Simplissime, an iconic cookbook released in 2015 by Hachette, has made cooking accessible to everyone around the world through its more than three million copies sold in France and 900,000 abroad. Mathilde Barrois, Head of Foreign Rights at Hachette, tells the story of its success. 

BIEF: Mathilde Barrois, no need to go into the details of the well-known concept of the Simplissime titles... Just briefly remind us of the reasons for its great success in France.

 

Mathilde Barrois: These are easy recipes but not banal or simplistic. No recipe has more than six ingredients, all of which can be found easily. These all-new recipes can be understood at a glance, thanks to the photos of the ingredients and the clear instructions. They are all by chef Jean-François Mallet, who was first in his class at the Ferrandi school and has a real gift for combining ingredients!

 

BIEF: The book’s being an instant success in France must have helped international sales...

 

M.B.: Things took off when we presented the printed book at the 2015 Frankfurt Book Fair. We were convinced of the concept and had with us the first French market sales figures, which were exceptional, as well as an article published in ELLE. We started all our meetings by presenting Simplissime. The book was released in France on September 2, 2015 and we concluded deals with six foreign publishers between October and December. Sales in France were excellent and we shared them weekly with foreign publishers. This was also true of the press coverage. When we launched special promotional campaigns, such as subway poster campaigns, we would also hand out photos to consumers. Our first sale was to Portugal, then Spain, Germany, England, China and the Netherlands followed very quickly. From there we were able to sell to smaller territories such as Korea and Sweden. To date, the rights have been sold in 18 different territories for publication in 15 languages.

 

BIEF: Apart from its success in France, what has attracted foreign publishers and food fans to this work?

 

M.B.: The visual and very practical aspect of the book its main appeal. The ingredients are easy to find and there are almost no dishes to do afterwards! The book works well in Western markets close to France, such as Germany and Spain. Sales were less spectacular in other territories such as Asia, due to different eating habits.

 

BIEF: Have you adapted recipes according to the eating habits of different countries?

 

M.B.: We have adapted the first volume for several of our publishers. For example, we removed or replaced recipes that required foie gras or ingredients that were unfamiliar to foreign publishers, such as rabbit and oysters. Now, the author has designed a collection of new recipes for international markets in order to allow for co-printing, so we no longer change the content. 

 

BIEF: Do you know how foreign publishing houses have promoted this book?

 

M.B.: The methods vary. Our German partner who has experienced phenomenal sales, designed their order sheet to include the colors of Simplissime, and did the same with their stand in Frankfurt. Our Chinese publisher organized a large-scale communication campaign around Simplissime at the 2016 Beijing Book Fair. Chefs prepared the recipes on site.

Interview by Katja Petrovic

July 2020