Humensis
Humensis is a privately held French publishing and education group, operating the Groupe Albin Michel umbrella of 20+ imprints spanning general literature, K-12 and higher education, scientific media, and captive distribution and retail, serving consumers, schools, libraries, and professional readers across France.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1777
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Humensis does
Humensis is a privately held French publishing and education services group, legally organized as Editions Albin Michel (a société anonyme à directoire et conseil de surveillance registered in Paris with share capital of €850,140), headquartered at 22 rue Huyghens in the 14th arrondissement of Paris. The firm operates the Groupe Albin Michel umbrella, which brings together more than 20 wholly owned imprints and operating subsidiaries organized into four segments: general literature (Albin Michel, Jouvence, Leduc, Akata, Editions de l'Observatoire, Editions des Equateurs, Passes Composés, Thierry Souccar Medias, Hardigan); education and training (Belin Education, De Boeck Supérieur, Editions Delagrave, Magnard Vuibert Delagrave, Gerip, La Librairie des Ecoles); scientific and nutrition media (Pour la Science, Cerveau & Psycho, La Nutrition); and diffusion, distribution, and retail (Dilisco for physical wholesale, E-Dantes for digital diffusion, Edulib for educational digital distribution, ADILIBRE, plus a network of owned retail bookstores including Librairie Albin Michel and several affiliated locations).
The company serves three primary customer segments: general readers, students, and educators seeking French-language books across literature, education, and professional development; bookstores and libraries across France; and professionals in psychology, neuroscience, nutrition, and science fields seeking specialized scientific content. Its value proposition rests on offering one-stop access across general literature, academic textbooks, scientific magazines, and educational resources under a consolidated brand portfolio that includes heritage names such as Presses Universitaires de France and the Que Sais-Je collection, which has sold 40 million copies.
The business model is built on conventional publishing economics — acquiring, producing, and distributing books, magazines, and educational materials — augmented by a vertically integrated channel stack. The group earns revenue through book sales to consumers via its own retail and e-commerce stores, wholesale physical distribution through Dilisco to French bookstores, digital distribution through E-Dantes and Edulib to digital and institutional buyers, and subscription or newsstand revenue from its scientific media titles. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. No AI/ML capability, technology platform, or proprietary technical product is described in the available source material; the operation is positioned as a content and distribution business rather than a technology business.
Humensis firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Humensis
- Legal name
- Editions Albin Michel
- Website
- https://humensis.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1777
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Humensis is a privately held French publishing and education group, operating the Groupe Albin Michel umbrella of 20+ imprints spanning general literature, K-12 and higher education, scientific media, and captive distribution and retail, serving consumers, schools, libraries, and professional readers across France.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Humensis industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313), Book Publishers (513130), Periodical Publishers (51312), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Humanities (History, Philosophy, Literature, Languages) (EDAGABAE), Social Sciences (Psychology, Sociology, Political Science) (EDAGABAD), Popular Science, Technology & Nature Trade Publishing (MPAJAAAJ)
Keywords
Where Humensis is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Humensis business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels1 record
Humensis product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Humensis is a French publishing group that produces and sells books, magazines, educational materials, and reference works through multiple imprints spanning general literature, science, well-being, manga/light novels, and K-12/higher education. It operates an integrated distribution network (Dilisco, E-Dantes, Edulib) and own retail bookstores to deliver printed and digital content to consumers, bookstores, libraries, and educational institutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Editions Albin Michel General literature imprint publishing fiction and non-fiction titles for general readers
- Pour la Science Popular science magazine for general readers interested in scientific discoveries and research
- Cerveau et Psycho Magazine covering psychology and neuroscience topics for a general educated audience
- La Nutrition Magazine focused on nutrition science and dietary information for health-conscious readers
- Que Sais-je Reference book series providing concise introductions to a broad range of subjects
- Belin Education Educational imprint producing textbooks and learning resources for schools and higher education
- De Boeck Supérieur Higher education and academic publishing imprint serving universities and students
- Delagrave Educational imprint providing teaching resources and textbooks for the French education market
- Magnard Vuibert Educational imprint offering textbooks and pedagogical materials for primary, secondary, and higher education
- Jouvence Well-being and personal development book imprint for general readers
- Leduc Well-being, health, and personal development book imprint for general readers
- Akata Manga and light novel imprint for youth and adult readers of Japanese-inspired comics and fiction
Quantifiable outcome
- Que Sais-je collection has sold 40 million copies
Companies that use Humensis
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Humensis technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Humensis partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- DiliscocoreDilisco serves as a wholesale distribution partner for Groupe Albin Michel's publishing titles across France, handling physical book distribution to bookstores and retailers.
