D O S S I E R D E P R E S S E Editis at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2007

DOSSIER DE PRESSE
Editis at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2007
Editis, with Alain Kouck as Chairman, is France’s second largest publishing group and a crucial player
in the French publishing landscape. Editis is present in the literature, reference, education and
vocational training sectors, supporting literary creativity and assuring the expertise of teachers and
lecturers. The group’s editorial wealth is provided by some forty brands, whose global reach is assured
by its distribution subsidiary, Interforum.
Ten million French language books are exported annually to over 100 countries. This logistical and
commercial success is due to Interforum's expert knowledge of international markets, giving Editis
publishers and their titles a real advantage.
Editis has entered the digital age with an ambitious project to digitise its editorial output and create an
e-commerce offering in the group’s range of distribution services. In addition, the acquisition in
September 2007 of Paraschool, a specialist publisher of interactive materials (learning support and
vocational training), lays the foundations for synergies that will benefit the group’s educational
publishing specialists in future.
Overview of Editis activities
The new Frankfurt Book Fair gives us an opportunity to proclaim our optimism: when the desire for
eclecticism is combined with editorial quality, successful authors blossom and brands consolidate their
image.
Here are a few major names, all different and with their own specific forms of creativity:
...Literature
Les Editions First – First Interactive; La Découverte; le cherche-midi éditeur; Gründ; Hemma – Langue
au chat; Perrin; Place des éditeurs (Acropole – Belfond – Convergences – Hors Collection – Le Pré
aux Clercs – Lonely Planet – Omnibus – Presses de la Cité – Solar); Plon; Presses de la
Renaissance; Robert Laffont – NiL – Julliard – Seghers; Univers Poche (10/18 – Fleuve Noir –
Kurokawa- Langues Pour Tous – Pocket – Pocket Jeunesse); XO Editions (Oh ! Editions);
...Education and Reference
Bordas; CLE International; De Boeck (De Boeck Education - Uitgeverij De Boeck – De Boeck
Université – Duculot – Estem – Larcier); Nathan (Syros); Paraschool; Retz; Les Dictionnaires Le
Robert;
...Distribution
Interforum in France and French-speaking countries.
Editis in 2006:
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a turnover of 755 M€,15% from international sales
40 publishing houses, 40 prestigious brands
6000 published titles
a 60 000m² distribution logistics platform that is unique in France
140 publishing houses distributed
104 million books sent out by Interforum
a workforce of 2400
Editis: history and strategy for growth
A wholly-owned subsidiary of Wendel since September 2004, Editis has been built up in a series of
stages that are also integral to the history of French publishing.
The story begins in 1835, when Charles-Louis Havas founded the Havas press agency. Almost a
century later, in 1920, Havas merged with the Société Générale d’Annonces to become France’s
leading agency for press advertising. The company moved from press to publishing in 1979, when
both its tourism and advertising arms were flourishing. Renamed Havas S.A, in 1997 it acquired C.E.P
Communication, which included Groupe de la Cité and its concentration of star publishers such as
Nathan, Bordas, Belfond, Pocket, and Robert Laffont, all of which fulfilled their promise. In 1998 the
group became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vivendi and was renamed shortly afterwards as Vivendi
Universal Publishing. It was logical for the group to prioritise the information and multimedia sectors at
this time, but it did not abandon traditional publishing. In July 2002, Vivendi Universal sold a number of
its operations, including Vivendi Universal Publishing. The Editis name made its first appearance in
October 2003 and includes all the French language brands that became part of Wendel in September
2004.
Since then Editis has proved to be an enduring dynamic force with the ability to anticipate
developments, join forces with others and create the synergies necessary for lateral development. Its
growth strategy has three main thrusts:
The organic development of publishing houses expresses a creative energy that must be present if
the editorial offer is to anticipate and meet expectations. This has seen the emergence of:
o
new editorial sectors, such as the early years titles from Petit Nathan, with learning
materials for babies from birth to 18 months to enhance the relationship between
parents, children and books; the comics department set up by Robert Laffont on the
initiative of Marya Smirnoff; and manga with the Kurokawa imprint, part of Univers
Poche. This new series has enjoyed major success since its launch, with 1 million
copies sold in the year since its foundation in 2005.
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Convergences, a new brand published by Place des éditeurs, which brings together
two different editorial lines, the first focusing on tourism (travel writing and guides), the
second on children (Ushuaia Junior).
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new funtionalities such as the digital platform which enables the production, use and
exchange of editorial content to be shared across every publisher in the group. The
aims are better adaptation to changes in the market and the development of services
and products to make every Editis player competitive.
Growth through acquisitions: a strategy based on complementarity. In 2005 Editis was joined by le
cherche midi éditeur, with an excellent reputation in the field of literature; its poetry and humour
series were a particular enhancement to the group’s editorial range. In the same year Editions First
enabled Editis to expand its offer in IT and practical manuals. In 2006 Editions XO and its
subsidiaries, including Oh ! Editions, with their acknowledged expertise in the field of bestsellers,
strengthened the Editis strategy abroad, where the XO group had sold 75% of its titles in the
preceding year. In 2007 Editions De Boeck and Gründ joined the Editis group. De Boeck
strengthened the education division (bringing Editis back into the university sector) while opening
doors to Belgium and ensuring international development in both French and Dutch language
publishing. Another of De Boeck’s remarkable characteristics is the BtoB experience it brings to the
group. Meanwhile Grund has enhanced the editorial wealth of Editis with its practical manuals,
books for children, and in particular its art books such as the celebrated Bénézit. Twenty percent of
turnover is due to exports. More recently, last September’s acquisition of Paraschool, with its
entirely digital offer, has opened a great many possibilities for sharing content with other publishers
in the group and enables Editis to enter the promising field of vocational training. There have also
been acquisitions in the area of distribution: in 2006 Editis took over DNL, a major player in the
supermarket sector, enabling the group to add wholesaleing to its list of activities.
