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Biteback has signed UK and Commonwealth rights to the memoir of Valérie Trierweiler, the French bestseller recounting her tumultuous relationship with French president Francois Hollande.
The book, Thank You for the Moment (Merci Pour Le Moment) caused a stir in its native country, prompting the French Booksellers Association (Syndicat de la Librairie Française, SLF) to deny reports that many booksellers were refusing to stock the title. According to early reports, some French booksellers had criticised the secrecy surrounding the publication, while others did not want to be a "washing machine for Mme. Trierweiler's dirty linen".
Despite the controversy, the book sold 145,000 copies in print and digital in the first four days of sale, according to the market research agency GfK. It has now sold 400,000 copies in three weeks according to Biteback, making it France's fastest-selling book ever.
Biteback m.d. Iain Dale signed the book from Anna Jarota at the Anna Jarota Agency in Paris. The book, translated by Clemence Sebag, will be released in November, with Trierweiler visiting the UK to promote the title.
Trierweiler said: "’I am delighted to be publishing my memoirs with Biteback – they know how to publish a book like this. My reputation was always trashed by the press in France so at last I decided to write my story. I wanted for people in England, Australia and New Zealand to hear from me directly – who I really am and what I have been through."
Hollande announced his separation from Paris Match journalist Trierweiler last January shortly after it was revealed he was having an affair with actress Julie Gayet.