404 Editions, 10 years of infusing pop culture into books

Within the Editis group, following houses such as Les Livres du Dragon d’Or, the label 404 Editions celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. Its editorial line, led by Lola Salines, an editor who survived the Bataclan terrorist attack, originally aimed to discover new voices aligned with an ultra-connected generation, initially on blogs and a burgeoning YouTube.

From the start, the house drew from a geek culture, with the goal of bridging the gap between screens and books. They closely monitored community practices where gaming consoles, YouTube, Twitch, and mobile games extended reality. Even their name, a nod to the classic “page not found” error, symbolizes a native web imaginary.

Ten years later, the mission remains the same: capturing and engaging a young audience, from teenagers to young adults, with an alternative, playful, and relatable offer based on their reference universes.

The goal was to transform online content into books, born out of the era of influencers when much was happening on the internet, blending humor and video games. 404 Editions opened its catalog with titles like “Princesse 2.0” by the YouTuber Andy, selling nearly 200,000 copies across all editions. They also utilized established licenses to create guides for games like Minecraft, League of Legends, Clash of Clans, Hearthstone, and Boom Beach, expanding to licensed stationery products like Bob l’éponge, Grumpy Cat, and Candy Crush.

The house discreetly introduced a gateway to reading, designed to reclaim audiences drifting away from reading. By 2016, they noticed a decline in boys’ interest in reading, especially upon entering middle school. The focus shifted to meeting readers where they are, rather than imposing traditional models on them.

404 Editions is at the forefront of trends, including the escape book format, reimagining “choose your own adventure” books in a contemporary setting inspired by the rise of escape games. Collaborations with content creators and influencers have led to projects like Roblox Story, Le maître des mondes by Maeva Games Videos, and Zetfar et Ruby by gaming star Olivier Gay.

The house releases over 75 new titles each year across different segments such as stationery, creative leisure, escape books, and activity books. Their dynamic and innovative approach straddles the line between youth and adult literature, emphasizing collaboration and engagement with the audience.

Embracing the changing landscape of the publishing industry, 404 Editions plans to focus more on crime and thriller content, partnering with renowned authors like Caryl Ferey and Nicolas Beuglet for hybrid formats. They also aim to blend traditional authors with those entrenched in gaming culture to experiment with new editorial territories and make books a contemporary space for exploration.