In addition to generating editorial complementarity (content sharing), geographical interaction (opening
up international markets) and technological interaction (entry into the digital age), the organic
development of the publishing houses and the acquisitions policy have also provided springboards for
the third thrust of the group’s strategy: agreements.
Agreements: the acquisition of Editions First paved the way for the group’s licence agreement with
Wiley for the ‘For Dummies’ series, a major success of recent years. Another exclusive licence
agreement between Lonely Planet Publications and Place des éditeurs has now raised the latter
to third place in the tourism market in France. Meanwhile the acquisition of DNL led to the signing
of agreement protocols with the Media-Participations group and the Gallimard group for the
supermarket distribution of their titles.
Editis will continue to grow in 2008, encouraging each of its publishing houses to express its
strengths, confirming its position as a leading French language publisher and pursuing its
international development.
Editis will be present at the Frankfurt Book Fair on the Plon stand (Hall 6.1 C 925)
Many questions, one click: www.editis.com
Press contact
Marie-Françoise Laget
Communications Director
Tel: + 33 (0)1 53 53 38 20
[email protected]
Editis imprints
at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2007
LITERATURE
LE CHERCHE MIDI
Hall 6.1 A 954
www.cherche-midi.com
Cherche Midi Editeur was born of a passion for publishing, shared by Philippe Héraclès and Jean
Orizet, who first met in 1978.
The firm now has 25 employees and a dozen series editors and external contributors. Cherche Midi
publishes 120 titles each year, covering a number of areas such as documents and guidebooks,
French and foreign literature, practical guides and illustrated books, poetry and humour.
In 2007, the following noteworthy titles were published: La vérité sur Jacqueline et Pablo Picasso (The
truth about Jacqueline and Pablo Picasso), a scathing insight into the couple’s private life and family
intrigues, by Pepita Dupont, journalist for Paris Match and a close friend of the maestro’s last wife;
previously unpublished works by Pierre Boulle, with the novel L’Archéologue et le mystère de Nefertiti
(The archeologist and the mystery of Nefertiti) and short stories such as L’enlèvement de l’Obélisque
(Removal of the obelisk); an illustrated reference book in cooperation with the Charles de Gaulle
Foundation: De Gaulle, les images d’un destin (De Gaulle, images of a destiny), including 1,000
photos, text by Max Gallo of the Académie Française and a personal account by Yves Guéna; novels
by Alain Fleischer and Martin Winckler; and finally Voutch’s long-awaited latest cartoon collection.
LA DECOUVERTE
Hall 6.1 C 928
www.editionsladecouverte.fr
Originally founded by François Maspero in 1959 and called Les Editions François Maspero, the
company changed its name to La Découverte in the early 1980s. It publishes non-fiction and essays
in the humanities and social sciences, economics, history, sociology, geopolitics, philosophy,
psychology and related fields.
Many of La Découverte’s authors are now internationally renowned, including Frantz Fanon, JeanPierre Vernant, Pierre Vidal-Naquet, Bruno Latour, Etienne Balibar, José Bové, Armand Mattelart,
Bernard Lahire and Georges Corm.
GRÜND
LES LIVRES DU DRAGON D’OR, LE BENEZIT
Hall 6.1 C 959
www.grund.fr
Founded in 1880 by Ernest Gründ, the publisher Gründ initially specialised in the Fine Arts and now
has a backlist of over 1,200 works in the field of art, practical guides and children's books.
The catalogue still includes its greatest classics, such as Emmanuel Bénézit’s Dictionary of Artists, an
indispensable work packed with factual information about almost any painter, sculptor, engraver or
draftsman of all countries and schools, from antiquity to the present day, first published in 1920. The
first English-language edition of Bénézit was published in 2006. Maurice Leloir’s Dictionnaire du
costume (Dictionary of costume) and Jean-Pierre Delarge’s Dictionnaire des arts plastiques modernes
et contemporains (Dictionary of contemporary visual arts) are also major works of reference.
From the early 1930s, Michel and Jacques Gründ began publishing paperbacks, which they sold in
Prisunic supermarkets, an original idea at the time. 1944 saw the publication of Robert Desnos’s
collection of poems, Les Chantefables, which still delights young children today with poems such as
the well-known Fourmi de dix huit mètres (Eighteen meter ant). The fifties marked the launch of
international co-editions with Czechoslovakia and the birth of the celebrated series, ‘Légendes et
Contes de tous les pays’ (Legends and fairy tales from around the world). The success of Fables de la
Fontaine (La Fontaine’s fables) illustrated by Adolf Born in 2003 ensured the expansion of the series
‘Contes et poèmes’ (Fairy tales and poems). The fairy tale tradition continues nowadays with, among
others, the new series ‘Contes de partout et d’ailleurs’ (Fairy tales from here and there) published by
Brio, a publishing company founded by Alain Gründ in Prague in 1992.
Today, with over 180 new releases per year and a backlist of 1,200 titles, Gründ has made a name for
itself thanks to the creative side of its series. In children’s books, the ‘Charlie’ series has led to
production of a large number of activity books, such as the adventure series ‘Vivez l’aventure’ and ‘50
surprises’. Imaginative and original subject matter as well as tactile or pop-up features make these
books a perennial success.
The art book tradition also continues, with a range of works to suit all tastes, from the amateur to the
specialist. Since 2005, Judith Miller’s series ‘L’oeil du chineur’ (An eye for antiques) has included
works on the decorative arts and each year, the Antiques and collectibles price guide complements
other more thematic works such as Les Bijoux couture (Designer jewellry) or Les Arts premiers (Tribal
art).
