ESCP ALUMNI MAGAZINE - #189 - MARS/AVRIL 2020 - 26

CARRIÈRES  ❙  Parcours singulier

« Somebody has to publish books that are not only for fun
and games. Not only entertainment. »

somebody who chose France as his
adoption country, learned French by
himself and started writing in French
a few years ago. And he actually won
the best novel of the year award in
2017 for his latest novel called Face au
Styx. We obviously rely on the help of
international cultural organizations
and foundations and so on, but it is
essential for us to do more in terms of
trying to find corporate donations and
contributions of individual donators.

Is the non-profit model the
future of book publishing?
In truth, nobody knows! Young people
today are worried about the extinction
of the human kind. Perhaps rightly.
But surely spiritual diminishment is
the first step towards the extinction of
our civilisation. And I mean «spiritual»
in its broader sense of relating to the
human spirit or soul as opposed to
material things.
I think that commercial publishing will
always exist. I think we need all sorts
of books. Commercial mass market
literature will always find readers. And
yet, somebody has to publish books
that are not only for fun and games.
Not only entertainment. Not only
books that are relevant today, but also
books that are future classics. We also
sometimes forget that there are no
books without authors. and that only
very few literary writers who make a
living from their craft, without having
a day job. Just to give you an idea,
less than a thousand fiction writers in
America make something of a living
and only about 20 in Ireland. There
are objective reasons why non-profit

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publishing is necessary because if we
want to publish diverse and innovative
literary fiction and to champion writers
regardless of sales, we need to make
sure that we can help writers to create
by paying them for their own work, and
we need to make sure that these books
are permanently protected which is
why we also have to be able to spend
what's necessary to find the readership
for these books.

Do you think that more
than ever, publishers
need to be protected?
A b s o l u t e l y. N a t i o n a l o r e v e n
international institutions have limited
means. In some countries, like America,
for example, there are virtually no
state institutions who help literature.
There are such institutions in most
European countries but their finances
are often stretched. It's great to have
their support, and some financial help
from some of them but often, they can't
cover the full expenses of publishing
books or even translating a book. This
is where, I think, corporate and private
philanthropy is still essential because
I'm sure that there are a lot of people
who love books and understand
the importance of literature for the
future, for their children, for their
grandchildren, just for the future of our
civilization as we know it. But they do
not realize, perhaps, that it's becoming
more and more difficult for publishers,
especially publishers who want to
protect serious literature and to help
literary writers to make a living from
their craft. Basically, to carry the torch
that has produced great works of arts
in the past under «patronage» or similar

ESCP Alumni Magazine numéro 189  ❙  MARS/AVRIL 2020

models: from William Shakespeare to
James Joyce and many other major
literary voices. I think that it's still
relevant, but if people do not know
that we need them, they don't think
of offering their help. This is our aim,
to talk about cultural philanthropy, the
importance of it and to shake up things.

Getting into the publishing
industry these days can be
seen as a big challenge.
What advice would you give
people/students who wish to
pursue a career in this field?
Like any passion, it's unreasonable, and
can be unrealistic, but if they love books,
they would still go into publishing, no
matter what anyone says. Publishing
is a very small industry, with, probably,
the lowest income compared to the
level of qualification. There are many
very talented, very well-educated
people who go into publishing, not for
money, but because they think that it's
important. Despite being so small, it still
has a huge impact on the minds and on
the general public. It's a great career,
you meet great people from all over the
world, you make fabulous friends, you
meet great writers, and you learn a lot.
It's also a little bit like gambling. Every
publisher hopes that he will publish the
next big name, or the next Nobel prize,
I certainly do! I suppose, I would just
say : «Go for it! But be prepared to fight
all the time for what you believe is right.»
Unless, of course, they chose a career in
commercial publishing. But I made the
choice of publishing long-sellers over
best-sellers! 
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Propos recueillis par Paul PIQUARD
ESCP ALUMNI MAGAZINE - #189 - MARS/AVRIL 2020

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