Francis Gay (no "e") was the pseudonymous author of an annual series of inspirational "Friendship Books", which make the Readers Digest look edgy and challenging. Apparently being Francis Gay was the first job a new journalist for DC Thomson got.

A good expose of what went on behind the scenes is "The DC Thomson Bumper Fun Book" (Paul Harris, 1977). They were something like a larval form of Rupert Murdoch.