‘Histoire sur le vif’ (History on the spot), a series enriched with a number of reproductions and
launched with an English co-edition, Le Débarquement (D-day), nowadays features a selection of
French authors, with Yves Guéna’s De Gaulle due to be released this autumn.
The practical guides collection offers a wide selection of titles, formats and original concepts. 2007
saw the huge success of Rugby, with its original rugby-ball shaped format. Gründ also offers an
important range of nature reference books. Finally, gourmets will find a wide choice of cookery books,
some by celebrity chefs, some more popular titles with broader appeal and themed books covering
everything from Italian to Russian cuisine.
In the leisure sector, a new series ‘Le Spécialiste’ is co-published with Dorling Kindersley. Some
twenty well documented and illustrated works invite readers to discover a wide range of subjects, from
Vins du monde (Wines of the world) to L’Opéra (The opera). Terence Conran shares his interior
decorating secrets with readers, while the full range of creative leisure activities is also present.
Readers can also travel the world, thanks to numerous travel and discovery collections, as well as
books that make you stop and think, such as La Vie en danger (Life in danger) or Le Climat (The
climate).
Les Livres du Dragon d’or joined the group in 2002, expanding the group’s range of children’s books
with the arrival of Barbapapa in 2003. Nowadays, licences for the Schtroumpf (Smurf), Pokemon or
Scooby-Doo series also ensure the success of its catalogue.
LES EDITIONS HEMMA
Hall 3.0 H 345
www.hemma.be
Hemma celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2005. As a market leader in books for children aged 0-8 it
has, in the last 50 years, become a truly international player.
Hemma co-publishes and packages 6 to 7 million books a year for more than 50 international brands.
It covers all segments: early learning (board, bath and cloth books), picture books, musical books,
books with CD/audio, paperback fiction, colouring books, sticker books and activity books. It holds
publishing and packaging licences for many globally-recognised brands, including Disney, Barbie, My
Little Pony, Manège enchanté, Bob the Builder, Dora, Fifi, the Littlest Pet Shop, Transformers the
Movie, Pingu, Thomas the Tank Engine, etc.
Hemma also has a number of generic characters (Camille, Pierre, etc), which feature in a wide range
of titles. The catalogue features around 500 titles, of which some 200 new releases in 2007, while the
backlist comprises almost 3,500 titles.
LES EDITIONS PERRIN
Hall 6.1 C 925
www.editions-perrin.fr
Perrin, founded in 1864, publishes history books of all kinds, from Dominique de Villepin’s Le soleil
noir de la puissance, une autre histoire de Napoléon (The black sun of power, a different history of
Napoleon) and Jean-Luc Leleu’s La Waffen SS (The Waffen SS), a reference work for the coming
twenty years, to pleasure titles such as La spectaculaire histoire des rois des belges (The Spectacular
History of the Kings of the Belgians) by Patrick Roegiers. Perrin publishes major historical studies,
biographies and essays on aspects of political, military, cultural and social history, as well as books
that deal with contemporary issues. Recent successes include Christian Destremau’s Ce que savaient
les alliés (What the Allies knew), Pascal Bonafoux’s Monet, Alain Rey’s Mille ans de langue française
(A thousand years of the French language), Pascal Ory’s Goscinny, Jean-Christian Petitfils’s
remarkable Louis XVI, Michel Winock’s Clemenceau and Pierre Milza’s Voltaire.
In 2002, Perrin launched Tempus, a paperback series, which today includes over 200 titles. Since
2006 Perrin has been developing new editorial lines, including an exceptional book of recipes by Joël
Robuchon, TV and film novelizations such as Kaamelott and Les Femmes de l’ombre (Women of the
shadows), and essays on economics including Un monde de ressources rares (A world of scarce
resources) by Erik Orsenna and Le Cercle des Economistes and Patrick Artus’s Les incendiaires (The
incendiaries).
PLACE DES EDITEURS
ACROPOLE, BELFOND, CONVERGENCES, HORS COLLECTION, LONELY PLANET,
OMNIBUS, LE PRE AUX CLERCS, LES PRESSES DE LA CITE, SOLAR
Hall 6.1 B 925
Acropole
www.editions-acropole.com
A prestigious brand in the history, politics, spirituality and environment sectors and for non-fiction by
well-known authors including Michel Barnier, Pierre Vallaud and Jean-Paul Gourévitch. In 2007
Acropole established ‘Ubuntu’, a spirituality series, in which the biography of an exemplary figure, such
as Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King or Abbé Pierre, is enhanced with quotations from their words.
Acropole publishes souvenir books such as 100 ans d’images soviétiques (100 Years of Soviet
images), an illustrated book of previously unpublished photographs from the archives of the Itar-Stass
agency tracing the history of Russia, and Atlas pour un monde durable (Atlas for a sustainable world)
edited by Michel Barnier, which provides an overview of the current situation, 100 maps and numerous
illustrations, followed by detailed proposals to save our planet. We should also mention Les religions
du monde (Religions of the world), a vast, illustrated panorama offering the first comparative study of
religion from the Mesopotamians to the present day.
Belfond
www.belfond.fr
Belfond introduces French readers to major foreign authors, publishing Monica Ali, Shalom Auslander,
Geraldine Brooks, Antonio Caballero, James Cañon, Michael Cunningham, Richard Flanagan, James
Frey, Khaled Hosseini, Douglas Kennedy, Carlos Liscano, Colum McCann, Frank McCourt, Haruki
Murakami, Iain Pears, Stef Penney, C.J. Sansom, Kitty Sewell, Tom Rob Smith, Lionel Shriver, Steve
Tolz and Fernando Vallejo, as well as some of the biggest names in crime fiction such as Ann
Cleeves, Harlan Coben, Robert Crais, Colin Harrison, John Sandford and James Sheehan, stars of
women’s fiction including Jayne Ann Krentz and Katherine Scholes and the best in humorous writing
from authors such as Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes and Jennifer Weiner.
