The art of publishing political books

It is common just like the tide: a yr earlier than the presidential election, the inflow of works written by girls and politicians submerges bookstores. Left, proper, heart or extremes. The vary contains pamphlets in addition to packages or behind-the-scenes accounts of energy, roughly bitter, tasty or murderous. After a string of authors, together with Philippe de Villiers (The day after, Albin Michel), Edouard Philippe and Gilles Boyer (Clear prints and lines, JC Lattès), Bruno Le Maire (The Angel and the Beast, Gallimard), Michel Barnier (The Nice Phantasm, with the identical writer), Arnaud Montebourg (The Commitment, Grasset), Manuel Valls (Not a drop of French blood, Grasset), are anticipated by the top of the yr a cascade of books signed by Anne Hidalgo, Fabien Roussel, Yannick Jadot, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Clémentine Autain …

A quest for a “symbolic aura”

Why do they take up the pen? A e book, for these authors, “It’s an plane provider for remediation. A chance to return again beneath the sunshine ”, says Olivier Nora, CEO of Grasset. Based on Alexandre Wickham, director of checks and paperwork of Albin Michel, the train is a part of a quest for“Symbolic aura, capital as a lot for most people as for the Parisian microcosm”. Véronique Cardi, CEO of Editions JC Lattès, provides: “The sacredness that the French give to books is mixed with a fascination for energy. ” The target typically seems way more pragmatic. “Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s program e book, like his Notebooks of the longer term collectively, are used to search out voices, popularize their concepts ”, thus ensures Hugues Jallon, proprietor of Seuil. Within the case of program books, every line is abraded by the marketing campaign crew, and the writer merely prints and distributes the manifesto.

Within the eyes of Brice Teinturier, Deputy Managing Director of the Ipsos polling institute, the e book of a political determine fulfills three capabilities: “It permits him to not be summoned to react to present occasions, to flee the emergency by taking the time for extra in-depth reflection and to register, based on the French politico-literary custom, within the posture of somebody who is ready to wield the pen. “

This exercise isn’t with out risks. “The train turns into commonplace and leads to a profusion of writings of varied qualities”, emphasizes the analyst. To the extent that “The trouble to put in writing an excellent e book is not so worthwhile for its creator”, says Brice Teinturier, who notes that new criticisms are addressed to the politicians who’re in workplace: they’re criticized for writing as a substitute of working. Lastly, for many who inform a posteriori what they lived, “Some blame them for having had this e book in thoughts from the beginning, with the underlying goal” to put in writing a bestseller. By way of pitfalls, Sophie Charnavel, director of Robert Laffont editions, believes that some books are solely used to occupy the sector and “Are formatted” in order that their authors are invited within the morning hours of the radio stations. Advertising due to this fact. It certifies: “While you’re in energy, you possibly can’t say something. “

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