US Edition
French billionaire shrugs off mass exodus at hallowed French publisher
- On Sunday, conservative billionaire Vincent Bolloré pledged to replace some 170 authors who left Grasset in protest at alleged political interference, stating "Grasset will continue, and those who are leaving will allow new authors to be published, promoted, recognised, and appreciated."
- The protest followed the departure of Grasset CEO Olivier Nora, which authors blame on Bolloré, with writers including Bernard Henri-Levy and Virginie Despentes denouncing an "unacceptable attack on the editorial independence" of the publisher.
- Bolloré stated that Nora, Grasset CEO for 26 years, left after a dispute over a book by French-Algerian author Boualem Sansal; he also noted turnover fell 25% in 2025 while the CEO's salary rose to $1.17 million.
- In a commentary for the Journal du Dimanche, which he owns, Bolloré expressed surprise at the "uproar," responding that "I am a Christian Democrat, and Hachette's management will continue to publish all authors who wish to be published."
- Speaking at the Paris Book Festival, French President Macron emphasized the need to "uphold diversity," acknowledging Grasset's legacy since its 1907 founding as publisher of figures like Marcel Proust and Francois Mauriac.
51 Articles
51 Articles
French media mogul Bolloré defiant as authors quit his publisher en masse
Vincent Bolloré, the conservative billionaire who has built up France's biggest media empire, says his Grasset publishing house will seek new talent after more than 150 of its authors quit in protest at what they claimed was interference with editorial independence.
leprogres.fr
After the departure of Grasset's CEO, Olivier Nora, more than 300 authors and actors in the sector called for the creation of a "consciousness clause" for the book's trades. In a rare speech, Vincent Bolloré, for his part, counter-attacked.
The departure of Olivier Nora from Grasset, owned by the Hachette group and by extension by Vincent Bolloré, caused the ink to sink on Sunday 19 April: while the billionaire Breton comes out of silence in the JDD, more than 300 authors speak in La Tribune on Sunday.
For his part, the conservative billionaire Vincent Bolloré claims that Grasset will "continue" and sweep the "vacarm" of a "small caste" after the mass exodus of the authors of the venerable house of the rue des Saints-Pères following the unexplained departure, generally seen as a dismissal, of his CEO.
InsideNoVA.com
French billionaire shrugs off mass exodus at hallowed French publisher
Conservative billionaire Vincent Bollore unapologetically vowed Sunday to find new authors for one of France's most prestigious publishers after about 170 said they would leave in protest at political interference.
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