Presses universitaires Paris Nanterre

What Presses universitaires Paris Nanterre does

Presses universitaires de Paris Nanterre is a French university press operating as a public institution under Université Paris Nanterre, headquartered in Nanterre, Hauts-de-Seine. Founded in 2004, the press employs approximately 6 staff and publishes peer-reviewed academic books and journals across the humanities and social sciences. Its catalogue spans over 80 themed collections covering philosophy, literature, history, law, sociology, arts, anthropology, linguistics, geography, and digital humanities, organized across 441 disciplines and 394 thematic categories. Additional offerings include art books (Beaux livres), agrégation-preparation textbooks (Manuels), and the Prix de thèse series of award-winning doctoral theses. Academic journals — including Biens symboliques / Symbolic Goods, Écritures, Linx, Littérales, Narrativa, and opus — are published in partnership with research units and accessible through the OpenEdition Journals platform.

The press operates a direct-to-consumer sales channel via a WordPress-based e-commerce storefront (presses-universitaires.parisnanterre.fr) using the Kadence WP theme. Digital distribution of e-books is handled globally through the OpenEdition Books platform (books.openedition.org/pupo), while journals are distributed through OpenEdition Journals, giving the press institutional reach to academic libraries worldwide. Physical book orders are currently limited to metropolitan France following the termination of the 'Livres et Brochures' postal tariff. The business model combines one-time revenue from print and e-book sales with recurring revenue from institutional journal subscriptions and library acquisitions. Customer segments are academic researchers, university students, university libraries, and a secondary cohort of educated general readers; the press also markets through a monthly email newsletter and an active presence across seven social platforms including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, X, and YouTube.

Name

Presses universitaires Paris Nanterre

Legal name

Presses universitaires de Paris Nanterre

Website

https://presses.parisnanterre.fr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Presses universitaires de Paris Nanterre is the university press of Université Paris Nanterre, publishing peer-reviewed books and journals across humanities and social sciences, with physical sales limited to metropolitan France and digital distribution via OpenEdition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313), Periodical Publishers (51312), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAJABAJ

Research Monographs & University Press Publishing

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Educational & Academic Publishing (Textbooks, Scholarly, STM)

SECONDARYEDAGAFAD

Social Sciences Scholarly Publishing

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Academic & Scholarly Publishing (Journals, Monographs)

SECONDARYMPAJABAC

Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Educational & Academic Publishing (Textbooks, Scholarly, STM)

SECONDARYEDAGAFAJ

Open Access Scholarly Journals & Monographs

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Academic & Scholarly Publishing (Journals, Monographs)

Keywords

• Academic book publishing
• Humanities scholarship
• Social sciences research
• University press
• Scholarly journals

Headquarters

HQ city

Nanterre

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Direct sales of printed and electronic academic books to customers through the press's e-commerce website, with orders shipped domestically. The press publishes academic works across humanities and social sciences disciplines through its various collections.
2. Journal Subscriptions/Access: Electronic journal access through OpenEdition Journals platform, providing subscription-based access to academic journals in humanities and social sciences published by the press.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Presses universitaires Paris Nanterre is a university press that publishes, markets, and distributes peer-reviewed academic books and journals in humanities and social sciences. The press sells physical books directly through its own e-commerce storefront and distributes electronic versions globally through the OpenEdition Books and OpenEdition Journals platforms, organized across more than 80 themed collections spanning philosophy, literature, history, sociology, law, arts, and digital humanities.

Product overview

Presses universitaires de Paris Nanterre is a university press publishing academic books and journals in humanities and social sciences. The offering consists of a physical and digital catalogue organized into over 80 themed collections, electronic books distributed via OpenEdition Books, and academic journals accessible through OpenEdition Journals. The core products include the Boutique (online bookstore), Collections (book series across disciplines), Revues (academic journals), and electronic formats. Additional offerings include Beaux livres (art books), Manuels (textbooks), and the Prix de thèse publication series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Catalogue / Boutique

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• OpenEditioncoreTechnology or IntegrationOpenEdition serves as the primary technology platform for distributing electronic books and journals published by Presses universitaires de Paris Nanterre. The partnership provides digital publishing infrastructure through books.openedition.org/pupo/ for electronic books and OpenEdition Journals for academic journals in humanities and social sciences.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Éditions de la Maison des Sciences de l'Homme: French academic publisher focused on humanities and social sciences research, often associated with major public research institutions; comparable in scholarly mandate and French-language monograph output.
• Éditions EHESS: Publishing arm of the École des hautes études en sciences sociales, producing peer-reviewed academic books and journals in social sciences and humanities; directly comparable as a French public research institution publisher.
• Presses Universitaires de France (PUF): One of the most prominent French university presses, publishing peer-reviewed academic books and journals across humanities and social sciences; the closest direct analogue to Presses universitaires Paris Nanterre in terms of mandate, audience, and product mix.
• Classiques Garnier: French academic publisher specializing in humanities and literary studies, including literature, history, philosophy, and linguistics; highly comparable in subject focus and French scholarly audience.
• Éditions du CNRS: Publishing arm of the French National Centre for Scientific Research, producing peer-reviewed academic books and journals in humanities and social sciences alongside sciences; comparable as a French public-sector academic publisher.
• Éditions de la Sorbonne: University press of Sorbonne University publishing academic works in humanities and social sciences; comparable as a French public university press serving scholarly audiences with monographs and journals.
• Presses universitaires de Rennes: University press of Rennes 2 University publishing humanities and social sciences scholarship; directly comparable as a French public university press with similar collections and target audience.

Others

• OpenEdition: Infrastructure partner and digital publishing platform for French academic open-access books and journals; comparable as the ecosystem/distribution channel through which the press reaches global digital readers rather than as a competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Peter Lang: International academic publisher with strong humanities and social sciences monograph lists, including significant French-language scholarly output; comparable as a competitor for academic authors and library acquisitions.
• Brill: Major international academic publisher with deep humanities and social sciences lists, including peer-reviewed journals and monographs; comparable in scholarly content type though operating at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PressParisOuest
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@PressesUNanterre
• Facebookfacebook.com/pressesparisnanterre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/presses-universitaires-paris-nanterre
• Instagraminstagram.com/presses_de_paris_nanterre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Presses universitaires Paris Nanterre