Les éditions du Septentrion

What Les éditions du Septentrion does

Les éditions du Septentrion is a privately held, independent French-language book publisher based in Quebec City, Canada. Founded in 1988 and operating with a small team of 8 employees, the company specializes in historical scholarship and general-audience history books covering Quebec, Canada, Acadia, Franco-America, Indigenous peoples, and international historical topics. It positions itself as 'La référence en histoire' (The reference in history) and has cultivated this brand identity over more than 25 years of continuous publishing.

The publisher's catalog spans academic monographs, multi-volume series (such as the 10-volume 'Légendes d'un peuple' on Franco-American historical figures and the 'Les aventures de Radisson' historical fiction series), and academic journals including 'Revue d'histoire de la Nouvelle-France' and 'Revue Littoral'. Core technology is conventional book publishing — print on-demand and traditional print runs, with PDF and ePub digital editions available for direct download through the company's own e-commerce storefront at septentrion.qc.ca. Digital editions include purchaser watermarking. The company maintains a long-standing core partnership with GRÉNOC (Groupe de Recherche sur l'Écriture Nord-Côtière) at Cégep de Sept-Îles for the production of 'Revue Littoral'.

Septentrion generates revenue through one-time book sales across print and digital formats, with paperback titles typically priced between $18.00 and $49.95 CAD and digital editions between $6.99 and $19.99 CAD. Its go-to-market is predominantly direct-to-consumer via its own website, supplemented by participation in book fairs (e.g., Salon du livre de Montréal) and organic marketing across Facebook, Twitter/X, Pinterest, and an email newsletter. The company serves two primary personas: academic researchers and students seeking rigorous French-language historical scholarship, and general readers interested in Quebec heritage, biographies, and regional history. No institutional customers, funding events, or ownership disclosures are available in the source materials.

Name

Les éditions du Septentrion

Legal name

Les éditions du Septentrion

Website

https://septentrion.qc.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Les éditions du Septentrion is a privately held, Quebec City-based French-language book publisher specializing in historical scholarship on Quebec, Canada, Acadia, and Franco-America, serving academic researchers and general readers through direct e-commerce across print, PDF, and ePub formats.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Research Monographs & University Press Publishing (MPAJABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK), Education Research & Pedagogy Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAH)

Keywords

• Historical book publishing
• Academic history publications
• French language books
• Quebec regional history
• Digital book publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Quebec

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Book Sales (Print and Digital): Septentrion generates revenue primarily through the sale of published books in print (paperback) and digital formats (PDF, ePub). Each book title is sold as a one-time purchase rather than through a subscription. Titles span academic and general-audience history of Quebec, Canada, Acadia, and the Franco-American world.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Les éditions du Septentrion is a Quebec-based publishing house that commissions, produces, and sells French-language historical books focused on Quebec, Canadian, Acadian, Franco-American, Indigenous, and regional heritage topics. Each title is offered in paperback, PDF, and ePub formats priced individually, with recurring academic journals and multi-volume series extending the catalog. Sales are conducted directly via the publisher's website and at book fairs, with free shipping within Quebec on orders of two or more books.

Product overview

Les éditions du Septentrion is a Quebec-based historical publishing house offering physical books, PDF digital downloads, and ePub digital formats. The company's catalog includes single-author monographs, multi-volume series collections (such as 'Légendes d'un peuple' spanning 10 volumes, 'Les aventures de Radisson' historical fiction series, and academic journals like 'Revue Littoral' and 'Revue d'histoire de la Nouvelle-France'), and the 'Septentrio(n)umérique' digital-focused collection. The publisher specializes in Quebec and Canadian history, Acadian studies, regional history, biographies, and Franco-American cultural heritage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• HamacminorOthersSeptentrion cross-promotes with Hamac (hamac.qc.ca), a related Quebec cultural/publishing entity, listed as a recommended partner site on the Septentrion website footer.
• BarakabooksminorOthersSeptentrion cross-promotes with Barakabooks (barakabooks.com), listed as a recommended partner site in the Septentrion website footer.
• GRÉNOC (Groupe de Recherche sur l'Écriture Nord-Côtière)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRÉNOC, based at Cégep de Sept-Îles, is the primary research partner behind the 'Revue Littoral' published by Septentrion. The collaboration involves nearly 20 years of joint work producing the annual revue focused on northern coastal writing and indigenous/cultural history of Quebec's North Shore.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• McGill-Queen's University Press: Major Canadian academic press publishing scholarly works on Canadian history, politics, and society in both English and French. Closely comparable subject matter to Septentrion, though primarily English-language, with strong academic and library reach.
• Éditions Leméac: Long-standing Quebec publisher of literature, history, essays, and drama. Directly comparable in French-language Quebec publishing, with similar trade history titles and author base.
• Les Presses de l'Université Laval: French-language academic press based in Quebec City, publishing scholarly monographs and journals across history, social sciences, and humanities. PUL is a direct peer because both publish Quebec-focused scholarship with university and library distribution.
• Éditions du Boréal: Quebec-based general publisher with deep catalog of Canadian and Quebec history, literature, and social sciences. Boréal is Septentrion's closest direct peer — both publish French-language Canadian history and humanities with overlapping author networks and academic distribution.
• Les Presses de l'Université de Montréal: French-language academic publisher in Montreal producing scholarly monographs, journals, and reference works. Comparable to Septentrion in its scholarly French-language monograph model and academic distribution channels.
• VLB éditeur: Quebec publisher specializing in essays, history, and social commentary, founded in Montreal. Comparable to Septentrion in French-language Quebec thought and history publishing, including essay collections and narrative non-fiction.
• XYZ éditeur: Quebec literary and humanities publisher producing fiction, essays, and scholarly works. Comparable as a Quebec-based French-language independent press with overlapping author pools and trade/academic distribution.
• Éditions Fides: Historic Quebec publisher with a catalog spanning essays, history, religious thought, and cultural heritage. Comparable in Quebec cultural-publishing positioning and long-standing academic/heritage author relationships.
• Lux Éditeur: Independent Quebec publisher focused on political essays, history, and critical thought. Comparable to Septentrion in its Quebec subject focus and its independence as a small French-language press.

Others

• Hamac: Quebec cultural publishing entity already partnered with Septentrion via cross-promotion. Comparable as a regional cultural-publishing counterpart, though more niche-focused; represents a partnership peer rather than direct catalog competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SeptentrionEd
• Facebookfacebook.com/edseptentrion
• Pinterestpinterest.com/SeptentrionEd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/edseptentrion

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 Les éditions du Septentrion