Belfond also publishes French writers, with major novels from authors including Françoise Bourdin,
Frédérick d’Onaglia and Theresa Revay, historical novels by Michel de Decker and Gonzague SaintBris and fantasy from Jean-Louis Fetjaine and Edouard Brasey. Belfond is developing its lists in
literature, with authors such as Hugo Boris, Frédérique Traverso, Adam Biro, Xavier Hanotte, Liliane
Gourgeon, Dominique Pélegrin, Pascal Praplan,Hubert Prolongeau and Valérie Boronad, and in
detective fiction with Laurent Scalèse, Nadine Montfils, Jérôme Harlay and Bertrand Puar. The areas
of non-fiction documents, personal stories and biographies are also expanding.
Convergences Tourisme
This new publisher is part of Place des éditeurs, In addition to Lonely Planet, Convergences Tourisme
also offers various series of books for travellers.
Lonely Planet
www.lonelyplanet.fr
The world’s leading independent publisher of travel guides, Lonely Planet has a catalogue of some
500 titles, ranging from Alaska to Zimbabwe and from China to New Zealand. The French catalogue
includes some 80 guides to Europe and the rest of the world.
Written by journalists, these travel guides offer travellers practical and cultural advice for their
exploration of a country, region or town. Sensitive to ethical and environmental issues, Lonely Planet
offers an alternative way to travel the world. Lonely Planet, your travelling partner.
Lonely Planet :
No. 2 in the French-speaking market for the sale of World guides;
130 French language titles in the catalogue in late 2007;
53 new titles in 2007 including 18 new destinations and a new series on destinations in France;
16 conversation guides;
The catalogue lists over 500 English titles.
Convergences Jeunesse
Convergences Jeunesse is a new name in the Place des éditeurs group, publishing non-fiction for
children. The first series to be published is ‘Ushuaïa Junior’, which offers topics related as closely as
possible to the school curriculum, while also opening its pages to problems seldom discussed by other
series, including ecology, citizenship and respect for others. This series seeks to help children
understand that their actions have effects in these areas.
Hors Collection
www.horscollection.com
A publisher of illustrated books on every aspect of popular culture, from the greatest names in humour,
including Laurent Gerra and Jean-Claude Morshoine, the comic book Calvin and Hobbes and Guy
Carlier, to authors such as Laurent Ruquier and Daniel Prévost published in the ‘Bibliothèque de
l’humour’ (Libarary of humour) series and the book of sporting howlers. Hors Collection also publishes
books of photographs (Hanadeka, Gandee Vasan), music titles including L’Odyssée du Rock (The
odyssey of Rock), James Brown, David Bowie and Punk et Sex Pistols (Punk and the Sex Pistols) and
books on sport and film.
Hors Collection is a leader in astrology with the ‘Astro’ series by Christine Haas, and also publishes
titles on social movements, such as 7 merveilles du monde (7 wonders of the world) with the poll
results from 100 million online voters, contemporary events and nostalgia, notably with the series of
anniversary publications (book plus 12-title music CD) celebrating its 30th, 40th and 50th birthdays
and ‘Albums de ma jeunesse’ (Albums from my youth).
Omnibus
www.omnibus.tm.fr
Yesterday’s books for today’s readers. A library of the key texts underlying French culture, including
Le Grand Légendaire de France (The big book of French legends), Le Grand Livre des contes (The
big book of traditional tales) and classic works ranging from literature to science fiction and detective
novels. Great authors from Balzac to Simenon and the complete adventures of unforgettable heroes,
including Arsène Lupin, Sherlock Holmes and Maigret. Omnibus also publishes reference books on
film, cookery and the sea and illustrated books in which contemporary images bring out the modernity
of texts from earlier periods, such as Cent récitations de notre enfance (A hundred pieces from
chldhood to read aloud) and 366 jours de poésie (366 days of poetry).
Le Pré aux Clercs
www.lepreauxclercs.com
The publisher of imaginary worlds. Novels, illustrated books and non fiction in the fields of fantasy and
imagination, esoteric subjects, folklore and enigmas of our times. Its French and foreign authors
include Edouard Brasey, Michel Pagel, Robert Holdstock and Megan Lindlholm, and the ‘Temeraire’
series by Naomi Novik, a global bestseller.
Pré aux Clercs publishes illustrated books in which erudition and poetry combine, including Signes et
Symboles (Signs and symbols), Encyclopédie du merveilleux (Encyclopaedia of Wonders) and Le
calendrier des fées (The fairy calendar) by Sandrine Gestin, and also titles of contemporary interest
such as Les Bienveillantes décryptées (‘Les Bienveillantes’ decoded).
Les Presses de la Cité
www.pressesdelacite.com
Presses de la Cité’s catalogue covers the whole range of high-quality popular literature, from romantic
fiction, detective novels and adventure stories to non-fiction documents. It includes international
bestsellers written by world-renowned authors such as Danielle Steel, Jean Auel, Wilbur Smith,
Elizabeth George or, more recently, the English author Mo Hayder, who was awarded the Elle
magazine Grand Prix des Lectrices de Elle in the crime fiction category. Presses de la Cité is also
proud to be the leading French publisher of regional novels and adventure stories, with its ‘Terre de
France’ and ‘Sud lointain’ collections, developed by Jeannine Balland to widespread acclaim.
