la manufacture de livres

What la manufacture de livres does

La Manufacture de livres, operated as SL Publications SARL, is an independent French publishing house founded in Paris on July 8, 2008 and headquartered at 101 rue de Sèvres, 75006 Paris. The publisher specializes in crime fiction (roman noir/polar), espionage novels, illustrated documentaries, true crime, literary fiction, photography and erotica titles, biographies, and documentary essays. The catalog spans eight product categories with paper editions priced between €12.99 and €35.00 and digital formats (e-pub, PDF) available through the publisher's own online boutique. The company is a tightly-held private SARL with €10,000 of stated capital, six employees, no external investors, no parent company, and no subsidiaries; Pierre Fourniaud serves as the legal representative and director of publication.

The publisher reaches its audience primarily through an event-driven go-to-market: literary festival appearances (Festival Pol'Art, Le Livre sur la place, Toulouse Polars du Sud, Quai des écrivains, Lectures Festival du Haut-Quercy, Festival de polar de Villeneuve-lès-Avignon), bookstore author events across France, monthly newsletter marketing, and earned media coverage in major French outlets including Libération, Le Monde, Le Figaro, Télérama, France Culture, RTL, and Europe 1. Distribution is multi-channel — direct via the publisher's e-commerce boutique, through independent bookstore networks and public libraries domestically, and via a foreign rights licensing function for international markets.

Technology infrastructure is minimal: a custom-built website hand-coded by an external contractor (Cédric Scandella) and hosted on Scaleway. There is no app, no API, and no AI or ML capabilities disclosed. Revenue is generated exclusively through one-time book sales (physical and digital) and licensing royalties, with no subscription or platform economics. The publisher's primary competitive asset is its roster of award-recognized authors and its consistent presence in the French literary prize ecosystem, with wins and selections spanning the Grand Prix de littérature policière, Prix des Deux Magots, Trophée Folio-ELLE, Grand Prix SGDL de la fiction, and Prix littéraire Europe 1 - GMF, among others.

Name

la manufacture de livres

Legal name

SL Publications

Website

https://lamanufacturedelivres.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

La Manufacture de livres (SL Publications) is a Paris-based independent French publisher founded in 2008, specializing in crime fiction, espionage novels, illustrated documentaries, true crime, and literary fiction, distributed through bookstores, libraries, its online boutique, and foreign rights licensing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent 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

General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)

Keywords

• Independent book publishing
• Crime fiction publishing
• Noir literary fiction
• French-language publishing
• Foreign rights licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Physical book sales: Sale of physical books (paperback) through the publisher's own online boutique and through bookstores/libraries. Multiple price points depending on book type and format.
2. Digital book sales: Sale of e-pub and PDF digital formats through the publisher's online store.
3. Rights and licensing: The publisher manages foreign rights and author rights (Droits & Foreign Rights section on website), indicating licensing of translation rights and other territorial rights.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

La Manufacture de livres is an independent French publisher (operating as SL Publications SARL) that publishes and distributes a curated catalog of French-language literary works, including crime fiction and noir novels, espionage thrillers, illustrated documentaries, true crime non-fiction, literary fiction, photography and erotic literature books, biographies, and documentary essays. Books are released in paperback, e-pub, and PDF formats and sold directly through the publisher's own online boutique, distributed through French independent and chain bookstores, and licensed internationally through foreign rights deals.

Product overview

La Manufacture de Livres is an independent French publisher (SL Publications) offering a diverse catalog of literary works. The publisher specializes in crime fiction (roman noir/polar), espionage novels, illustrated documentaries, true crime, literary fiction, photography/erotic literature books, biographies, and documentary essays. The company operates primarily in the French book market, publishing both established and emerging authors, with a focus on noir fiction, historical documentaries, and socially engaged literature.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Roman noir / Polar Crime fiction and detective novels (noir), including thrillers and mystery genres set in contemporary and historical contexts, published for adult readers interested in French-language noir literature.
• Roman d'espionnage Espionage and spy thriller novels, including works featuring French intelligence services and international intrigue, for readers of political and spy fiction.
• Document illustré Illustrated documentary works covering historical topics, criminal history, urban history, and specialized subjects, typically in larger coffee-table format, for readers interested in French illustrated non-fiction.
• True crime True crime non-fiction works documenting real criminal cases, organized crime history, and forensic investigations, for adult readers interested in real-world crime narratives.
• Roman General literary fiction novels, including social novels and contemporary fiction across various themes, for adult readers of French literary fiction.
• Livre photo / Érotisme Photography books and erotic literature publications, including reprints of rare works and archival collections, for adult readers interested in French erotic and photographic literature.
• Biographie Biographical works and autobiographies documenting the lives of notable figures, particularly those from the criminal underworld, for readers interested in French biographical and true-story literature.
• Document Documentary and essay works addressing social, political, and collective themes, for adult readers interested in French essayistic and engaged non-fiction.
• Boutique en ligne (Direct online book sales) Direct-to-consumer online boutique at https://www.lamanufacturedelivres.com/boutique selling the publisher's titles in paperback, e-pub, and PDF formats, with unit prices typically ranging from €11.99 to €35.00.
• Foreign rights licensing International licensing service via the publisher's dedicated 'Droits & Foreign Rights' section, granting translation rights and territorial rights to foreign publishers for the publisher's catalog of French crime fiction, noir, espionage, literary and documentary works.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ScalewayminorOthersScaleway provides web hosting services for the publisher's website at https://www.lamanufacturedelivres.com/. The website is hosted by Scaleway according to the legal mentions page.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Éditions Philippe Rey: Independent French publisher of literary fiction and noir, including award-winning authors. Closely comparable in scale, editorial positioning around literary quality, and presence on French prize shortlists.
• Éditions Anne Carrière: Independent Parisian publisher of literary fiction, essays, and narrative non-fiction. Comparable as a boutique French independent with a curated editorial identity and similar headcount scale to La Manufacture.
• Éditions du Masque: French imprint dedicated to crime fiction and polar novels, currently part of Hachette Livre. Direct competitor to La Manufacture in the noir/crime genre, targeting the same French-language reader base with similar one-time-purchase unit pricing.
• Rivages Éditions: French publisher with a dedicated 'Rivages/Noir' imprint for crime fiction, known for publishing international noir in translation. Direct competitor in the noir/crime genre with a similar emphasis on quality literary crime fiction.
• La Tengo Édition: French independent publisher of noir and literary fiction, similar in scale to La Manufacture, with an emphasis on genre-bending crime fiction and active presence in literary festivals.
• Éditions Métailié: Independent Parisian publisher specializing in international noir, crime fiction, and Latin American literature in French translation. Closest comparable to La Manufacture in size, editorial focus on quality noir/crime, and foreign rights activity.
• Belfond Éditions: French independent publisher with a strong historical fiction, thriller, and biography list. Comparable independent scale, multi-format offering, and editorial positioning mixing literary fiction with narrative non-fiction.

Broad incumbents

• Fayard Éditions: Established French general-interest publisher with strong lists in current affairs, history, biography, and literary non-fiction. Comparable to the historical/documentary/biography components of La Manufacture's catalog at much larger scale.
• Actes Sud: Major independent French publisher with strong crime/noir and literary fiction lists. Comparable because it operates as an independent house with multi-genre literary depth, though at significantly larger scale.
• Éditions Gallimard: Largest French trade publisher and owner of the Série Noire imprint (founded 1948), the canonical home of French crime/noir publishing. Comparable because it publishes French-language noir and literary fiction at scale, though as part of a much broader catalog.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/librairielesfeuillesbleues
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/la-manufacture-de-livres

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 la manufacture de livres