These are the creation of the French Edition

In his "diary", in 1948, André Gide said of Georges Simenon: "he wrote for"large audience", it is heard;" but the delicate and refined found their account... "Today, French authors affecting the"large public"may not participate in the race for the Goncourt, which ends Monday. But they have never also weighed heavy on the market of the literature. At them five, Marc Lévy, Anna Gavalda, Guillaume Musso, Fred Vargas and Bernard Werber have generated between January 2005 and September 2008 not less of 206 million euros of turnover in selling 20 million books in large-format and Pocket. Not to mention the club sales. These are the "creation" of the French Edition.

You said "creation" Borrowed from the language of Hollywood, this anglicism is despised by French publishers, who hate talk money. It refers to a permanent quest for publishing houses: that of a writer to publish a novel every year or almost, which will be sold to hundreds of thousands of copies in France, translated abroad and if possible adapted to film.

Champion of this category for several years, Marc Lévy. Supported by large implemented and major media campaigns, his novels stories simple, easy to read account for only 3.7 (by volume) of the French literary market, according to the GfK Institute. With Bernard Werber, Amélie Nothomb, Jean-Christophe Grangé and Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, "stable" Albin Michel is it also in all the charts. But the rising star is a young foal by Bernard Fixot: Guillaume Musso, new Subscriber to the large prints, with 1.2 million copies sold in 2007. All of these authors have one thing in common: they relate to the general public. And no matter if the literary ambition, it is not always the appointment...

Confidential contracts

"These writers represent an economic and industrial challenge." But it does not literature! "rebelled a Parisian Publisher. Nothing comparable, however, between a Marc Lévy, commercial author par excellence, and a Michel Houellebecq... The latter is closer to the dream of Saint-Germain-des-Prés publishers: flush out an author big seller of books, but that will be supported by critics, booksellers and, why not, literary awards. In France, a handful of writers makes this synthesis, as Philippe Claudel, whose recent novels have exceeded the best 100,000. One might also cite a Daniel Pennac or an Emmanuel Carrère.

The houses also rely on the "long-sellers", these books on which person had gambled and selling yet for months. Worn by word-of-mouth, "The elegance of the Hedgehog" thus hoisted Muriel Barbery in the Top 10 of the French novelists in 2007. It remains one of the best sales of Gallimard in 2008, which would have sold 1.1 million copies.

In a market of difficult literature, where the sales are concentrated on a small number of titles for an average circulation of best 8.591! , these writers to success have a great advantage: they guarantee the editor if the prosperity, not in all cases of recurrent receipts of cash.

But Shhh!... France, it is inappropriate to focus on the earnings of the authors. Confidential, "contracts feed many fantasies!", is the writer-journalist Pierre Assouline. For nothing in the world, Francis Esménard, Albin Michel pattern, contents clauses that bind to Amélie Nothomb. He too would fear of arousing the jealousy of the other authors of the House. PIs, trigger a bid on the part of competitors, which would eventually bring down the profitability of its featured author.

Only certainty: keep a "creation" is expensive. Aware of their economic value, the stars needed their diktat. The negotiations on the credited, these advances by the Publisher before the release of the book, turning more to the iron arm. Ditto for copyright. It is estimated that in France an author of bestseller key a minimum 15 on the price of the large format (against 8 to 12 for the other). But the rate can go up to 20. In addition, sales in Pocket, where it affects about 5.

A question of survival

"Clauses in the contracts are so complex that those figures mean nothing," the lawyer, Emmanuel Pierrat relativizes. They provide just a coarse indication of that reported a best-selling author. On this basis, Anna Gavalda would have earned 3 million with "together, that's all".

Once the manufacturing, distribution, and booksellers paid, would remain in the pocket of the editor between 15 and 20 of the price of the book, a sum which will be even cropped by the promotion costs. To round out their purposes of month, houses can however count on foreign rights sales. Except when the author keep for him, as Bernard Werber in Korea.

But how do otherwise It is also the authors stars that houses attract new writers. Who could imagine that one day Amélie Nothomb and his great black hat leave Albin Michel To the editor, it would be a disaster. In vain he sought to entice away Anna Gavalda. "She never forgot that it was only to accept his first manuscript", says its editor, Dominique Gauthier, patron of the Dilettante. For this small house, as with Viviane Hamy (which publishes Fred Vargas), survival depends on these divas of the pen.

Delight a "creation" pay price of gold. Would transfer of Michel Houellebecq of to Fayard Flammarion, in 2004, to be thus negotiated with a credited of EUR 1.5 million to write a novel "The possibility of an island" and its adaptation to cinema by the novelist himself. Because on the screen, publishing stars want more work on their own account. The image of Michel Houellebecq (which the film has barely attracted 20,000 spectators), Eric - Emmanuel Schmitt or Philippe Claudel are more assignments of rights only. They now want to intervene as a screenwriter or Director.

Gallimard, French authors most requested by foreign producers would be however Romain Gary, Marcel Aymé and Marguerite Yourcenar, safe values. More person is interested in contrast to the "creation" of the 1980s and 1990s. Paul-Loup Sulitzer knows something. Her latest novels are gone unnoticed in France as in Hollywood.