Solar
www.solar.fr
A major generalist publisher of practical guides and illustrated books, Solar is one of the leading
French language publishers in this sector. Its catalogue lists over 600 titles and covers a very wide
range of topics, including the arts and fine art, heritage and tourism, nature and gardening, cookery
and wine, interior design, leisure pursuits, sport, transport, health and family life. Solar explores every
aspect of contemporary culture, offering practical guides written by top experts.
It also features beautifully illustrated books, practical guides, reference titles and gift books where
images take pride of place. These are books through which readers can pursue their passions and
explore the world, helping them love and protect the planet with titles like Vive la Terre (Long live
Earth), taking them into tomorrow’s world with GEO, to ‘wild latitudes’ with Ushaïa, or to meet new
peoples and their cuisine through the ‘cuisine des 7 familles’ series. Because involvement begins with
curiosity .
LES EDITIONS PLON
Hall 6.1 C 925
www.plon.fr
A general literature publisher founded in 1852 by a publishing family with Danish roots, Plon is one of
the most important French non-fiction publishers. Its reputation has been built on a catalogue that
features political titles by statesmen (Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, Georges Pompidou) and
other titles by such celebrated authors as Françoise Sagan, Philippe Sollers, Jean-François Revel,
Maurice Druon and, more recently, the essayist Luc Ferry, whose philosophical treatise Apprendre à
vivre (Learning to live), published in 2006, is a bestseller and has been translated into 17 languages.
Plon also publishes fiction: L’Amande (The Almond, an erotic tale by a Muslim woman, translated into
26 languages); works by celebrated young authors such as Christophe Ono-dit-Biot, Léonora Miano,
Isabelle Condou and Thierry Cohen; historical novels by authors such as Stéphane Bern with Plus
Belle Sera la Vie (Life will be finer), Jean-Claude Carrière and Milos Forman with Les Fantômes de
Goya (Goya’s Ghosts, translated into 17 languages prior to publication), Jean-Michel Thibaux, and
another promising young thriller writer, Alec Covin. To cater for younger readers, Plon is developing a
teenage section in which Arthur Tenor’s Le Voyage Extraordinaire au Royaume des 7 Tours (The
Extraordinary Journey to the Kingdom of the Seven Towers) has proved a runaway success.
Also well-known for its foreign literature list, Plon publishes authors such as Norman Mailer, Salman
Rushdie, Edmund White, V.S. Naipaul, Donna Tartt, Ryszard Kapucsinski, Hari Kunzru and Nick
Hornby.
Plon’s celebrated series include ‘Terre Humaine’ (Human Earth), a cross between anthropology and
literature, edited for the last 50 years by Jean Malaurie and including authors such as Pierre JakezHélias, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Jacques Lacarrière, Wilfred Thesiger and Eduardo Galeano.
Meanwhile the ‘Dictionnaires amoureux’ series takes you on an alphabetical journey through the
secret passion of a writer or celebrity, such as Daniel Herrero’s edition on rugby Le dictionnaire
amoureux du Rugby, Philippe Sollers’s edition on Venice Le dictionnaire amoureux de Venise, JeanNoël Schifano’s edition on Naples Le dictionnaire amoureux de Naples and, bestseller in the series,
Bernard Pivot’s edition on wine, Le dictionnaire amoureux du Vin.
LES PRESSES DE LA RENAISSANCE
Hall 6.1 A 954
www.presses-renaissance.fr
The editorial watchword of Presses de la Renaissance is ‘Books to Build Humanity’. Titles from this
general literature publisher reflect today’s spirit of questioning and search for meaning. Presses de la
Renaissance selects books for both the quality of their content and the personality of their authors,
making them available to the wider public. Authors include the Dalai Lama, Régis Debray, Marc
Fumaroli, General Morillon, Tim Guénard, Michel de Grèce and Gonzague Saint Bris.
In the illustrated books sector, following the success of their last three titles, Presses de la
Renaissance expanded their ‘365 méditations’ series with a fourth title due to be released in October:
365 Méditations sur le bonheur (365 meditations on happiness). The first three titles, offering
meditations by the Dalai Lama (365 Méditations du Dalaï Lama), on the Bible (365 Méditations
Bibliques) and on the Santiago de Compostela pilgrim routes (365 Méditations sur les chemins de
Compostelle) have been bestsellers ever since their release and are regularly republished.
The ‘Art et Connaissance’ series, which has enjoyed enormous success both in France and
internationally, will see the release of the long-awaited Le bouddhisme à travers 100 chefs-d’oeuvres
de la peinture (Buddhism through 100 artistic masterpieces). This title is to be launched at the
Frankfurt book fair.
In the sciences, last April saw the publication of Jean Staune’s brilliant essay, Notre existence a-t-elle
un sens ? (Is there a meaning to life?), which has been acclaimed by a number of Nobel prize winners.
Furthermore, a preview of the eminent Harvard researcher Lubos Motl’s English manuscript for the
Bogdanov equation will be presented by the Bogdanov brothers.
Finally, personal stories and spirituality are still very present in the editorial policy of Presses de la
Renaissance.
Extracts reflecting all these literary genres can be found on their website.
ROBERT LAFFONT, NiL, JULLIARD, SEGHERS
Hall 6.1 C 934
www.laffont.fr
A renowned publisher of general literature, the Robert Laffont group comprises four publishing houses
and covers a great many literary genres, including novels (French and foreign), political and
philosophical essays, biographies, memoirs and poetry.
Robert Laffont
Founded in 1941, Robert Laffont publishes across all genres, from literary fiction to non-fiction. Its
prestigious catalogue comprises several series. History is covered by the self-explanatory ‘BestSellers’ series, while ‘Pavillons’, launched in 1945, was expanded in 1979 to incorporate the East.
