CNRS Editions
CNRS Editions is the Paris-based publishing subsidiary of CNRS (France's national scientific research center), producing French-language scholarly books, peer-reviewed journals, and audiobooks across humanities, sciences, and social sciences for universities, researchers, libraries, and the educated public.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What CNRS Editions does
CNRS Editions is a Paris-based academic publishing house founded in 1986 and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France's largest fundamental research organization. It produces and distributes scholarly books (ouvrages), peer-reviewed journals (revues), and audiobooks in French across disciplines spanning history, philosophy, arts and literature, ecology, biology and health, and social sciences. Its portfolio includes sub-brand collections such as CNRS Alpha, Biblis pocket paperbacks, Documentation Photographique, À l'œil nu, Les Grandes Voix de la Recherche, and an audiobook line co-edited with De Vive Voix, alongside journals including HERMÈS, Gallia, Anatoli, Paléorient, Carnets de science, Histoire de la recherche contemporaine, and Archéologie médiévale.
The business operates a hybrid go-to-market model combining direct-to-consumer e-commerce via www.cnrseditions.fr, wholesale distribution through French and international bookstores, and institutional sales to universities, libraries, and research organizations. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time book and e-book purchases (priced €11-29), recurring journal subscriptions (€49-57 annually), and audiobook sales (from €12.99), supplemented by foreign rights licensing for international translation and distribution. Demand generation relies on earned media (France Inter, France Culture, Le Monde des Livres, The Conversation), newsletter, social channels, and an active author event and academic lecture circuit.
Technology footprint is limited to a standard e-commerce-enabled publishing platform. Headcount is 11-50 employees operating from a single headquarters at 15 rue Malebranche in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, with no disclosed apps, APIs, or AI capabilities. The company is government-owned via its CNRS parent, with no venture capital, private equity, or external institutional investment indicated.
CNRS Editions firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CNRS Editions
- Legal name
- CNRS Editions
- Website
- https://cnrseditions.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CNRS Editions is the Paris-based publishing subsidiary of CNRS (France's national scientific research center), producing French-language scholarly books, peer-reviewed journals, and audiobooks across humanities, sciences, and social sciences for universities, researchers, libraries, and the educated public.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CNRS Editions industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Academic Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130), Periodical Publishers (513120)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE), Life Sciences (Biology, Ecology, Agriculture) Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAC)
Keywords
Where CNRS Editions is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
CNRS Editions business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Book Sales (Physical and Digital): Sale of academic and scientific books across disciplines including history, philosophy, arts, literature, ecology, biology, and social sciences. Books are available in both physical format and digital (e-book) format. Individual titles are priced between approximately €11 and €29.
- Journal/Periodical Subscriptions: Sale of academic journals including Gallia, HERMÈS, Anatoli, Paléorient, Carnets de science, and others. Journals are published annually or periodically with pricing around €49-57 for annual issues.
- Audiobook Sales: Sale of audiobooks through the De Vive Voix collection, with titles like L'impressionnisme priced at €12.99.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Physical and digital books available for individual purchase |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
CNRS Editions product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CNRS Editions is an academic publishing house that issues peer-reviewed scholarly books and journals across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences (History, Philosophy, Arts, Literature, Environment, Biology and Health, Politics). Titles are released in physical, digital e-book, and audiobook formats under branded collections such as CNRS Alpha, Biblis, Documentation Photographique, Les Grandes Voix de la Recherche, and À l'œil nu. Sales are conducted primarily through the publisher's direct-to-consumer e-commerce site at www.cnrseditions.fr and through physical bookstore distribution.
Product overview
CNRS Éditions is the publishing house of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), operating as a comprehensive academic publishing platform. The company produces scholarly books (ouvrages) across disciplines including History, Philosophy, Arts and Literature, Environment, Biology and Health, and Social Sciences; publishes academic journals (revues) such as Hermès, Gallia, Anatoli, Carnets de science, and Paléorient; and manages branded collections including CNRS Alpha (premium scholarly), Biblis (pocket paperbacks), Documentation Photographique (visual essays), Les Grandes Voix de la Recherche (audio), and À l'œil nu (accessible science). The portfolio also includes audiobook offerings and foreign rights services for international distribution.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Biblis: Collection of pocket books available in paperback format
- CNRS Alpha
- Documentation Photographique
- Les Grandes Voix de la Recherche
- À l'œil nu
- HERMÈS
- Gallia
- Anatoli
- Paléorient
- Carnets de science
- Histoire de la recherche contemporaine
- Archéologie médiévale
- De Vive Voix
Products and services
- CNRS Éditions Ouvrages (Academic Books) Academic books and monographs published across History, Philosophy, Arts and Literature, Environment, Biology and Health, and Social Sciences, released in physical print and digital e-book formats and priced between approximately €11 and €29 per title.
- CNRS Éditions Revues (Academic Journals) Peer-reviewed academic journals published periodically, including HERMÈS (cognition, communication, politics), Gallia (prehistory to contemporary history), Anatoli (Adriatic to Caspian studies), Paléorient (Near Eastern archaeology), Carnets de science, Histoire de la recherche contemporaine, and Archéologie médiévale, priced around €49–57 per annual issue.
