Éditions Bragelonne

What Éditions Bragelonne does

Éditions Bragelonne is a French publishing group founded on April 1, 2000, headquartered in Vanves, France, and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hachette Livre (Lagardère group). The company is the leading independent French-language publisher of speculative fiction ("Imaginaire"), with core activity centered on the acquisition, translation, and publication of fantasy, science-fiction, paranormal, horror, and thriller titles. Bragelonne has expanded from a single imprint into a multi-label group comprising seven imprints: Bragelonne (core speculative fiction), Milady (women's fiction), Castelmore (juvenile), Hauteville (literary/historical), HiComics (Franco-Belgian comics), Mangetsu (manga), and Big Bang/Fibs (Young Adult), plus collections such as Bragelonne SF and the DYS format for dyslexic readers.

The group's catalog comprises over 7,000 published titles, approximately 4,000 active references, and roughly 1,000 authors, including globally significant franchises such as Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, and Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth. Bragelonne became the #1 digital publisher in France in 2014, with nearly 5 million digital books sold cumulatively and approximately 24 million total (physical and digital) books sold. The platform architecture is conventional publishing infrastructure — print runs, e-book distribution through major retail platforms, and a professional B2B portal (Espace Pro) for booksellers and librarians, augmented by foreign-rights sales for translation, film, stage, and audiobook adaptations managed by an in-house Rights Director.

Revenue mechanics follow the traditional publishing model: one-time license/book sales through bookstores, libraries, and digital platforms, supplemented by ancillary streams such as board games (launched 2018) and a subscription box service (La Box Fantasy Bragelonne, launched August 2025). Go-to-market is sales-led, relying on direct relationships with French retailers, active participation in literary festivals (Imaginales, Salon du Livre de Paris, Brussels Book Fair), social media, and an active newsletter program. The customer base is highly distributed — individual French-speaking genre-fiction readers — and the group is currently ranked the 26th largest publisher in France by scale.

Name

Éditions Bragelonne

Legal name

BRAGELONNE

Website

https://groupe.bragelonne.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Éditions Bragelonne is a French publishing group and Hachette Livre subsidiary, founded in 2000, that publishes fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and thriller genre fiction across seven imprints (Bragelonne, Milady, Castelmore, Hauteville, HiComics, Mangetsu, Big Bang), serving French-speaking readers with over 7,000 titles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

E-book Subscription & Bundling Services (MPAJAMAB)

Keywords

• Genre fiction publishing
• Fantasy book publishing
• Manga publishing
• Juvenile fiction publishing
• Digital book distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Vanves

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Book Publishing and Sales: Traditional publishing model selling physical and digital books through bookstores, libraries, and direct channels. Multiple imprints serve different market segments including genre fiction, comics, manga, women's fiction, and young adult.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Éditions Bragelonne is a French publishing group that publishes fantasy, science fiction, horror, thriller, and other genre fiction in print and digital formats through multiple branded imprints (Bragelonne, Milady, Castelmore, Hauteville, HiComics, Mangetsu, Big Bang, Fibs) targeting distinct reader segments. It also licenses foreign rights to its catalog and runs a direct-to-consumer subscription box offering.

Product overview

Éditions Bragelonne is a French publishing group comprising seven distinct imprints: Bragelonne (fantasy, sci-fi, horror, thriller), Milady (women's fiction), Castelmore (juvenile fiction), Hauteville (literary fiction), HiComics (comics), Mangetsu (manga), and Big Bang/Fibs (Young Adult). Founded in 2000, the group publishes over 7,000 titles with approximately 4,000 references in catalog, serving as France's leading independent publisher in genre fiction. The group operates under Hachette Livre and has expanded into board games and other pop culture projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bragelonne: Core imprint for fantasy, sci-fi, paranormal, horror, and thriller genre fiction.
• Milady
• Castelmore
• Hauteville
• HiComics
• Mangetsu
• Big Bang
• Fibs
• DYS

Products and services

• Bragelonne imprint (fantasy and science fiction)
• Milady imprint
• Castelmore imprint
• Hauteville imprint
• HiComics imprint
• Mangetsu imprint
• Big Bang imprint
• Fibs imprint
• DYS Collection
• La Box Fantasy Bragelonne
• Foreign Rights service Service through which Éditions Bragelonne licenses translation and publication rights for its catalog titles to international publishers, coordinated by a dedicated Foreign Rights team and promoted through international book fairs.

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Hachette LivrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBragelonne is a publishing house under the Hachette Livre group, one of the largest publishing conglomerates in France. This provides distribution synergies and corporate backing.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pocket (Univers Poche): French mass-market pocket imprint publishing genre fiction (fantasy, thriller, romance) by international and French authors. A direct competitor for the same translated genre titles in pocket format.
• Hugo Publishing: French independent publisher (Hugo Roman, Hugo Thriller, Hugo New Life) focused on genre fiction including romance, thriller, and speculative fiction. Direct competitor for genre-fiction readers and author contracts.
• Gallimard Jeunesse: Major French children's and YA publisher. Directly competes with Castelmore, Big Bang, and Fibs for juvenile and young-adult readers and translation rights.
• Kazé (Crunchyroll): Major French anime and manga publisher/distributor. Direct competitor for manga readers and licensing rights against Bragelonne's Mangetsu imprint.
• Éditions Le Livre de Poche: Mass-market paperback imprint (Hachette Livre group) publishing the same translated genre authors as Bragelonne in pocket format. An intra-group peer and direct substitute at retail.
• Panini France: French subsidiary publishing comics, manga, and graphic novels. Directly competes with HiComics and Mangetsu imprints for graphic-novel and manga readers in France.
• Folio SF (Gallimard): Science fiction and fantasy pocket collection from Éditions Gallimard. Directly competes in the French speculative fiction category, particularly in pocket/paperback editions of major international franchises.
• Mnémos: Independent French publisher specializing in fantasy, heroic fantasy, and science fiction. Closely comparable niche positioning to Bragelonne's core speculative-fiction imprint, with similar author rosters.
• Kurokawa (Média-Participations): Leading French manga publisher and direct competitor of Mangetsu for Japanese manga licensing rights and shelf space in the fast-growing French manga market.
• Éditions Albin Michel Imaginaire: Specialized French imprint of Albin Michel dedicated to science fiction and fantasy. Directly competes with Bragelonne for the same speculative-fiction readership in the French market and competes for the same translation rights.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/editionsbragelonne

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries9 records

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 Éditions Bragelonne