These two have continually brought the best of world literature to France, including Primo Levi,
Margaret Atwood, Dino Buzzati and, more recently, Elliott Perlman. The ‘Réponses’ series brought the
self-help movement to the general public, publishing the works of Bruno Bettelheim and Françoise
Dolto. Meanwhile, ‘Ailleurs et Demain’ is expanding its high-quality science fiction list.
Robert Laffont also publishes some of today’s most popular French authors, such as Marc Levy,
Marek Halter, David Servan-Schreiber, Jean d’Ormesson and Claude Michelet, as well as Englishlanguage writers including John Grisham, Michael Crichton and Ken Follet. Today, as always, Robert
Laffont strives to be open to life, to surprise, move, amuse and provoke its readers!
NiL
Established in 1993, NiL Editions joined the Group in 1999, and is renowned for its eclectic range of
fiction, memoirs and essays on philosophical, economic and scientific topics. Celebrated authors
include André Glucksmann, Axel Kahn, Jean-Paul Kauffmann and Matthieu Ricard.
NiL stepped into the limelight with the success of Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones (over 200,000
copies sold) and Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (over 60,000
copies sold). NiL responded by ushering quality foreign fiction into its catalogue, publishing literary
works with broad appeal, which seem to have acquired a loyal readership.
Julliard
Founded in 1942 by René Julliard, this publishing house soon enjoyed considerable success by first
publishing Françoise Sagan. Having joined the group in 1996, Julliard champions young,
contemporary French literature and has made a name for itself by discovering young talents such as
Philippe Besson (6 novels translated into 16 languages), Yasmina Khadra (9 novels translated into 22
languages), Jean Teulé, Mazarine Pingeot, Valérie Sigward and Samuel Benchetrit.
Seghers
Founded in 1944 and bought by Robert Laffont in 1960, this imprint languished for many years before
being brought back to life by Leonello Brandolini and series editor Bruno Doucey. Seghers has chosen
poetry as its primary field and publishes both poets regarded as well-known, such as Paul Eluard and
Louis Aragon, and others lesser-known or threatened with oblivion, such as Roger Bernard and
Guillevic. 2004 was an important year for Seghers, with the launch of ‘Seghers Jeunesse’, a series
created to provide children with playful and imaginative writing to which they can respond freely with
their own interpretations.
UNIVERS POCHE
POCKET, POCKET JEUNESSE, 10/18, FLEUVE NOIR, KUROKAWA
Hall 6.1 C 929
www.universpoche.com
Univers Poche is the most successful paperback publisher in France. It comprises 5 brands with
complementary editorial policies: Pocket, 10/18, Pocket Jeunesse, Fleuve Noir and Kurokawa. Their
catalogues cover all literary genres, including fiction, such as novels, detective novels, thrillers,
humour, children’s books, mangas, science fiction and fantasy, as well as non-fiction, such as essays,
humanities titles and self-help guides.
Univers Poche sells more than 25 million books per year.
Pocket
2,226 titles and 287 new releases per year
www.pocket.fr
Originally established under the name of Presse Pocket in 1962, Pocket is a generalist publisher of
paperback literature, covering all genres of fiction and non-fiction.
Pocket is one of France’s leading paperback publishers. Its steady growth depends primarily on an
editorial policy constantly striving to offer a wide range of authors and genres in line with readers’
expectations, as well as a creative, innovative marketing policy (advertising, promotional campaigns,
online marketing) to ensure the widest publicity for its publications.
A rich and varied catalogue
As a generalist publisher, Pocket has something for everyone, as the catalogue’s diversity shows. It
publishes a large number of best-selling authors, including writers of fiction such as Marc Levy
(France’s best-selling author in 2006), Douglas Kennedy, Isabelle Wolff, Françoise Sagan, Guillaume
Musso or Danielle Steel; of thrillers such as Dan Brown, Harlan Coben, Michael Crichton, Maxime
Chattam and John Grisham; and crime writers such as Elizabeth George, Martha Grimes and Minette
Walters.
Pocket also publishes authors whose popularity grows with each new work published, be they writers
of fiction such Françoise Bourdin, Romain Sardou and José Frèches, or writers of crime
fiction/thrillers, such as Nicci French, Kathy Reichs, Katherine Neville, Carol O’Connel, etc.
Books currently featured in the cultural news and typical of the latest literary trends appear in Pocket’s
general literature collection or in the ‘Nouvelles Voix’ series. These include authors such as Yasmina
Khadra, Olivier Adam, Marc Dugain, Annie Saumont, Christophe Ono-dit-biot, Karine Tuil, Jacques
Gamblin and Agathe Hochberg. These authors are now highly successful and acclaimed by the critics.
Their publication by Pocket has generally offered them an opportunity to become well known by the
general public and establish a loyal readership.
Pocket’s non-fiction includes documents or personal stories (such as Souad’s Burned Alive, or Sabine
Dardenne’s I was 12, I took my bike and I went to school...) and memoirs by celebrities such as Ingrid
Bettancourt, Mireille Darc, Michel Serrault, Jean-Claude Brialy and more.
Pocket is also a leading publisher of science fiction and fantasy, with authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien,
Dan Simmons, Frank Herbert, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Isaac Asimov and Anne McCaffrey. Renewal
of its editorial policy, combined with the recreation of successful series and graphic overhaul of covers,
will ensure Pocket SF or Fantasy - which is 30 years old this year - continues meeting readership
demand.
Pocket publishes major humanities titles in its ‘Agora’ series, edited by François Laurent, which
includes non-fiction documents and essays by authors such as Hannah Arendt or René Rémond, and
in ‘Terre humaine’, edited by Jean Malaurie, which republishes authors such as Claude Lévi-Strauss
and Georges Condominas.
