"Some customers say thank you!"
Behind her cash register, Morgane, with a laughing face, assures her that the bookstore's decision is appreciated by customers.
"Regulars came to see us to congratulate us on not displaying it in stores,"
she continues. In the Arpenteurs bookstore, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, no need to look for Eric Zemmour's last essay,
France has not said its last word
. He is not there. In the small department of political books,
located right next to the cash register, the polemicist's book has no place.
"When the distributor offered the book to us, we didn't think long and hard, we said no right away"
, explains the saleswoman of 31 years, brown hair and round glasses put at the end of the nose.
Despite the success of the book, which is at the top of sales in its category, the rue de Choron sign does not regret this choice.
“We had a few requests from people who wanted it, in this case, we do it to order.
We made the right decision, the book is far too controversial for us ”
.
"These reservations will not prevent the book from selling"
A stone's throw from the Arpenteurs bookstore, in Anne-Laure Reboul's boutique, the book is on sale. The decision to put it on the shelves was not made without a period of reflection.
"There was a whole debate between the staff to
know if we were going to take the book or not, it was a real case of conscience"
, remembers the forty-something, responsible for L'Atelier 9 in Paris.
“Eric Zemmour and his words are so divisive that obviously we wonder about the number of books to order, where to place it,”
confirms Yanis, one of his colleagues, unpacking a box of books.
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Unlike his political opponents, Eric Zemmour understood that we had switched to "the Netflix era" "
In this small bookstore, thousands of books from floor to ceiling. Latest news, English literature, detective novels ... To find the polemicist's, you have to know how to look, and go to the back of the store, just before the reservations. The manager, with a pale face and black hair, delves into her memories:
"The last time we asked so many questions about a book, it was for the memories of Jean-Marie Le Pen"
. Even if she wishes to reassure:
“We are not activists either, but traders. We have to offer the book. If some people buy it, fine, it's not our role to dissuade them. ”
Same strategy in Auxerre. At Obliques, one of the last booksellers in the Burgundy city, sales of Eric Zemmour's book are quiet.
"Above all, I don't want to do any advertising,"
immediately assures the manager, Grégoire Courtois. Even though the book is one of the store's bestsellers, it is not on the bestseller table but in the political essay department, along with everyone else.
"I had highlighted his previous books, which were already very successful, but many customers complained about it, so I stopped
.
"
And the bookseller added:
"I prefer to put Jérôme Fourquet,
France in front of our eyes,
it is much more consensual.
"
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These reluctance and refusals do not surprise those close to Éric Zemmour: “
We suspected that it was going to happen.
It always happens like that with books that are not politically correct: you have booksellers who refuse it or try to hide it,
confides an adviser to the polemicist.
But that won't stop the book from selling!
"
130,000 copies sold
In just two weeks, the book sold 130,000 copies (GFK figures), putting it at the top of political book sales. An undeniable commercial success… and a significant financial gain.
"I would have liked not to put so much forward the book, but I have no choice, it is what sells the most at the moment"
, admits Olivier Gallais, the hair curled in battle, manager of La Ideal bookshop in the 7th arrondissement of the capital. In the bins installed in front of his shop, Zemmour's manuscript is placed at the head of the gondola.
"And we know that it will stay there, it is so publicized that there is still demand more than a month after its release on September 16
», Assures the bookseller.
The profits from the sale of the polemicist will allow him to highlight other little unknown authors.
In Tours, on the other hand, the highlighting of the polemicist's book is fully assumed.
“We don't ask ourselves any questions,”
says Anne, sales assistant in the foreign literature and current affairs department at La
Boîte à Livres.
His essay is treated like any other. "
In the small shop, nearly 170 copies have been purchased since its release, one of the brand's best sellers.
“It's a commercial object, without a doubt,
” she explains.
And then, beyond
that, it's our role as bookseller to offer everything, it's part of the democratic game. ”
IPJ Dauphine
IPJ
Cinema, theater, music ... The student journalists of
IPJ, the Practical Institute of Journalism of the University of Paris Dauphine
, offer their perspective on cultural news.
IPJ Dauphine
