Publishing disruptor Vincent Safrat is not only selling books like they're bread rolls – and at the same price as a baguette – but he's also doing so on a massive scale. In 2016 alone, Safrat sold around 2.5 million copies in France.

So what's his secret? The key lies in the price: he is able to sell each book for 80 cents, which drastically undercuts the seven euros you would pay on average for a children's book. By taking on the distribution himself – which represents around 60 percent of a book's cost – and in printing the paperbacks for only 30 cents each, Safrat has been able to achieve this innovative model.

"I believe that reading can replace studying. Hence my idea of bringing reading to those who don't read," explains the self-taught entrepreneur who grew up in the suburbs of Paris.

In 1992, Vincent Safrat began visiting various publishing houses on a daily basis to rescue any unsold works and redistribute them for free to homes in low-income suburbs. He then started to print books at a low price and distribute them to schools, which either buy the books for their students or organise book sales for the parents. All this has been achieved without Safrat ever asking for a subsidy from the public authorities.

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