For those interested in spirituality, the ‘Spiritualité’ series features works by the Dalai Lama, Abbé
Pierre and Pema Chödrön.
The new ‘Evolution’ series has enabled Pocket to come to the fore as a major publisher in the self-help
market, notably with Allen Carr’s The Easy Way to Stop Smoking or David Servan-Schreiber’s Guérir
(Healing stress, anxiety and depression without drugs and psychoanalysis). This collection offers
solutions to the problems of daily life and includes works by Françoise Dolto, Pierre Pallardy, Jacques
Salomé, Catherine Bensaid and Maryse Vaillant.
Last but not least, the classics are available in the ‘Pocket Classiques’ series (all books come with an
educational supplement), or in the Pocket €1.50 series, featuring the unabridged version of each
classic. The latter have become key tools for both students and teachers.
With more than 12 million copies sold since its establishment in 1974, ‘Langues Pour Tous’ sets the
standard across the language-learning markets for both professionals and the wider public. Now part
of Pocket, Langues Pour Tous offers a complete, consistent and integrated range for language
learners at every level, and for everyday use of foreign languages. Its catalogue contains over 200
titles in 20 different languages, meeting the needs of both beginners and those with more advanced
language skills. Other products available include methods for self-study and developing general
language skills, general and specialist reference books (dictionaries, grammar manuals), as well as
business language manuals for professionals and students on specialist courses.
Pocket Jeunesse
841 titles and 146 new releases per year
www.pocketjeunesse.fr
Founded in 1994, Pocket Jeunesse offers children the opportunity to discover the pleasure of reading
through a wide range of books suited to all tastes and ages. Today it is known both for its successful
series and for its policy of publishing French and foreign authors.
Successful series for children aged 7-12
Pocket Jeunesse’s series for children include ‘La Quête de Deltora’, ‘Danse !’, ‘En Selle’ and ‘Les fées
de l’arc en ciel’. Each revolves around a core interest and features recurring heroes children can easily
identify with. In each book, endearing characters rapidly draw the reader into the story, and in general
children eagerly look forward to the next part of the adventure.
Many of the Pocket Jeunesse series are previously unpublished works by reputable children’s writers
such as Christine Féret-Fleury, Anne-Marie Pol or Jacques Lindecker. Others are translations of
English-language bestsellers such as Rosie Rushton’s What a Week series, or novelizations of
popular films or television series, such as Jumelles (Twins), three series based around the Olsen
sisters, or French productions such as Martin Mystère. Endearing characters deal with subjects that
are part of everyday life, allowing young readers to enjoy reading without coming across cultural
barriers. These series give many children a taste for reading and a desire to explore new and more
complex books.
More literary works for children aged 10-14
Pocket Jeunesse also publishes works by France’s most popular authors of children’s literature, such
as Daniel Pennac, whose L’oeil du loup (The Eye of the Wolf) remains one of the best-selling books in
this genre, more than twenty years after it was first published, as it is studied in many French schools.
The Pocket Jeunesse catalogue also includes a large number of other French authors, such as Michel
Quint, Pascal Garnier, Jean-Claude Mourlevat, Florence Reynaud, Marie-Sabine Roger, Claude
Gutman, Hubert Ben Kemoun, Gudule, Evelyne Brisou-Pellen, Marie-Aude and Lorris Murail.
These more literary and, for the most part, previously unpublished works are released either in
paperback or hardback. They are selected because the subject matter is relevant, suitable for class
study and likely to stimulate thought and discussion. Pocket Jeunesse prides itself on having no
taboos nor tolerating prejudice, but nevertheless regularly consults a team of psychologists and
childhood professionals in order to review and approve the pedagogical approach of the books it
publishes.
Pocket Jeunesse also publishes international bestsellers such as George's Secret Key to the Universe
by Stephen & Lucy Hawking, Peter Pan in Scarlet: The Official Sequel by Geraldine McCaughrean,
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, Vive la République by Marie-Aude
Murail, or The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
Picture books for the early years
Pocket Jeunesse also features illustrated collections for the early years, with a number of emblematic
heroes. The most popular of these series is Les p’tites poules (The little chickens) by Christian Jolibois
and Christian Heinrich. Each year, children eagerly await the publication of this rather original
farmyard’s latest adventures, which are equally popular with adults. In September 2006, together with
part 7 of Les p’tites poules, Pocket Jeunesse is also publishing a new edutainment series aimed at
raising awareness on accident prevention, based around the French TV character Célestin, a little
ghost that features in France 3’s children’s programmes. This series aims to help both parents and
children avoid accidents in everyday life. The ludic content is accompanied by practical advice for
parents written by Maryse Vaillant, author and psychologist.
Last but not least, Pocket Jeunesse also publishes unusual but highly successful titles, such as the
literary series Edgar & Ellen, The Spiderwick Chronicles and The Sisters Grimm.
10/18
1,078 titles and 106 new releases per year
www.10-18.fr
Founded in 1962, 10/18 has one of the finest catalogues of paperback editions of foreign literature,
classical and contemporary alike. 10/18 also attracts many readers with detective stories set all over
the world in the wings of the salient periods that have marked History.
10/18 has always been a publishing house with a keen eye for new literary talent.
Its ‘Domaine étranger’ collection offers a prestigious catalogue with authors such as Jim Harrison,
Colum McCann, Kazuo Ishiguro, Bret Easton Ellis, Enrique Vila-Matas, Haruki Murakami, Stephen
McCauley as well as several Nobel Laureates such as V.S. Naipaul and Toni Morrison. The collection
also introduces recent discoveries connected with the development of contemporary literature,
exploring social comedy with authors like Lucia Etxebarría, Nick Hornby, Armistead Maupin and
Jonathan Tropper, urban noir fiction by such writers as Richard Price, Colin Harrison, and Jake Arnott,
and autobiographical writings by Nuala O’Faolain and Alexandra Fuller, among others.
