The Quebec publishing house Les Heures bleues declares bankruptcy. The company, born in 1995, known for its works combining text and images, filed for bankruptcy in December, just before the end of year holidays. She has published more than a hundred works in different sectors: poetry, children’s literature, travel stories, essays.
Founded by Serge Théroux (Les 400 coups), Gilles Pellerin and Marie Taillon (L’Instant even), Les Heures bleues was quickly purchased (in 1999) by René Bonenfant and Céline Fortin. Pierre Desautels took over in May 2016. It was he who decided to close the business after looking for a buyer, in vain. He was the only full-time employee, but occasionally used the services of book artisans (graphic designers, revisers, etc.).
Mr. Desautels identifies internal and external causes to explain the death of his company. He recognizes that Les Heures bleues published too many genres instead of focusing on one or a few. “It was too disparate,” he sums up.
The publisher also attributes some responsibility for the decline in the popularity of the book in our society. “The context is no longer favorable to publishing houses,” he said. Younger generations read, but on their phones. I have books all over my house. They flow from libraries. I have the impression that the book market is shrinking, and increasingly so. When people of a certain age disappear, who will still read books? »
His own works sold less and less. A few years ago, a print run could sell 700 or 800 copies, a threshold that has recently fallen to more than half. “An edition requiring an investment of $15,000 for a print run of 1000 or 1500 copies only sells 300. It’s a disaster. »
These figures lead him to say that the Quebec market is “too small” and only survives under state support. It would count on the development of the Franco-European market for the development and survival of certain Quebec houses.
“You know, publishing in Quebec is probably more subsidized than the battery industry,” he says with a laugh. I’m exaggerating a bit, but look, we don’t pay QST, there are plenty of subsidies available, but the market keeps shrinking. Some books work, yes. A book on the former equipment manager of the Les Canadiens club has a circulation of 60,000 copies. But for the rest… “
The authors will be officially notified of the end of the editorial adventure by mail in the coming days. The contracts provide that they will retain their copyright. They will also be able to obtain a certain number of unsold copies. The rest will be shelled.
This is the case of the book 27 notable scenes from Quebec cinemaby Michel Coulombe, one of the last two works published in August by Les Heures bleues.
“I learned the news by chance, after potential readers were told that the book was no longer available,” explains Duty in writing Mr. Coulombe. I wrote to the publisher. The next day he called me to tell me the news. I will never know how many copies were sold. Or, later, when the trustee contacts me. »
Pierre Desautels ends his assessment in an interview by emphasizing that this publishing profession that he loved “passionately” never enriched him. “I would like to say that in this sector, it is the publishers who take the risks while being paid the least. Booksellers make 40% profit on a sale. Distributors, 16 to 18% on paper, but in reality up to 23%, according to my calculations. The authors pocket 10%. Once the publisher has paid the printer, the revisers and all his collaborators, there is almost nothing left. When I sold an entire print run, I had 1 or 2% left. It’s not normal that publishers are the poor relations of the industry to this extent. »