What QA International does

QA International (QAI) is a Montreal-based publisher and content producer, founded in 1989 as a division of Groupe Québec Amérique, specializing in visually illustrated reference works for the international market. Its core catalog spans four print categories (Visual Dictionaries in Complete, Abridged, Practical, and Essentials editions; Food Encyclopedias; Health Encyclopedias; and Children's Reference), all built on a proprietary in-house library of 15,000+ hyperrealistic illustrations developed by terminology experts and illustrators. Products are published in up to 40+ languages, with cumulative sales of 12M+ copies of the flagship Visual Dictionary series since its original launch.

The company has extended its content into digital formats through The Visual (a web-based multilingual visual dictionary with 23,000 terms and 5-language support), Virtual Human Body (an interactive anatomical atlas targeted at schools and corporations), and a co-branded Merriam-Webster Visual+ iPad app. It also monetizes the underlying content asset through licensing of complete titles or fragmented content to publishers, an image bank with 15,000+ illustrations, and custom publishing services covering needs analysis, web and mobile app development, custom illustration, book/e-book design, and podcast production. Distribution combines direct sales from headquarters, regional distribution partners (notably Les Éditions Ganndal for Africa), app store listings, and presence at major international book fairs (Bologna, Frankfurt, London).

Revenue mechanics are diversified across one-time print sales (price points $6.99–$49.95), recurring digital platform subscriptions (Visual, Virtual Human Body), content licensing royalties, and professional services for custom publishing. The target customer base is horizontally segmented across general consumers and families, schools and educators, corporations and institutions, children aged 0–12, and travelers/language learners. QA International remains privately held with no disclosed external funding or revenue figures, operating with a small team (11–50 employees) as a division of its larger French-language publishing parent.

Name

QA International

Legal name

Les Éditions Québec Amérique inc.

Website

https://qa-international.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

QA International is a Montreal-based publisher (division of Groupe Québec Amérique) that creates visually illustrated multilingual reference works — dictionaries, encyclopedias, and children's titles — across print, web, and mobile, serving consumers, schools, and publishers in 40+ languages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Print Publications Sales: Sale of physical books including Visual Dictionaries (Complete, Abridged, Practical, Essentials formats), Food Encyclopedias, Health Encyclopedias, and Children's Reference titles. Products available in multiple languages and formats at various price points.
2. Digital Products and Apps: Revenue from online platform subscriptions (The Visual, Virtual Human Body) and mobile applications (The Visual + app for iPad). Products available for schools, corporations, and integration into content platforms.
3. Content Licensing: Licensing of complete titles or fragmented content to publishers. Custom publishing services including adapting products for specific markets. Image bank licensing of more than 15,000 illustrations for third-party use.
4. Custom Publishing Services: Services including needs analysis, website and mobile application development, custom illustrations, book and e-book design, podcast production, and poster/flyer design for marketing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

QA International designs, produces, and licenses visually innovative reference content delivered through print publications (visual dictionaries, food and health encyclopedias, children's reference titles), digital platforms (The Visual online platform and Virtual Human Body atlas), and mobile applications (Merriam-Webster The Visual+). The company creates all of its hyperrealistic illustrations and editorial content in-house and distributes products globally in more than 40 languages through direct sales, app stores, distribution partners, and licensing to publishers.

