This more commercial direction helps them to better serve the needs of their customers and helps them keep track of how many and what types of books have been sold. Additionally, one bookstore negotiated longer payment terms on certain orders, which allows it to stock titles that don't sell as quickly. And several publishers formed an association that provides long-term loans and advice for bookstores facing hard times. At Pavillons, a handwritten sticker is attached to indicate their recommendation. The industry has been helped in other ways as well.
All parties congratulate themselves on the benefits of French specificity.
The only real publishers are the independents. The multimedia also lean on this fragile ground like a threat. Nobody really believes so, but many wonder about the status of the book in the coming years. Publishers are attempting to adapt to the multimedia incursions. For instance, the Library of France and the national publishing union signed a milestone agreement in March 1997 on the question of rights to be paid on texts reproduced on the Internet, which represent enough material to fill several libraries.