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Editions Fayard will publish Barack and Michelle Obama’s memoirs in the French language, chairman and c.e.o. Sophie de Closets has announced
The Obamas will join Hillary Clinton, Nelson Mandela and Henry Kissinger in the house’s catalogue, de Closets said. She did not disclose the price Fayard is paying for the French rights, and added that the contents of the books, their titles and publication dates will be announced later.
The US ex-president and first lady recently signed book deals with Penguin Random House, reported by the Financial Times to be worth a record $60 million. The publisher is planning a co-ordinated global campaign mainly through its own international companies, with Viking the imprint publishing in the UK.
Founded in 1857, Fayard became part of what is now Hachette Livre in 1958, and is positioned as a general publisher combining fiction and non-fiction. It released 220 new titles last year, and reported sales of 15 million euros sales in 2015. The sales figures for 2016 are not yet available.
The French daily Le Figaro reported that Les Presses de la cité, which is part of the Editis group and published previous books by Obama, speeches and political texts during his two terms in office, had bid for the rights.
The newspaper suggested that the investment required means Fayard’s parent company Hachette Livre must be pumping money into the deal. Contacted by The Bookseller, the group’s communications director Ronald Blunden declined to comment on the suggestion.