Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s new memoir about his time working behind bars, “The Diary of a Prisoner,” was just published on Wednesday and is already the No. 1 pre-order on Amazon.
In Paris’ upscale 16th arrondissement, hundreds of Sarkozy’s supporters queued for hours outside the Lamartine bookstore, causing an uproar so controversial that it caused an uproar. women’s protest And the entire street is closed to traffic.
Behind this immediate success was a carefully calibrated communications strategy by the former president.
The goal of this memoir It is about controlling the narrative and taking advantage of a situation unprecedented in modern French history. The president served 20 days in prison.
Mr. Sarkozy was sentenced 5 years imprisonment In September, he accused him of receiving illegal campaign funds from the regime of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi to ensure his victory in the 2007 election.
The sentence also includes a ban from holding office. Sarkozy is contesting the charges, and an appeal hearing is scheduled for March next year.
For Arnaud Benedetti, editor-in-chief of the Political and Parliamentary Review, this book is more than just the story of Sarkozy’s life in prison.
“This is a hybrid work that sends out many political messages. Whatever his beliefs, his words will continue to carry weight in public debate,” he told Euronews.
The aim was clear: to regain an immediate advantage in shaping public opinion, said Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet, a professor of political communication at the Paris Institute of Sciences.
“They had to publish this book in record time, because the idea was to frame the argument as quickly as possible to prevent others from constructing their own stories,” he explained to Euronews.
To do that, he needed to have complete control over his image. These include rallying support before going to prison and deploying symbolic gestures such as bringing copies of books. The Count of Monte Cristo goes to prison And the moment he was released, he began an aggressive communications campaign.
Works written by politicians usually do not sell well on the French book market, but Mr. Sarkozy’s work is an exception.
“Mr. Sarkozy is a politician who leaves no one indifferent. Despite his detractors, he maintains a loyal following who appreciate his character. His personality, his story, and his straightforward way of speaking make him someone who can succeed in the publishing industry,” Benedetti explains.
But the extraordinary interest in the book also stems from unprecedented circumstances. Never before has a French president or a European Union president described what it’s like to be incarcerated.
Moreau-Chevrolet notes that readers respond to a kind of curiosity, “a kind of voyeurism, a desire to peer through the keyhole and see what the life of a prison leader is like.”
Mr. Benedetti also emphasized the commercial strength of such books, saying: “All the ingredients necessary for a successful publication are here (…) This situation is so unusual that it inevitably arouses curiosity and even interest. From a marketing point of view, this product is very effective.”
But for Moreau Chevrolet, Sarkozy’s top priority remains justice.
“His biggest goal is to win the media battle over the trial,” he said.
While he described the strategy as “very aggressive,” its actual impact remains unclear, saying: “Is it working? Only time will tell.”
And, as Benedetti points out, “Publishing success does not guarantee political success.”