'Diary of a Prisoner': Why is Nicolas Sarkozy's prison memoir already a big hit?

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy's new memoir of his time behing bars, "Diary of a Prisoner," was only published on Wednesday and is already number one in pre-order sales on Amazon.

In Paris' upscale 16th arrondissement, hundreds of Sarkozy’s supporters queued for hours outside the Lamartine bookshop for a launch event so contentious it triggered a Femen protest and the shutdown of an entire street.

Behind this immediate success lies a carefully orchestrated communications strategy from the former president.

The goal with this memoir is to control the narrative and take advantage of a situation unprecedented in modern French history; that of a president who served 20 days in prison.

Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in prison in Septemberforaccepting illegal campaign financing from the regime of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi to secure his 2007 election victory.

The sentencing also includes a ban from holding office. Sarkozy is contesting the charges and the appeal trial is scheduled for next March.

For Arnaud Benedetti, editor-in-chief of the "Political and Parliamentary Review," the book is much more than just a narrative of Sarkozy's stint in prison.

"It's a hybrid work as it sends out a number of political messages. Whatever his convictions, his words continue to carry weight in public debate," he told Euronews.

According to Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet, professor of political communication at Sciences Po Paris, the objective was clear: immediately regain the upper hand in shaping public opinion.

"They had to release this book at record speed because the idea was to frame the debate as quickly as possible to prevent others from building their own narrative," he explained to Euronews.

This required total control of his image: rallying support before entering prison, deploying symbolic gestures such as bringing a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo to his cell and launching an aggressive communications campaign the moment he was released.

In the French book market, works written by politicians usually sell poorly but Sarkozy's is the exception.

"Sarkozy is a politician who never leaves anyone indifferent. Despite his detractors, he retains a loyal following that appreciates his personality. His character, his story, and his direct way of speaking make him someone who can succeed in publishing," explains Benedetti.

But the extraordinary interest in this book also stems from the unprecedented situation: never before has a French president, or a president of the European Union, described what it is like to be incarcerated.

Readers, Moreau-Chevrolet notes, are responding to a form of curiosity: "There is a kind of voyeurism, a desire to peek through the keyhole and see what life is like for a leader in prison."

Benedetti also highlights the commercial strength of such a book: "All the ingredients for a publishing success are here […] the situation is so unusual that it inevitably sparks curiosity, even interest. From a marketing point of view, the product is exceptionally effective."

For Moreau-Chevrolet, however, Sarkozy's top priority remains judicial.

"His number one goal is to win the media battle surrounding the trial," he said.

While he describes the strategy as "very aggressive," its actual impact remains uncertain: "Is it effective? Time will tell."

And as Benedetti points out, "A publishing success does not guarantee a political one."