Anglophones and Francophones in Montreal are far from sharing the same interest in the outpourings of Prince Harry. In bookstores in the east of the city, success was certainly expected following the enormous media hype of the past few days. But the release of the memoir of the rebellious prince was nothing exceptional on Tuesday; nothing to do with what was playing at the same time on the other side of boulevard Saint-Laurent, where a plethora of copies was piling up on the shelves, as we have rarely seen.
No one in Montreal stood in front of stores on Tuesday waiting for them to open, as was the case in London. No, the revelations of the Duke of Sussex about his cocaine use and the loss of his virginity did not give rise to the same enthusiasm asHarry Potter Where Twilight in the streets of Montreal.
There is nothing to suggest that it will be a great success. There have been a few reservations ahead of time. But no more than any celebrity biography.
Still, the English-speaking booksellers had pulled out the heavy artillery for the publication of Spare (The substitute in French). The Indigo bookstore, on Sainte-Catherine Street West, ordered 850 copies, including a hundred for its French section all the same. Nearly two whole tables at the entrance were given over to the shocking book, which has been shaking the Windsors since the book’s contents were mistakenly leaked last week.
“We had ordered roughly the same quantities for Michelle Obama’s book just before Christmas. But it was not the same. It was during the holidays, so people weren’t coming just for that. We didn’t sell as many the first day either. I don’t remember such an impressive outing for a biography,” is surprised Steve Lamothe, the manager of the place.
By dinnertime, he estimated he had already sold between 40 and 50 copies. A feat for a chilly Tuesday morning in January, which usually corresponds to the off season in bookstores after the crush of December. It doesn’t identify a particular gender or age in the average book buyer. “It interests everyone. On the other hand, it is true that it affects Anglophones more. They have a greater sense of belonging to the monarchy,” recognizes Mr. Lamothe.
No high expectations
And for good reason. The contrast with a French bookstore was striking. At the mythical Archambault at the corner of Sainte-Catherine and Berri streets, the number of copies ordered could be counted on his ten fingers. Some books have been reserved in advance on the Internet, but nothing more. In the store window, new novels by Geneviève Pettersen and David Goudreault are always in the spotlight. The serious close-up face of Prince Harry, which adorns the cover of the Substituteis not there.
Indeed, the Renaud-Bray chain, also owner of Archambault, does not expect an overwhelming success for the confessions of the second son of King Charles III. “Usually, you can guess a success by the number of bookings you receive beforehand. This time, there is nothing to suggest that it will be a great success. There have been a few reservations ahead of time. But no more than for any biography of a celebrity, ”underlines Floriane Claveau, director of communications at Renaud-Bray.
In other words, the retailer does not believe that Prince Harry will manage to dethrone Pierre Gervais, the former manager of equipment for the Canadiens, whose memoir has been at the top of book sales in Quebec since November. “Maybe with Netflix’s documentary series on Meghan and Harry, people have had enough too,” suggests Floriane Claveau.
Quebec, a special case
In fact, Prince Harry pushes the plug even further this time with this book. The one who has lived in the United States since 2020 has skinned his brother there, the heir to the crown, William. There are also new revelations for a member of the royal family, venturing into a sometimes very intimate register, especially when he says he was circumcised at birth.
Result : Spare broke records on its first day in UK bookstores. In France, 210,000 copies of Substitute went on sale Tuesday. This is 21 times the number of copies available in French in Canada, while the population pool is only about eight times larger.
“The French don’t have the same connection with the British monarchy. For them, it is not a colonial symbol like in Quebec. Even if it is a republic and they cut off the king’s head, there is a nostalgia for everything related to the monarchy, ”notes journalist Marc Laurendeau, specialist in the royal family.
Don’t believe, however, that the setbacks of the royal family leave Quebecers unmoved, he warns: “there is a whole paradox in Quebec. On the one hand, we want to break with this institution because we consider it colonial. But on the other, we’re interested in the whole side people around the monarchy. Every time we talk about it on RDI, the ratings go up. I think Quebeckers have an interest, but they don’t have the same attachment as Anglophones. This probably explains the different reaction to the release of this book. »
The price of the book in French ($47.95) could also curb the curiosity of some Quebecers.