Mémoire d'encrier

What Mémoire d'encrier does

Mémoire d'encrier is an independent French-language book publishing house founded in 2003 by writer Rodney Saint-Éloi and headquartered at 1260 rue Bélanger in Montréal, Québec. The publisher operates with approximately 11 employees and curates a catalog of roughly fifty titles organized across five named collections — Roman/Récit (novels/stories), Essai (essays), Poésie (poetry), Cadastres (identity and belonging), and Legba (affordable pocket-format editions). The editorial line is built around a decolonial perspective and the amplification of underrepresented voices, with particular emphasis on Indigenous (notably Innu), African, Caribbean, Arab, and Quebec Francophone authors, and on bilingual or translated works.

The business generates revenue primarily through one-time purchases of physical books (priced $10–$40 CAD depending on format and collection) and digital editions in EPUB/PDF (priced $10.99–$21.99). Distribution operates through three channels: direct-to-consumer sales via the publisher's own e-commerce website, placement in Quebec and Canadian bookstore networks (including Renaud-Bray and independents), and institutional/library sales to Cégeps, universities, and civic reading programs such as Ville de Québec's 'Une ville, un livre'. The publisher's go-to-market is community- and event-driven: book launches, author appearances at literary festivals (Salon du livre de Montréal), radio and television interviews on Radio-Canada and TV5MONDE, and active earned media coverage in La Presse, Le Devoir, and L'Actualité.

The firm is privately held and founder-led, with no disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or institutional shareholders. Operations are partially subsidized by recurring support from the Canada Council for the Arts, SODEC, and the Government of Canada. The author roster includes Joséphine Bacon, Naomi Fontaine, Yara El-Ghadban, Joshua Whitehead, Bochra Manaï, and Laure Morali, among others, with several authors' works translated into approximately ten or more languages internationally. The publisher has accumulated a substantial awards portfolio, including the Prix Molson (2023, to Joséphine Bacon), the Prix Fleury-Mesplet (2025, to Rodney Saint-Éloi), the Prix Charles-Biddle (2012), the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de la République française (2021), and multiple shortlistings for the Governor General's Literary Award and the Lambda Literary Award.

Name

Mémoire d'encrier

Legal name

Mémoire d'Encrier

Website

https://memoiredencrier.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mémoire d'encrier is an independent, founder-led French-language book publisher founded in 2003 in Montréal, Quebec, with ~11 employees, curating a decolonial catalog of roughly fifty titles across Indigenous, African, Caribbean, Arab, and Quebec voices, sold via e-commerce, bookstores, and institutional channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Literary & Classics Publishing (MPAJAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Biography, Memoir & Narrative Nonfiction Publishing (MPAJAAAI)

Keywords

• Independent book publishing
• Francophone literary fiction
• Decolonial literature
• Poetry collections
• Indigenous literature

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Book sales (physical and digital): Mémoire d'encrier generates revenue primarily through the sale of physical books (paperback/hardcover) and digital formats (EPUB, PDF) directly through its e-commerce website and via distribution to bookstores. The catalog spans multiple genres and is published in French, with some bilingual titles (French/Innu-aimun, French/English). The Legba collection includes both original French titles and translated works (English originals translated to French).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Mémoire d'encrier is an independent book publishing house founded in 2003 in Montréal that publishes literary works by authors from diverse Francophone, Indigenous, African, Caribbean, and Arab backgrounds through five main collections: Roman/Récit (novels/stories), Essai (essays), Poésie (poetry), Cadastres (identity and belonging works), and Legba (pocket format editions). Titles are released in physical (paperback) and digital (EPUB, PDF) formats and distributed through the publisher's own e-commerce site and a network of Quebec and Canadian bookstores, with some bilingual editions (French/Innu-aimun, French/English).

Product overview

Mémoire d'encrier is an independent publishing house founded in 2003 by Rodney Saint-Éloi, specializing in literature from diverse voices across continents with a decolonial perspective. The company offers books organized into five main collections: Roman/Récit (novels and stories), Essai (essays), Poésie (poetry), Cadastres (identity and belonging works), and Legba (pocket book editions). The catalog features works by Indigenous, African, Caribbean, Arab, and Quebec authors, with many titles available in both print and digital formats (EPUB and PDF). Notable authors include Joséphine Bacon, Rodney Saint-Éloi, Naomi Fontaine, Yara El-Ghadban, Joshua Whitehead, and international translated works.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Roman/Récit collection Curated line of novels and short stories published under the Roman/Récit collection, featuring authors from diverse Francophone, Indigenous, African, Caribbean, and Arab backgrounds. The collection hosts both original French titles and translated works from English and other languages.

Quantifiable outcome

• Authors' works translated into approximately 10+ languages internationally
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

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 and significant.

• Conseil des arts du Canada (Canada Council for the Arts)coreOthersThe Canada Council for the Arts is a major government arts funder that provides operational and project support to Canadian publishers. Mémoire d'encrier displays the Canada Council logo on its website footer, indicating ongoing funding support.
• SODEC (Société de développement des entreprises culturelles du Québec)coreOthersSODEC is the Quebec government agency supporting the development of cultural enterprises in Québec. Mémoire d'encrier displays the SODEC logo, indicating the publisher receives support from this provincial cultural agency.
• Gouvernement du CanadacoreOthersThe Government of Canada logo appears in the publisher's website footer, indicating federal government support for the publisher's operations.
• Institut TshakapeshsignificantStrategic or Co-development PartnerMémoire d'encrier collaborates with Institut Tshakapesh on projects related to Innu language and literature, including Nin Auass. Moi l'enfant which was co-developed with the institute. Institut Tshakapesh supports Innu language and culture preservation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Éditions du Noroît: Long-established Quebec poetry and essay publisher. Highly comparable in niche (French-language poetry), catalog size, and institutional funding model.
• Éditions du Remue-ménage: Quebec independent feminist and socially engaged publisher. Comparable as a small, mission-driven French-language house with strong institutional and library distribution.
• Éditions XYZ: Quebec independent publisher with a literary catalog. Comparable as a similarly sized Quebec house competing for French-language literary readers.
• Leméac Éditeur: Montreal-based independent French-language trade publisher of literary fiction, essays, and drama. Comparable to Mémoire d'encrier as a similarly sized Quebec literary house competing for the same author pool and bookstore distribution.
• Triptyque: Montreal-based independent publisher of literary fiction and essays. Comparable as a small Quebec literary house with a similar institutional-grant funding profile.
• VLB éditeur: Quebec independent publisher of literary fiction, essays, and poetry. Comparable as a similarly structured small Quebec literary house competing for French-language authors and readers.
• Prise de parole: Ontario-based French-language literary publisher. Comparable as a small, mission-driven French-language literary house with strong institutional adoption and cultural-programming partnerships.
• Éditions de l'Hexagone: Quebec poetry publisher with deep literary lineage (Gaston Miron). Comparable as a French-language literary house with strong cultural-institution ties and a poetry-heavy catalog.

Broad incumbents

• Groupe HMH: One of Quebec's largest French-language publishing groups. Competes broadly in the same retail and institutional channels but at significantly greater scale and with a more diversified catalog across trade and reference titles.
• Éditions du Boréal: One of Quebec's largest and most established French-language literary publishers. Competes for the same authors and shelf space but operates at materially greater scale and with a broader catalog.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/memoiredencrier
• Instagraminstagram.com/editionsmemoiredencrier
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/m%C3%A9moire-d-encrier

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 Mémoire d'encrier