editis educ. et reference
Editis is a Paris-based French publishing group operating 55 imprints across literature, education, youth, reference, and manga, publishing approximately 5,000 new titles annually with 2,500 employees. Wholly owned by Vivendi since January 2019, it serves general readers, schools, and international rights acquirers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What editis educ. et reference does
Editis is a Paris-based French publishing group operating 55 publishing houses across literature (Robert Laffont, Plon, Julliard, Belfond), youth and children's (Pocket Jeunesse, Syros, Hemma), education (Nathan, Bordas, Retz, CLE International), reference (Le Robert, Gründ), manga (Kurokawa), and practical guides (Pour les Nuls, Editions First). The group publishes approximately 5,000 new titles per year against a backlist of 37,000 titles, with 2,500 employees and an integrated distribution backbone through Interforum serving French bookstores, libraries, and educational institutions.
The business generates revenue through multiple streams: one-time retail book sales (trade), institutional sales of pedagogical materials to schools (educational), audiobook subscription and direct sales via the Lizzie platform integrated with Canal+, and international rights licensing for translation and adaptation. The go-to-market is sales-led, combining field délégués pédagogiques visiting schools with retail representatives covering bookstores, supplemented by digital channels including Lisez.com and Lizzie.audio. Cross-promotional synergies with Vivendi group assets (Canal+, Universal Music, Olympia) provide a differentiated distribution and content-adaptation pathway.
In January 2019, Vivendi acquired Editis from Grupo Planeta, and the group has since pursued an aggressive imprint-acquisition strategy (L'Archipel, L'Agrume, Editions Séguier, Editions Héloïse d'Ormesson, Jungle Editions) while launching the Lizzie audio brand and the 'Des livres et moi' literary podcast. The company operates under CEO Michèle Benbunan (appointed September 2019), with Arnaud de Puyfontaine as President and parent Vivendi providing strategic and capital support.
editis educ. et reference firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- editis educ. et reference
- Legal name
- EDITIS SAS
- Website
- https://editis.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Editis is a Paris-based French publishing group operating 55 imprints across literature, education, youth, reference, and manga, publishing approximately 5,000 new titles annually with 2,500 employees. Wholly owned by Vivendi since January 2019, it serves general readers, schools, and international rights acquirers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
editis educ. et reference industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313), Book Publishers (513130)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Literary & Classics Publishing (MPAJAAAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- K–12 Textbook Publishing (Core Curriculum) (MPAJABAA), Children’s Educational & Curriculum Publishing (MPAJAFAF), Children’s Comics, Graphic Novels & Manga Publishing (MPAJAFAH)
Keywords
Where editis educ. et reference is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
editis educ. et reference business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Book Publishing and Sales: Traditional book publishing across 55 publishing houses covering literature, youth, education, reference, manga, and more. Revenue generated through wholesale and retail sales of physical and digital books.
- Audio Content: Audiobook sales and distribution through Lizzie brand, integrated with subscription services like CANAL+.
- Educational Materials: School textbooks and pedagogical resources sold to educational institutions.
- Rights and Licensing: Cession de droits (rights sales) for translation, adaptation, and derivative works.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
editis educ. et reference product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Editis publishes and distributes books across 55 publishing houses covering French and foreign literature, youth, education, reference, manga, practical guides, and art books, releasing nearly 5,000 new titles per year from a catalog of 37,000 titles. It also produces audiobooks through the Lizzie brand and distributes educational textbooks and pedagogical resources to French schools, while licensing translation and adaptation rights internationally.
Product overview
Editis is one of France's leading publishing groups, operating a multi-brand publishing platform with 55 publishing houses and imprints covering all written media universes including French and foreign literature, youth/children's, history, essays, practical guides, art books, manga, educational, and reference materials. The group publishes nearly 5,000 new titles annually with a catalog of 37,000 titles. Key brands include Belfond (literary fiction), Bordas and Nathan (education), Le Robert (dictionaries), Robert Laffont (prestigious fiction), and 10/18 (mass-market literary). Digital offerings include Lizzie (100% audio book platform), Lisez.com (digital reading), and Des livres et moi (podcast series). The group operates extensive distribution through Interforum and serves the French educational market through specialized imprints like CLE International, Retz, and Editions MDI.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Lizzie: 100% audiobook brand offering more than 150 titles from major authors
- Lisez!
