Chronique Sociale éditions

What Chronique Sociale éditions does

Chronique Sociale éditions is an independent French publishing house founded in 1920 and headquartered at 1 Rue Vaubecour, Lyon, operating as a Société à Responsabilité Limitée (SARL) with share capital of €149,400 and approximately 16 employees. The company specializes in human sciences, pedagogy, and training, publishing more than 60 new titles per year across a catalog of 1,453+ products organized into six main collections (Comprendre les personnes, Comprendre la société, Pédagogie / Formation, Savoir communiquer, Savoir penser, Cahiers d'exercices), two sub-collections (Jeux pédagogiques, Photolangages), and 23 thematic categories spanning early childhood through end-of-life care.

The business is run direct-to-consumer: a French-language e-commerce site (chroniquesociale.com) is the primary sales channel, supplemented by a physical retail store at the Lyon headquarters and a quarterly newsletter plus social media presence (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube). Unit pricing ranges from approximately €6 to €27 per title; shipping to metropolitan France costs €2.90–€3.90 and international shipping €6.00 plus €2.50 per 0.250kg. There is no proprietary technology platform, no disclosed B2B/wholesale channel, and no app or API surface.

Chronique Sociale receives institutional support under the French Livre Industry Contract 2020-2023 from DRAC Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and holds founding membership in EIRA and a partnership with UOF (Université Ouverte des Sciences de la Formation). It also operates a sub-brand, Chronique Sociale Formation Recherche, extending into training and research services. The company is led by Gérant (Managing Director) André Soutrenon, with no disclosed external investment, parent company, or M&A activity.

Name

Chronique Sociale éditions

Legal name

CHRONIQUE SOCIALE S.A.R.L.

Website

https://chroniquesociale.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chronique Sociale éditions is an independent French publisher founded in 1920 in Lyon, specializing in human sciences, pedagogy, and training. It sells 1,453+ titles across six collections directly to educators, social workers, and individuals via its e-commerce site and physical store.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Monographs & University Press Publishing (MPAJABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Research & Pedagogy Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAH), Social Sciences Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAD), Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE)

Keywords

• Academic book publishing
• Human sciences publishing
• Pedagogy training books
• Social work literature
• Professional development books

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Book and Publication Sales: One-time sales of books, educational materials, and training resources through e-commerce and physical retail. Products include titles across human sciences, pedagogy, psychology, communication, philosophy, and social work themes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Chronique Sociale éditions is a French publishing house founded in 1920 and headquartered in Lyon that produces and distributes books focused on human sciences, pedagogy, and training. The company publishes more than 60 new titles per year and maintains a catalog exceeding 1,453 titles, selling them through both a physical bookstore in Lyon and an online e-commerce site.

Product overview

Chronique Sociale éditions is a book publishing house established in 1920, specializing in human sciences, pedagogy, and training. The company operates through six main collections (Comprendre les personnes, Comprendre la société, Pédagogie / Formation, Savoir communiquer, Savoir penser, Cahiers d'exercices) and 23 thematic categories. The product portfolio includes over 1,453 publications with more than 60 new titles released annually. The collections cover topics ranging from personal development, psychology, and philosophy to educational methodologies, communication skills, and social issues. Sub-collections include Jeux pédagogiques (pedagogical games) and Photolangages (photo-based communication tools). The company also publishes exercise workbooks and maintains a comprehensive catalog across thematic areas including early childhood, adolescence, aging, disability, social work, and professional training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chronique Sociale Formation Recherche: Training and research division of Chronique Sociale

Products and services

• Book catalog (human sciences, pedagogy, and training) Catalog of more than 1,453 published titles covering human sciences, pedagogy, education, social work, and professional training, with more than 60 new titles released annually for individual and professional readers in French-speaking markets.
• Online bookstore (e-commerce site)

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DRAC Auvergne-Rhône-AlpescoreOthersRegional cultural authority providing institutional support and funding within the framework of the Livre Industry Contract 2020-2023.
• Région Auvergne-Rhône-AlpescoreOthersRegional council providing institutional support and funding within the framework of the Livre Industry Contract 2020-2023.
• EIRAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of EIRA organization, indicating strategic partnership in publishing and research activities.
• UOF (Université Ouverte des Sciences de la Formation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university for open formation sciences, collaborating on educational content and academic publishing.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Éditions Agone: Marseille-based independent publisher focused on critical social sciences, education, and history. Smaller and more ideologically specialized than Chronique Sociale but operates in a closely adjacent editorial niche.

Direct peers

• Éditions La Découverte: Paris-based independent publisher specializing in social sciences, economics, and critical pedagogy. Comparable in human sciences editorial focus and academic readership, though broader in political economy scope.
• ESF Sciences Humaines: French independent publisher specializing in human sciences, social sciences, and education with a comparable catalog depth and target audience of educators and social workers. Directly comparable in mission, customer base, and editorial focus to Chronique Sociale.
• Éditions Érès: Toulouse-based independent publisher focused on social work, psychotherapy, education, and human sciences. Shares with Chronique Sociale the same niche of pedagogy and social intervention readers and similar thematic collection structure.
• Éditions Belin: French academic publisher with strong catalogs in human sciences, history of science, and pedagogy. Comparable in academic monograph positioning and library/institutional distribution.

Regional players

• Éditions Mardaga: Belgian French-language publisher specializing in psychology, human sciences, and pedagogy. Comparable in thematic focus and Francophone academic readership but serves a different national market.

Broad incumbents

• Hachette Livre: France's largest publishing group with educational, academic, and trade divisions that compete broadly across all of Chronique Sociale's themes. Represents the dominant scale competitor with unmatched distribution and digital infrastructure.
• Armand Colin: Hachette-owned academic publisher covering education, social sciences, geography, and history. Competes with Chronique Sociale for university textbook and pedagogy adoptions at larger scale.
• Dunod: Hachette-owned publisher of professional, technical, and academic titles including psychology, education, and social sciences. Overlaps with Chronique Sociale in the training and professional development segments.
• Presses Universitaires de France (PUF): Major French academic publisher with deep catalogs across philosophy, psychology, social sciences, and pedagogy. Operates at broader scale than Chronique Sociale but overlaps heavily in academic human sciences monographs for the same readership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/chroniquesociale
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@chroniquesociale
• Facebookfacebook.com/chroniquesociale
• Instagraminstagram.com/chroniquesociale
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chronique-sociale

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 Chronique Sociale éditions