Léna Mahfouf, known online as “Léna Situations”, is opening a new chapter: a publishing house carrying her name and vision. The move lands at a moment when creators are reshaping media, and it puts a bestselling author who grew up on YouTube at the center of France’s book conversation.
The announcement arrives after a whirlwind five years that turned Léna Mahfouf from digital star to bookstore fixture. Her first book “Toujours plus” hit shelves in 2020 with Robert Laffont, then a lifestyle brand, Hôtel Mahfouf, opened in summer 2022. A publishing venture feels like the logical – and risky – next step.
Léna Mahfouf’s publishing house: the essential facts, right now
What’s on the table so far: a dedicated label backed by Léna Mahfouf’s team, a promise to champion accessible storytelling, and a launch timeline teased for the coming months. The first slate of titles has not been publicly revealed at the time of writing, nor the distribution partner. Expect updates via her Instagram and YouTube where news typically breaks first.
Context matters. “Toujours plus” arrived in September 2020 and stayed visible across major French retailers during a year when readers leaned into personal development and diaries. Two years later, Hôtel Mahfouf showed she could turn audience attention into a physical brand with pop-ups in Paris during 2022. A publishing house uses the same muscle: editorial curation, community, and steady storytelling.
For readers, this points to books that speak in today’s language and release on a cadence closer to social content than old-school cycles. For bookstores, it signals a bet on a profile that brings crowds on launch day. And for writers navigating the first-manuscript maze, it hints at new routes to an editor’s desk.
From “Toujours plus” to publisher: why Léna Mahfouf’s move resonates
There is a before and after 2020 for Léna Mahfouf. Publishing a debut at 23 turned a vlogger into an author with a cross-generational audience. Readers who discovered her daily Vlogmas videos in December 2019 – the intense streak of posting every day until New Year’s – later looked for longer reads with the same candid tone.
Creator-led imprints already exist abroad, usually anchored by a personality and a sharp niche. In France, that model is still young. A house led by Léna Mahfouf could compress the time between online buzz and bookstore release, pairing agile marketing with traditional editing. The risk is clear: books last or they don’t. An imprint survives on quality, not just reach.
Practical question people ask: will she publish only her own projects, or open doors to newcomers? Early signals suggest curation beyond a single name, with an emphasis on relatable nonfiction and hybrid formats. Nothing official yet about advances or submission windows. Industry norms vary widely, and authors often negotiate case by case.
What could change for young authors and the French book market
For first-time writers, a creator-founded house could feel less intimidating, more open to debut voices, TikTok-born communities, and short-form experimentation that grows into full-length books. It can also tighten the feedback loop: creators test ideas online, readers react in hours, editors refine quickly, then a title lands while interest is still hot.
But there is a trap many fall into: assuming audience automatically equals sales. It rarely does on its own. Even with viral momentum, sustainable lists come from editorial rigor, clear positioning, consistent cover design, and good rights strategy – audio, translation, reprints. That’s the unglamorous part, and the one that decides longevity.
A look back helps. 2020 put “Toujours plus” on front tables during a disrupted retail year, then 2022 showcased operational skills with Hôtel Mahfouf’s summer roll-out and lines around the block. The message today is similar: build experiences, then ship products. If that playbook moves into publishing, expect limited editions, community signings, and smart preorders tied to events.
Readers gain if this house keeps prices fair and formats varied: paperback first for accessibility, hardbacks for collectors, and e-book options from day one. Libraries and indie bookshops will watch the wholesale terms closely. If margins align, shelves follow. If not, discovery stalls.
What’s missing now is hard detail: the editorial line, the first title, the distribution network, and a date. Those pieces will decide whether this is a splashy announcement or the start of a stable list. Anyone keen to pitch should prepare clean proposals, a one-page synopsis, a sample chapter, and a clear audience description – then track Léna Mahfouf’s official channels for submission info. The spark is there, definitly; the next weeks will tell how it turns into books you can hold.