Vincent Bollore, a conservative Catholic billionaire, is facing pushback from independent bookshops in France due to his significant influence over the publishing sector after acquiring Hachette Livre. Booksellers like Thibaut Willems are voicing concerns about the ramifications of one conglomerate dominating cultural output, as Bollore's empire expands with various media outlets. Many bookshops are responding by reducing orders of Hachette books and limiting events related to them, as they argue that this monopolistic control can undermine democracy and diversity in literature.
"Books matter," said Thibaut Willems, owner of Le Pied a Terre independent bookshop in Paris's 18th arrondissement and one of the booksellers taking a stand by limiting their orders of Hachette Livre books and placing them on lower shelves.
Bollore's cultural empire, which includes Hachette Livre, the biggest book publishing and distribution conglomerate in France, has sparked fears among independent booksellers about the concentration of cultural influence.
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