The Battle of Books in France: Mélenchon Sweeps Bookstore Sales, Crushing Bardella

Nearly five months ahead of the anticipated elections in France, French bookstore readers have delivered a decisive initial verdict reflecting the country's profound political polarization. In the race to top political essay and book sales, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the "La France Insoumise" movement, swept the competition decisively with his new program published by "La Dispute".

Mélenchon Leads with Record Figures and an Accessible Price

According to figures released by "Edistat", a platform specializing in tracking book sales, Mélenchon's book titled "L’Avenir en commun. Le Programme de la Nouvelle France" (The Common Future: The Program of the New France) achieved a resounding launch, selling more than 40,000 copies in just four days after hitting the market.

This popular success is attributed to a strategic choice made by Mélenchon; rather than targeting traditional elites, he wagered on making his program affordable to ordinary citizens and the working classes (€4.90), a price close to Salomé Saqué's famous book "Résistez!". Mélenchon had previously used the same title in the fall of 2021 with a different subtitle, selling 150,000 copies throughout the 2021–2022 election campaign, suggesting he could reach significantly higher figures looking ahead to 2026–2027.

Relative Setback for Jordan Bardella's Book

In contrast, Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right "National Rally" party, ranked third with his third book, titled "Gouverner" (To Govern) and published by "Fayard". Despite the simultaneous release of both books, Bardella recorded sales four times lower than those achieved by the left-wing leader over the same period.

Ranking second in between was Sarah Knafo with her book "Casse du siècle" (Heist of the Century), published by "Fayard", whose total sales reached around 350,000 copies and began to see a slowdown in purchasing momentum. Meanwhile, the platform "Bon Pote" ranked fourth with the book "Le RN contre les Français" (The RN Against the French), while Philippe de Villiers placed sixth with his book "Résurrection : Le retour de la France éternelle" (Resurrection: The Return of Eternal France).

Notable Presence for Rima Hassan's Book on Palestine

The rankings reflect the dominance of an ideological and political character in French readers' interests; activist and European Member of Parliament Rima Hassan ranked tenth with her book "Palestine errante" (Wandering Palestine), published by "La Fabrique". Charles Alloncle came in eleventh place, while Clémence Guetté, Vice-President of the National Assembly from La France Insoumise, is nearing the top ranks with her book "Pour une politique de l’amitié" (For a Politics of Friendship), with projections of reaching 20,000 copies.

Amid growing talk of social tensions, historian Jean-Christian Petitfils drew attention by ranking thirteenth with his massive historical work "La Révolution française" (The French Revolution), achieving 15,000 copies despite its substantial volume and high price.

The demand for political books and programs this season has surpassed interest in literary fiction crowned with prestigious awards such as the Prix Goncourt, as Mélenchon's book outperformed leading novels such as that of Philippe Jaenada, awaiting the announcement of the "Prix Goncourt des lycéens" on November 26, which may reshape the literary scene ahead of the year-end holiday season.