Presses de L'Université Laval

What Presses de L'Université Laval does

Presses de l'Université Laval (PUL) is a non-profit French-language academic publisher founded in 1950 and wholly owned by Université Laval in Quebec City, Canada. Operating with 18 staff, PUL publishes scholarly works across 40+ university disciplines — primarily law, political science, sociology, philosophy, and literature — organized into 80+ themed collections (e.g., Ius publicum, Études constitutionnelles et fédérales, Prisme). Its catalog exceeds 3,000 active titles.

The press delivers content in three formats: physical paperbacks produced via print-on-demand (IAD) technology that minimizes inventory requirements, plus digital editions in PDF and ePub, sold either unwatermarked, watermarked (with purchaser-identifying metadata), or protected by Adobe DRM depending on title. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through pulaval.com, supplemented by partnered bookstores and select open-access free PDF downloads arranged via Bibliothèque de l'Université Laval. Complementary channels include the 'Les PUL à l'antenne' podcast series distributed on Spotify, email newsletter, and active social media profiles (Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, X). Editorial partnerships with the CEDAC (Université Laval Faculty of Law) and CAP-CF (UQAM) provide scientific direction for core collections.

Commercially, PUL operates a one-time-purchase unit pricing model with paper prices ranging from $14.95 to $79.00 and digital editions typically priced 15–20% below paper equivalents. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Authors submit manuscripts via a rigorous peer-review process ([email protected]). Institutional support from Université Laval underwrites the non-profit structure, while manuscript authors may occasionally require financial publication support. Recent outputs include the 2025 publication 'La montée de l'extrême droite au Québec (2010-2020)', whose author David Sanschagrin received the Prix Rosalie-Silberman-Abella from the Société royale du Canada in 2022 for an earlier PUL title.

Name

Presses de L'Université Laval

Legal name

Presses de l'Université Laval

Website

https://pulaval.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

French-language non-profit academic publisher founded in 1950, operating as the university press of Université Laval in Quebec City with 18 staff and a catalog of 3,000+ titles across 40+ disciplines in paper, PDF, and ePub formats.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313), Book Publishers (513130), Books Printing (323117)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Book Printing (2732)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Monographs & University Press Publishing (MPAJABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Sciences Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAD), Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE), Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAI), Social Sciences (Psychology, Sociology, Political Science) (EDAGABAD)

Keywords

• Academic book publishing
• Scholarly monograph publishing
• University press publishing
• French-language academic books
• Print-on-demand books

Headquarters

HQ city

Québec

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Sales of academic books in three formats: paper (print), PDF, and ePub. Paper books are sold via print-on-demand. Digital formats are sold as permanent downloads without time limits. Books are priced individually as one-time purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Presses de l'Université Laval is a non-profit university press that publishes academic books in paper, PDF, and ePub formats across more than 40 university disciplines and 80+ thematic collections, maintaining a catalog of over 3,000 titles. The press supports authors through rigorous peer-review and editorial services, produces physical books via print-on-demand technology, and distributes digital and physical editions directly through its website and partnered bookstores.

Product overview

Presses de l'Université Laval is a university press publisher founded in 1950, offering a catalog of over 3,000 academic titles in more than 40 university disciplines. The company provides three main product formats: physical books (papier), digital books in PDF and ePub formats, and print-on-demand services. Their portfolio is organized into over 80 thematic collections spanning law, political science, philosophy, sociology, and other humanities disciplines. Additional services include a podcast series (Les PUL à l'antenne), editorial support for manuscript submissions, and open-access options for select titles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ius publicum: Collection on public law, constitutional studies, and federalism, directed by Patrick Taillon, Christine Vézina, and Amélie Binette under the scientific direction of the Centre d'études en droit administratif et constitutionnel (CEDAC) at Université Laval's Faculty of Law
• Études constitutionnelles et fédérales
• Prisme

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Forum des FédérationsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Johanne Poirier, author and professor at McGill, has served on the Forum des Fédérations Board of Directors since 2007. This connection brings international expertise to the press's federalism publications.
• Centre d'études en droit administratif et constitutionnel (CEDAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CEDAC (Centre for Administrative and Constitutional Law Studies) at Université Laval's Faculty of Law provides scientific direction for the Ius publicum collection. The partnership includes funding acknowledgment from the Quebec Government's Secrétariat québécois aux relations canadiennes and Université Laval's Faculty of Law.
• Centre d'analyse politique – Constitution Fédéralisme (CAP-CF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBased at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), CAP-CF oversees the 'Études constitutionnelles et fédérales' collection. The international scientific committee includes scholars from multiple countries and institutions.
• Bibliothèque de l'Université LavalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing open access (libre accès) to certain titles through the university library, allowing free PDF downloads of select publications.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Presses de Sciences Po: Leading French academic publisher in political science, law, and sociology. Directly comparable catalog overlap with PUL's federalism and constitutional law collections.
• BRILL: Established international academic publisher with significant humanities, social sciences, and law catalog. Overlaps with PUL's subject areas though at a much larger scale with global distribution.
• Peter Lang Publishing: International academic publisher with strong humanities and social sciences catalog. Comparable in monograph publishing, particularly for French-language academic authors, though with broader global reach.
• Cambridge University Press: One of the world's largest academic publishers, with extensive francophone and Canadian academic content. Comparable in academic monograph publishing but with vastly greater scale and resources.

Direct peers

• University of Toronto Press: Major Canadian university press publishing academic books and journals. Similar business model as a university-affiliated scholarly publisher, though operating at significantly larger scale.
• Éditions de l'Université de Bruxelles: Francophone European university press publishing academic books. Comparable model and audience, though focused on Belgian and European intellectuals rather than North American.
• Presses de l'Université de Montréal: Direct peer: also a francophone Quebec university press publishing academic books across social sciences, humanities, and law. Comparable model, target audience, and catalog structure.
• McGill-Queen's University Press: Canadian university press publishing scholarly books in English and French. Comparable category, audience, and academic monograph focus, primarily serving Canadian academia.
• Les Éditions Thémis: Quebec-based academic publisher focused on law and political science. Direct overlap with PUL's Ius publicum and Prisme collections, serving the same Quebec legal and political academic community.

Regional players

• Éditions du Septentrion: Quebec-based publisher specializing in history, social sciences, and humanities. Comparable in geographic focus and francophone audience, though not a university press.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PULaval
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/PressesUL
• Facebookfacebook.com/pulaval
• Instagraminstagram.com/pulaval
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/presses-de-l'universit%C3%A9-laval

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 de L'Université Laval