Des Méditations de Lamartine à Girl Online, ou comment fabriquer un succès littéraire

In this article, the emphasis is deliberately placed on the publisher as one of the key elements in the success of a novel or essay. Using specific examples – Ladvocat, Michel Lévy, Bernard Grasset, or René Julliard – we highlight their contribution to the consecration of an author. However, the latter also plays his part in this score and the example of Renan writing the preface preceding the publication of La Vie de Jésus confirms this collaboration, which has been caricatured in the case of Girl Online.