Product overview

QA International is a Canadian publishing house specializing in visually innovative reference works across print, online, and mobile platforms. The product portfolio spans four main print categories: Visual Dictionaries (Complete, Abridged, Practical, and Essentials editions with multilingual support), Food Encyclopedias, Health Encyclopedias, and Children's Reference materials. Digital offerings include The Visual online platform, Virtual Human Body interactive atlas, and the Merriam-Webster The Visual+ mobile app for iPad. With over 12 million copies sold worldwide in 40+ languages, the company also offers content licensing and custom publishing services for publishers seeking illustrated reference content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Visual Dictionary 4th Edition (Complete) The flagship comprehensive visual dictionary featuring 40,000 terms, 8,000+ illustrations across 18 themes, available in multilingual versions up to 6 languages, designed for general public, libraries, and families.
• The Visual Dictionary Compact Edition (Abridged) Abridged version containing 54% of complete edition content, with 22,000 words and 5,000 illustrations, available in formats up to 5 languages, targeting teachers and young professionals.
• The Visual – Traveller's Companion (Practical) Compact travel-focused visual companion with 15,000+ vocabulary entries and key phrases for travellers, available in 2-3 language versions up to 384 pages.
• The Visual Essentials Portable pocket-sized dictionary with 3,800 terms across 12 chapters covering everyday vocabulary for travellers, immigrants, and students.
• The Visual Food Encyclopedia Comprehensive food reference covering over 1,000 food products with 12,000+ photos and recipes, spanning vegetables, seafood, meat, dairy, and seasonings from numerous cultures.
• Mini Food Lover's Guide Portable pocket-sized guide to fruits and vegetables with tips on buying, preparing, cooking and preserving, nutritional values, and simple recipes.
• Family Guide to Health Comprehensive family health reference combining atlas of human body, encyclopedia of 400+ illnesses, guide to healthy living, and first aid manual with 1,000+ images.
• Understanding the Human Body Comprehensive guide to human biology with 31,000 terms and 7 systems coverage, presenting anatomical components and their functions through updated visual content.
• The Visual Dictionary of the Human Body Visual reference with 350+ high-resolution images exploring the human body from head to toe, covering cells, skeleton, muscles, nervous system, and all major organ systems.
• The Junior Visual Dictionary Bilingual visual dictionary for children ages 9+ with 10,000+ entries, 2,000+ images covering school, home, transport, sports, and technology topics.
• My First Visual Dictionary Visual dictionary for toddlers with 1,300-1,700 terms per language in unilingual, bilingual, and trilingual editions covering body, home, animals, transportation, and more.
• Clever Baby Board book series for babies and toddlers ages 0-3 featuring hyperrealistic illustrations of animals, colors, routines, and food with playful characters and activity pages.
• My First Bilingual Words Board book for babies with approximately 500 words in two languages covering alphabet, animals, body, food, and everyday objects, featuring realistic illustrations and search-and-find activities.
• Young Adventurers Children's series (ages 4-8) exploring space, ocean, weather, and Earth's secrets through full-page illustrations with friendly robot guide characters.
• Möbius Non-fiction children's series about environmental education covering waste, water, forests, soil, and air, featuring recycling symbol and positive solutions for ages 7+.
• Around the World 5-volume children's series exploring world cultures through sports, religions, music, food, and cities with activities and glossary for ages 8+.
• Pen Pal 2-volume series helping children develop writing skills, overcome writer's block, and develop creativity through structured methods and imaginative exercises.
• Incredible Body 4-volume children's series exploring human body systems including digestion, brain, genes, and heart with humor and scientific accuracy for ages 7-12.
• Cyrus Encyclopedia 12-volume illustrated encyclopedia answering children's scientific questions about the world covering earth, space, animals, plants, and human body with 340,000+ copies sold.
• Virtual Human Body (Online) Interactive anatomical atlas with 11 body systems in 55 views, 1,000+ anatomical terms, 350+ images, and 7-language terminology available for schools and corporations.
• The Visual (Online) Web-based visual dictionary with 7,500+ hyperrealistic illustrations, 23,000 terms, exercise mode, multilingual display, and pronunciation features available in 5 languages.
• Merriam-Webster The Visual+ (Mobile) iPad app combining visual dictionary with multilingual terminology featuring 900 subjects, 8,000 HD images, and 25,000 words in 5 languages (English, French, Spanish, German, Italian) with offline access.
• Custom Publishing Services Custom publishing services including original product creation, content adaptation, image bank licensing (20,000+ illustrations), website and mobile app development, and book/e-book design.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12,000,000+ copies sold worldwide
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, regional and minor.

• Merriam-WebstercoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership where Merriam-Webster branding is used for The Visual + multilingual dictionary app. The app combines QA International's visual dictionary content with Merriam-Webster's terminology expertise. Available for iPad with 25,000 words in 5 languages.
• Les Éditions GanndalregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for Africa, handling the distribution of QA International's print and multimedia publications in the African market. Located in Conakry, Guinea.
• Bologna Children's Book FairminorGTM or Marketing PartnerQA International participates in the Bologna Children's Book Fair (April 13-16, 2026) as an exhibitor to connect with international publishing partners and customers.
• Frankfurt Book FairminorGTM or Marketing PartnerQA International participates in the Frankfurt Book Fair (October 7-11, 2026) as an exhibitor to connect with international publishing partners.
• London Book FairminorGTM or Marketing PartnerQA International participates in the London Book Fair (March 16-18, 2027) as an exhibitor to connect with international publishing partners.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Usborne Publishing: UK-based independent children's reference publisher producing illustrated dictionaries, encyclopedias, and educational titles. Direct peer in children's visual reference category.
• DK (Dorling Kindersley): Penguin Random House's illustrated reference imprint, best known for visually-led encyclopedias, dictionaries, and children's reference titles. Closest direct analogue to QA International's hyperrealistic illustrated reference approach.
• National Geographic Kids: Children's reference imprint producing visually rich educational books and digital content on geography, science, and culture. Comparable in delivering visual learning to school-age children.
• Encyclopaedia Britannica: Reference publisher producing encyclopedias and educational content, with growing digital platform presence. Comparable as a general reference publisher transitioning from print to digital.
• Larousse: French reference publisher specializing in illustrated dictionaries, encyclopedias, and children's reference, with strong multilingual editions. Comparable in visual reference and especially relevant given QA International's Quebec/French-language parent.
• Merriam-Webster: America's leading dictionary/reference brand and a current licensing partner of QA International. Comparable in dictionary/reference publishing, with similar multilingual and educational ambitions.
• Collins (HarperCollins): Dictionary and reference publisher with bilingual editions and strong educational presence. Direct competitor in multilingual dictionary and reference publishing.

Emerging players

• Lonely Planet: Visual travel reference publisher with multilingual phrasebooks and illustrated travel guides. Partial overlap with QA International's Traveller's Companion visual dictionary line in the travel reference niche.

Broad incumbents

• Oxford University Press: Major academic and reference publisher producing Oxford Dictionaries and a wide range of illustrated reference works. Overlaps with QA International's dictionary and reference business as a much larger incumbent.
• Scholastic: Large educational and children's book publisher with strong school-channel presence. Comparable to QA International's school-targeted and children's reference categories, but at much greater scale and broader scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/QAInternational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qainternational

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about QA International