US EditionFrench billionaire shrugs off mass exodus at hallowed French publisher
Bolloré said Grasset will replace departing writers as more than 150 authors protest alleged editorial interference and the exit of chief editor Olivier Nora.
- 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.
73 Articles
73 Articles
The departure of Olivier Nora from the publishing house, owned by Bolloré, and the multiplication of subsequent fora offer a moment of revelation about the environment, some of which are annoying, but already allow to learn some lessons.
After the dismissal of the leader of the Grasset house and the departure of more than a hundred authors, Vincent Bolloré defends a decision linked in particular to economic performances, and to the release of the next one...
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.
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