover what their tastes are. I am very attentive to their needs and interests. I’m always wondering what I would like to read if I were a child and what children today want to read.
The 46-year-old Drummondville resident is also often physically close to them, whether in classes or at book fairs.
“When I go to classes, I often tell young people: if you don’t like reading, it’s maybe just because you haven’t found the kind of literature that excites you, so keep exploring because there is so much diversity. By trying to diversify as much as possible myself, it gives me more of a chance of reaching young people.”
With more than a million copies sold to her credit, we can certainly say that she has managed to attract a large audience.
Enough to make its editor, Manon Bergeron, proud. “There is a lot of competition in children’s literature. We are doing well by renewing ourselves, she congratulates herself. The challenge is to reinvent ourselves and create dynamic, quality books, with innovative concepts that reach young readers.”
