Publishing, the Rules of the Trade

L'Affaire Yann Piat : des assassins au cœur du pouvoir

André Rougeot et Jean-Michel Verne, Flammarion, original edition, 1997, Coll. Bfm - Limoges

A publisher makes a serious mistake. In explanation of the murder of this Member of the French Parliament for the Var, journalists André Rougeot and Jean-Michel Verne argued for a political solution which surreptitiously cast a doubt on the former minister François Léotard and the Mayor of Marseilles, Jean-Claude Gaudin. Following the scandal, the book was withdrawn from sale in October 1997 when 60,000 copies had already been sold. During the libel suit, the authors could show no proof of their accusations. With their publisher, they received a severe sentence. In the spring of 1998, another trial revealed that the MP’s murder was linked to organised crime. Media excitement, manipulation and rumour, the poor judgement of a publisher unfamiliar with topical books and political opportunism are the causes of a publishing catastrophe.