The Éditions du Palmier team, specialized in bookstores and car publishing, will be present, as every year, at the Auto moto retro collections show to be held next weekend in Nîmes.
It is almost thirty-five years since Michel Delannoy, driver, writer and automotive journalist – he was notably editor-in-chief of the review Échappement -, founded this publishing house in Nîmes: “Back then, the auto and motorcycle book market was flourishing, which is much less the case today. There was no Internet, and vintage vehicle enthusiasts relied on books for information, and some works were real references. “
More than 220 published books and nearly 5,000 references for sale on its site
Great friend of Thierry Sabine with whom he participated, among others, in the very first Paris Dakar, Michel Delannoy quickly made the choice to combine bookstore, with new and used books, and edition. “The first book I edited is actually a reissue, it’s Pierre Fisson’s book Les princes du tumulte.”
Three decades later, it has more than 220 published books and nearly 5,000 references for sale on its site. “From 2010, the auto book market began to fall, and since then it has stagnated, confides Michel Delannoy. We still have a clientele for fine books, the price of which is often around 300 €, but for the rest, it’s more complicated. “
A new collection of books at 20 €
To continue to build customer loyalty and be competitive, Michel Delannoy has decided to launch a new collection of books at € 20. “These are small print books that tell the story of a pilot, a manufacturer, a designer…”
A few years ago, the creator of the Oldies cup handed over to Guillaume Hausberg, supported by Marc Torcatis. In addition to a few shows, the new boss goes, about ten times a year with van and stand, to the circuits where prestigious races for vintage vehicles take place.
“We have a loyal clientele, he emphasizes. Today, to survive we need to be both on the racetrack and on the Internet. “ And this even if the residents of the publishing house admit that “subjects tend to run out” and “the golden age of the auto book is well and truly over!”
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