- E-Dantes (e-dantes.com)coreE-Dantes handles digital diffusion and distribution for Groupe Albin Michel's digital content and publications.
- EdulibcoreEdulib serves as the digital distribution partner specifically for educational content from Groupe Albin Michel's publishing imprints.
- AdilibreminorAdilibre is a distribution partner included in Groupe Albin Michel's diffusion, distribution and points de vente network.
- Librairie Albin MichelcoreOwned retail bookstore operating under the Groupe Albin Michel brand, serving as flagship retail presence for the group's publications.
- Nouvelles ImpressionsminorPart of the Librairie Albin Michel network, serving as retail bookstore location for the group's distribution.
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Humensis competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Wiley: Global academic, scientific, and educational publisher; comparable on STM journal licensing, higher-ed textbooks, and professional reference — similar in mix if not in geography.
- Springer Nature: Global academic and scientific publisher; comparable to Pour la Science and PUF on STM journal and scholarly book publishing, plus educational content.
- Scholastic: Children's book and educational publisher; comparable on education-adjacent and consumer trade verticals via its school-channel distribution model.
- Pearson: Global education and higher-ed publisher; comparable to Humensis's Belin/Vuibert/De Boeck higher-education portfolio in textbook, courseware, and assessment categories.
Direct peers
- Groupe De Boeck Superieur (operated under Humensis/GAM): Is actually a subsidiary — flagged to note HUMENSIS owns De Boeck Supérieur, the French-language arm of Belgium's De Boeck academic publisher. Direct peer signal concentrated in higher-education textbook publishing.
- Hachette Livre (Lagardère Publishing): France's largest trade publisher (Grasset, Fayard, Calmann-Lévy, Stock, etc.) directly comparable across general French literature publishing, education, and distribution.
- Gallimard (Madrigall): Iconic French general literature and humanities publisher (Gallimard, NRF, Gallimard Jeunesse, Denoël) directly comparable to Albin Michel and PUF on French literary and university-press titles.
- Albin Michel is the lead entity; Editis, Madrigall/Gallimard, Hachette are direct French peers. Independent French literary publisher (Le Seuil, Mercure de France, Fayard — note overlap with Hachette) directly comparable on trade literature, humanities, and university publishing.
- Flammarion (Flammarion / Madrigall): Mid-sized French trade and illustrated book publisher directly comparable on general literature, art, and illustrated reference publishing.
- Editis: Major French-language general trade and education publisher (Plon, Pocket, Nathan, Bordas) directly comparable across literature, education, and distribution channels.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Humensis social profiles
Digital presenceHumensis financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Humensis leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Humensis subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries22 records
Humensis funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Humensis M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Humensis
What does Humensis do?
Humensis is a French publishing group that produces and sells books, magazines, educational materials, and reference works through multiple imprints spanning general literature, science, well-being, manga/light novels, and K-12/higher education. It operates an integrated distribution network (Dilisco, E-Dantes, Edulib) and own retail bookstores to deliver printed and digital content to consumers, bookstores, libraries, and educational institutions.
Is Humensis a public or private company?
Humensis is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Humensis founded?
Humensis was founded in 1777. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Humensis based?
Humensis is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
Who are Humensis's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Wiley, Springer Nature, Scholastic and Pearson. Direct peers are Groupe De Boeck Superieur (operated under Humensis/GAM), Hachette Livre (Lagardère Publishing), Gallimard (Madrigall), Albin Michel is the lead entity; Editis, Madrigall/Gallimard, Hachette are direct French peers., Flammarion (Flammarion / Madrigall) and Editis.
Does Humensis have an API?
No public API is recorded for Humensis.
What industry is Humensis in?
Humensis's product category is Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAA, General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction), with a secondary code of EDAGABAE, Humanities (History, Philosophy, Literature, Languages). Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.