Products and services
- Editis Publishing Group Multi-brand publishing group publishing approximately 5,000 new titles annually across literature, youth, education, reference, manga, and practical works, serving general readers and educational institutions in France.
- Lizzie Audiobook Brand 100% audiobook brand offering more than 150 titles from major authors, distributed through lizzie.audio and integrated into CANAL+ subscription service, targeting audiobook consumers.
- Lisez.com Digital Platform Digital reading and book discovery platform offering access to Editis's catalog across all publishing houses, including audio content and podcasts, for general readers.
- Des livres et moi Podcast Series Bi-monthly literary podcast series featuring interviews with authors from Editis publishing houses, produced in collaboration with Le Poste Général, each episode approximately 15-20 minutes, available on Lisez.com.
- Trade Literature (Belfond, Plon, Robert Laffont, Julliard, Presses de la Cité, Fleuve Editions, XO Editions, Sonatine, Le Cherche Midi, Pocket, 10/18, Les Escales, NiL, Seghers, Hors Collection, Bouquins, 12-21) Trade fiction and non-fiction publishing across multiple imprints, producing commercial and literary titles including thrillers, general fiction, essays, biographies, and travel literature for general readers.
- Educational Textbooks (Bordas, Nathan, Retz, Editions MDI, CLE International) School textbooks and pedagogical resources for French schools at all levels, including French language teaching materials for international learners, sold to educational institutions via field sales force.
- Reference and Dictionaries (Le Robert, Gründ) Authoritative French language dictionaries and reference works, plus encyclopedias and illustrated non-fiction, serving general readers, students, and professionals.
- Manga Publishing (Kurokawa, 404 Éditions, Jungle Editions) Manga titles covering shōnen and seinen genres, plus geek culture labels and graphic novel/comic book partnerships for manga and pop culture readers.
- Youth and Children's Publishing (Pocket Jeunesse, Syros, Poulpe Fictions, Hemma, Langue au Chat, Les livres du Dragon d'Or) Children's books, young adult literature, and educational children's titles including language learning and social science fiction for young readers.
- Practical Books (Editions First, Pour les Nuls, Lonely Planet, Tana, Solar, Collection R, Daesign) Practical guides including the French 'For Dummies' series (Pour les Nuls), travel guides (Lonely Planet French edition), eco-responsible books, design and illustrated works.
- Interforum Distribution Services Distribution and logistics services for Editis publishing houses and external clients, handling physical book supply chain operations across France.
- International Rights Licensing Sale of translation, adaptation, and audiovisual rights for Editis catalog to foreign publishers and producers in international markets.
Quantifiable outcome
- 5,000 new titles published annually
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use editis educ. et reference
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
editis educ. et reference technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
editis educ. et reference partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Editions SéguierminorEditions Séguier joined Robert Laffont within Editis group, strengthening the publishing group's literary offerings.
- Jungle EditionsminorPartnership with Jungle for development in graphic novels and comics (bande dessinée). Enables Editis to expand into the growing graphic novel sector.
- L'AgrumeminorAcquisition of L'Agrume, a publisher dedicated to contemporary illustration, joining Nathan within Editis group.
- L'Archipel GroupminorEntered exclusive negotiations in June 2019 to acquire 100% of L'Archipel Group, which includes L'Archipel, Archipoche, Presses du Châtelet, and labels Ecriture and Bibliothèque des Classiques.
- CANAL+coreCollaboration integrating Lizzie, Editis's 100% audiobook brand, into CANAL+ subscription service. Represents the convergence of publishing and audiovisual worlds within the Vivendi ecosystem.
- Grupo PlanetaminorGrupo Planeta and Vivendi entered into exclusive negotiations in July 2018 for Vivendi to acquire Editis. The talks ultimately resulted in Vivendi's acquisition of Editis.