- De Vive Voix / Les Grandes Voix de la Recherche Audiobook Collection Audiobook line co-edited with De Vive Voix featuring CNRS Gold Medal winners sharing their research journeys in accessible audio formats, with titles such as L'impressionnisme priced at €12.99.
- Foreign Rights Licensing Service International publishing rights service facilitating translation and distribution of CNRS Editions scholarly titles for foreign publishers through the Foreign Rights catalog at cnrseditions.fr/foreign-rights.
Companies that use CNRS Editions
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CNRS Editions technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
CNRS Editions partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- De Vive VoixcoreCo-edition partnership with De Vive Voix for the 'Les Grandes Voix de la Recherche' collection, which features books by CNRS Gold Medal winners in accessible audio formats. This partnership enables the production and distribution of audiobooks alongside traditional book formats.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CNRS Editions competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Presses Universitaires de France (PUF): PUF is one of France's leading academic and scholarly publishers, producing monographs, journals, and reference works across philosophy, social sciences, humanities, and sciences. It directly competes with CNRS Editions in the French academic book and journal market, serving similar institutional and scholarly audiences.
- Éditions Belin: Belin is a major French academic publisher with strong lists in history, social sciences, humanities, and life sciences, including the influential Belin Éducation imprint. It competes head-to-head with CNRS Editions for French-language scholarly authors and institutional library budgets.
- Éditions de la Maison des Sciences de l'Homme: MSH Editions is the publishing arm of the French network of Maisons des Sciences de l'Homme and focuses on social sciences and humanities scholarly monographs. It is a direct French public-sector peer with similar institutional backing and mission.
- Presses de Sciences Po: Presses de Sciences Po is the academic publisher of Sciences Po, publishing scholarly books and journals in political science, sociology, international relations, and history. It is a direct French public-institutional peer of CNRS Editions in social sciences and humanities publishing.
Broad incumbents
- Springer Nature: Springer Nature is one of the world's largest academic publishers, with extensive monograph and journal portfolios across STM and HSS. It competes with CNRS Editions globally — particularly for English-language translations of French scholarly work and through acquisitions of French academic imprints.
- Le Seuil: Le Seuil is a major French trade and academic publisher with significant lists in humanities and social sciences (especially under the 'Points' and 'La Librairie du XXIe siècle' imprints). It overlaps with CNRS Editions on French-language intellectual nonfiction and academic essay publishing.
- Oxford University Press: Oxford University Press publishes across virtually every academic discipline via Oxford Academic, with deep journal and monograph lists. It is a global benchmark for academic publishing that CNRS Editions implicitly competes against for institutional subscriptions and prestige authors.
- Flammarion: Flammarion operates significant academic and trade publishing in France through its Sciences, Histoire, and Domaine universitaire imprints. It competes with CNRS Editions for French-language scholarly readers across humanities and sciences.
- Cambridge University Press: Cambridge University Press is a global academic publisher with strong humanities, social science, and STM lists. It overlaps with CNRS Editions in scholarly journals and monographs across multiple disciplines and competes for the same institutional library market.
- Gallimard: Through its Bibliothèque des Sciences humaines and NRF imprints, Gallimard publishes scholarly monographs in philosophy, history, sociology, and literature. While primarily a trade publisher, its academic and essay lists overlap materially with CNRS Editions' humanities offerings.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CNRS Editions social profiles
Digital presenceCNRS Editions financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CNRS Editions leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
CNRS Editions funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CNRS Editions 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 CNRS Editions
What does CNRS Editions do?
CNRS Editions is an academic publishing house that issues peer-reviewed scholarly books and journals across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences (History, Philosophy, Arts, Literature, Environment, Biology and Health, Politics). Titles are released in physical, digital e-book, and audiobook formats under branded collections such as CNRS Alpha, Biblis, Documentation Photographique, Les Grandes Voix de la Recherche, and À l'œil nu. Sales are conducted primarily through the publisher's direct-to-consumer e-commerce site at www.cnrseditions.fr and through physical bookstore distribution.
Is CNRS Editions a public or private company?
CNRS Editions is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was CNRS Editions founded?
CNRS Editions was founded in 1986. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CNRS Editions based?
CNRS Editions is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does CNRS Editions make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Book Sales (Physical and Digital) is the primary driver. The others are journal/Periodical Subscriptions and audiobook Sales.
Who are CNRS Editions's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Presses Universitaires de France (PUF), Éditions Belin, Éditions de la Maison des Sciences de l'Homme and Presses de Sciences Po. Broad incumbents are Springer Nature, Le Seuil, Oxford University Press, Flammarion, Cambridge University Press and Gallimard.
Does CNRS Editions have an API?
No public API is recorded for CNRS Editions.
What industry is CNRS Editions in?
CNRS Editions's product category is Academic Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJABAC, Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed), with a secondary code of EDAGAFAE, Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing. Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.