The headquarters of Belin Publishing House on Rue Saint-Jacques seemed to be enveloped by an invisible storm.
Employees walked on tiptoes and spoke in hushed tones, fearing they might disturb the person in the office on the second floor.
Young François Belin, the owner of the publishing house and a middle-aged businessman known for his meticulous appearance, was now slumped ungracefully in his high-backed armchair.
His hair was disheveled, his tie crooked, and he tightly clutched a copy of Le Petit Parisien, the newspaper's exclusive interview with Lionel crumpled beyond recognition in his hand.
On the table, copies of Le Figaro, Le Temps, La République... lay scattered.
Almost all major newspapers' culture sections had reported the sudden "work donation craze" on their front pages or in prominent positions.
Young François Belin muttered, his voice hoarse:
"They're mad, all mad! Hugo... Daudet... Zola... Do they know what they're doing? This is betrayal! A betrayal of the entire publishing industry!"
Opposite him, the publishing house's financial director looked pale and disheartened:
"François, we must calm down and assess... If, if Le Tour de la France par deux enfants is really included as a core text in the French Reader, and we are forced to donate the copyright...
The eighty thousand francs we paid Madame Fouillée three years ago for the buyout... will have completely gone down the drain!
And that doesn't even count our prior investments in printing, promotion, and channel development..."
This had been a carefully planned investment.
They had made arrangements in advance, catered to official wishes, and smoothed the way, with everything developing in the most perfect direction imaginable.
However, Lionel, the minor nuisance they initially thought they could easily crush, had fundamentally destroyed them in a way they completely failed to comprehend!
Young François Belin suddenly looked up:
"Not only that! If all authors' works become free, what reason would the Ministry of Education have to choose Belin's books?
They could choose anyone's books! Daudet, Hugo, even that Sorel!
Where is our exclusive advantage?!
All the favors and connections we cultivated to promote this book have lost all meaning!"
He grew more agitated with each word, abruptly standing up and pacing back and forth in his office:
"This isn't just a matter of eighty thousand francs! This shakes the very foundation of our entire publishing house! We've lost a source of profit that could have lasted decades!
Other publishing houses, like Charpentier, which publishes literary books, might be fine, but what about us?
Like Hachette, a large part of Belin's business relies on the educational market!"
His biggest regret now was having pushed for the rumor campaign against Lionel.
He had merely intended to eliminate a potential competitor who might distract the committee, ensuring Le Tour de la France par deux enfants would win without a doubt.
Who could have imagined that the young man would not only remain undefeated but would also stir up such a terrifying "gratuitous" storm, sweeping everyone into it!
Young François Belin clutched at a last straw, abruptly stopping:
"Charles... Yes, Charles Deblanc! He must give us an explanation! This started because of them! They must take responsibility!"
He almost roared at his partner:
"Get the car ready! To his house! I want to see him now!"
------
Charles Deblanc was currently sitting by his study's fireplace, leisurely enjoying a glass of brandy.
He seemed somewhat impatient with Young François Belin's visit.
Charles Deblanc's voice was quite lazy:
"My dear François, Parisian nights are for enjoyment, not for panicking. Sit down, have a drink, the sky isn't falling!"
Young François Belin disregarded etiquette and rushed to the desk:
"Charles! Don't you realize the seriousness of the situation? Donation! They're all talking about donating! Hugo! Daudet! And that damned Sorel! They started it, and everyone else has gone mad!"
Charles Deblanc sipped his drink without lifting an eyelid:
"So what? It's just a trick by a bunch of literati fishing for fame. They're willing to give up a paltry royalty fee for a bit of pathetic renown; that's their freedom. It even saves the Ministry of Education an expense; Premier Ferry might even be pleased."
Young François Belin almost screamed:
"Save expenses? My God! Don't you understand, Charles!
Le Tour de la France par deux enfants! The lifeblood of our publishing house!
That's an entire book! Six hundred pages long! And it's only the first part! It's not an 'Old Guard' or 'The Last Class'!"
His breathing became rapid:
"If... if this craze eventually sweeps over Le Tour as well... what about the huge costs we've invested?
The advance deposits for printing, the hoarding of paper, the 'public relations fees' for education officials everywhere...
And our anticipated continuous reprint profits for the next ten, twenty years!
That would be tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of francs in losses! We'll go bankrupt!"
Charles Deblanc finally put down his glass, a look of pity on his face:
"Calm down, François. What you're describing is indeed very bad. But what you're worried about is still far from the worst."
Young François Belin froze, the color draining from his face:
"There's... something worse?"
Charles Deblanc stood up, his back to Belin:
"Just today, at the closed-door meeting for the selection of texts for the French Reader, Count Rohan... our esteemed Undersecretary, proposed a formal motion."
He paused, as if savoring Belin's suddenly halted breath.
Charles Deblanc's voice pierced Belin's eardrums like a needle:
"He proposed that the Ministry of Public Instruction and Fine Arts officially 'acquire' the copyrights of all texts ultimately selected for the French Textbook.
Not to purchase printing rights, but to buy out the copyright itself, making them entirely 'public domain'."
Young François Belin felt the floor disappear beneath his feet.
Charles Deblanc continued, his tone as flat as if discussing the weather:
"His Excellency, the Undersecretary, eloquently pointed out that since numerous excellent writers have demonstrated such noble patriotic fervor, voluntarily dedicating their works to the cause of French education, the Ministry of Education should, even more so, conform to public sentiment and institutionalize this matter completely.
He proposed that the state symbolically pay a fee, or even... given the generosity of the writers, attempt to negotiate gratuitous transfers, resolving all copyright ownership issues at once."
Charles Deblanc turned around:
"Once copyrights are public domain, the Ministry of Education will only be responsible for setting and reviewing the curriculum outline for the French Textbook.
As for the actual printing of the textbooks... His Excellency, the Count, suggested that this could be devolved to the education departments in each province, or even allow schools with the necessary conditions to find their own printers.
He said this would introduce competition, effectively reduce the cost of printing textbooks, and greatly alleviate the Ministry's financial pressure."
He spread his hands, a cruel smile playing on his lips:
"You see, François, how perfect the logic is?
Since writers are scrambling to offer their works for free, the cost of this 'copyright acquisition' will be almost negligible. And devolving printing rights will save a large sum of money.
It's a win-win proposal that will save the national treasury an enormous amount of francs, and it received support from many committee members at the meeting. Even old Bisson, though frowning, couldn't find a strong reason to oppose it.
After all, it looks too 'republican,' too 'efficient,' too 'considerate of the taxpayers.' Don't you think, my dear François..."
Charles Deblanc spoke as he paced, stopping opposite Young François Belin, the firelight from the fireplace casting his shadow completely over the businessman before him.
(End of Chapter)