- Editions Héloïse d'OrmessonminorEditions Héloïse d'Ormesson joined Editis, remaining under the presidency of founder Héloïse d'Ormesson and reporting to Pierre Conte, Director General of the Group.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
editis educ. et reference competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Humensis: French publishing group including PUF (Presses Universitaires de France) and Belin, focused on academic, scientific and educational publishing. Comparable to Editis' Bordas/Nathan/Retz educational and Le Robert reference segments, and competes for French school and university budgets.
- Grupo Planeta: Spain's largest Spanish-language publishing group and the prior owner of Editis before selling to Vivendi in 2019. Operates in the same European trade/education publishing space but in Spanish rather than French, and competes with Editis on international rights acquisition.
Direct peers
- Hachette Livre: Publishing arm of Lagardère and France's largest book publisher, operating imprints across trade, education, reference and audio. Directly competes with Editis across virtually every segment and serves as the primary French-market benchmark for scale, distribution reach and author roster.
- Flammarion: French general-interest publisher owned by Madrigall, spanning literature, humanities, reference and art books. Directly comparable to Editis' Robert Laffont, Plon and Julliard imprints in literary and non-fiction publishing.
- Albin Michel: Independent French publishing house with broad coverage of general literature, essays, documents and youth. Competes head-to-head with Editis in French trade publishing, particularly for bestselling fiction and non-fiction authors.
- Bayard Group: French multimedia publisher with strong positions in youth, education and religion. Comparable to Editis' youth and educational imprints (Pocket Jeunesse, Syros, Bordas, Nathan) and competes for the same school and family readership in France.
- La Martinière Groupe: Independent French publishing group focused on illustrated books, literature, youth and reference. Comparable to Editis in its mix of illustrated/art imprints (Hors Collection, Grund) and literary houses.
- Gallimard (Madrigall group): Leading French literary publisher and anchor of the Madrigall group, with strong positions in fiction, essays, reference and youth. Competes with Editis for the same French literary authors, literary prizes and bookstore shelf space.
Broad incumbents
- HarperCollins: Global trade publisher spanning general fiction, non-fiction, children's and religious books. Comparable to Editis in multi-segment strategy and competing for international rights, but operates primarily in English with much broader global reach.
- Penguin Random House: World's largest trade book publisher with broad portfolio across English-language fiction, non-fiction and audio. A 'broad incumbent' relative to Editis: overlapping in genre coverage and rights competition, but materially larger and English-language-anchored.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
editis educ. et reference social profiles
Digital presenceeditis educ. et reference financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
editis educ. et reference leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
editis educ. et reference subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries59 records
editis educ. et reference funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
editis educ. et reference M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about editis educ. et reference
What does editis educ. et reference do?
Editis publishes and distributes books across 55 publishing houses covering French and foreign literature, youth, education, reference, manga, practical guides, and art books, releasing nearly 5,000 new titles per year from a catalog of 37,000 titles. It also produces audiobooks through the Lizzie brand and distributes educational textbooks and pedagogical resources to French schools, while licensing translation and adaptation rights internationally.
Is editis educ. et reference a public or private company?
editis educ. et reference is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was editis educ. et reference founded?
editis educ. et reference was founded in -1. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is editis educ. et reference based?
editis educ. et reference is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does editis educ. et reference make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Book Publishing and Sales are the primary driver. The others are audio Content, educational Materials and rights and Licensing.
Who are editis educ. et reference's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Humensis and Grupo Planeta. Direct peers are Hachette Livre, Flammarion, Albin Michel, Bayard Group, La Martinière Groupe and Gallimard (Madrigall group). Broad incumbents are HarperCollins and Penguin Random House.
Does editis educ. et reference have an API?
No public API is recorded for editis educ. et reference.
What industry is editis educ. et reference in?
editis educ. et reference's product category is Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAC, Literary & Classics Publishing, with a secondary code of MPAJABAA, K–12 Textbook Publishing (Core Curriculum). Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.