10/18 also publishes unusual works in different formats such as the The Meaning of Tingo and Other
Extraordinary Words from Around the World by Adam Jacot de Boinod, or Winkie, a parody of modern
American justice by Clifford Chase.
10/18 is expanding its ‘Domaine français’ French-language series with the publication of Philippe
Djian’s Doggy bag and works by Phillippe Besson.
Its ‘Grands Détectives’ collection - which will be 25 years old in 2008 - publishes series of historical
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detective novels, often hitherto unpublished in France, including titles by Anne Perry (late 19 century
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London), Ellis Peters (12 century England), and French authors like Jean-François Parot (Paris in the
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reign of Louis XV), Viviane Moore (the Norman saga in Sicily), Claude Izner (19 century Paris) and
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Jacques Neirynck (early 20 century Paris), as well as exotic and contemporary works by the likes of
Alexander McCall Smith (Botswana) and Iain Pears (Italy).
‘Fait et cause’, last of all, is a collection of essays and writings in the humanities, representing the best
of new critical thinking on contemporary society, with titles by Michael Moore, Noam Chomsky, and
Gaston Kelman.
Fleuve Noir
913 titles and 123 new releases per year
www.fleuvenoir.fr
Founded in 1949, Fleuve Noir is a major publisher of popular literature. And being such a publisher is
like an on-going adventure, fuelled by a desire for discovery and a sharp eye on the way society and
public tastes are evolving.
Fleuve Noir thus publishes books selected for the quality and know-how of their authors in the major
current literary genres (women’s novels and general literature, detective novels and thrillers, the
novelization of TV series, science fiction and fantasy titles).
In early 2004, Fleuve Noir was the first French publisher to believe in the potential success of Lauren
Weisberger’s The Devil wears Prada. Fleuve Noir thereby published the first French version of a genre
of women’s literature known as chick lit, which has become a phenomenon in English-speaking
countries. The principle of chick lit is to decrypt so-called ‘fashionable’ circles with great wit and
derision, exploring the vast territory of male/female relationships. But not all writers can produce a
chick lit novel. You need to know the subject well and have spent some time with people in these
privileged circles in order to describe them with such wit. Following the huge success of the French
version Le Diable s’habille en Prada (90,000 hardbacks followed by 700,000 paperbacks published by
Pocket), Fleuve Noir has gone on to publish other well known authors in the same genre, such as
Plum Sykes with Blonde attitude and The Debutante Divorcée, Lauren Weisberger’s second book
People or not People, which sold over 300,000 copies with Fleuve Noir and Pocket, not to mention
series such as Gossip Girl which attracts over 50,000 readers with each edition. Nowadays Fleuve
Noir is France’s leading publisher of this new genre of women’s literature and aims to diversify by
venturing into new territories while maintaining a list of well-established authors in the field.
Where thrillers and detective novels are concerned, as the historic publisher of San Antonio and OSS
117, Fleuve Noir is following in the tradition of the genre by publishing large-format editions of such
authors as Harlan Coben, with his hero Myron Bolitar; Eric Giacometti and Jacques Ravenne with their
well-wrought thrillers revealing many a clue about the world of freemasonry; Nicci French, the English
couple specialising in breathtaking psychological thrillers; and Andrea Camillieri with her Sicilian police
superintendent Montalbano; as well as thrillers in medical circles with Martin Winckler and detective
novels in the finest tradition of the genre with Carol O’Connel. Fleuve Noir also very regularly comes
up with talented new writers like Jasper Fforde, who has delighted readers and literary critics alike with
the adventures of his heroine deeply immersed in a hilarious fantasy world that revolves entirely
around books, as well as Virginie Brac (who won the ‘Grand Prix de la littérature policière’, after being
published by Fleuve Noir).
Fleuve Noir is also a benchmark publisher for science fiction and fantasy with ‘Rendez-vous ailleurs’,
its prestigious collection of large-format books edited by Bénédicte Lombardo. It includes great names
in Anglo-Saxon fantasy like David Eddings, Greg Keyes and China Miéville, alongside paperback
series such as Star Wars, ‘La compagnie des glaces’ (The Ice Company), ‘Perry Rhodan’ and
‘Royaumes oubliés’ (Forgotten Realms).
Lastly, Fleuve Noir publishes books inspired by video games such as Starcraft and Warcraft, and
novelizations of successful TV series such as the Experts, Lost, Desperate Housewives (the official
series album), Grey’s Anatomy, Buffy the Vampire-Slayer, Charmed and Alias, among others.
Kurokawa
88 titles and 62 new releases per year
www.kurokawa.fr
Since its creation in September 2005, Kurokawa, an Univers Poche brand devoted to mangas, has
become one of the leading players in this market. Manga has become a genuine social phenomenon
with ten million copies sold each year in France and this is greatly galvanizing the comics market.
Ever since Kurokawa was launched, it has offered a young readership, aged on average between 15
and 30, an innovative and energetic programme focusing on shonen (stories for boys involving
adventure, action, friendship), shojo (love intrigues and humour for girls), and latterly seinen
(humorous manga). These collections are being developed by Grégoire Hellot, a specialist in Japan
and the world of manga. The aim for Univers Poche is to offer a limited number of series with editorial
quality as its watchword in this highly competitive market.
Among Kurokawa’s major successes is the series 'Full Metal Alchemist'. Already a star in Japan with
14 million copies sold in two years, French readers have been very quick to adopt it, to such a degree
that each new volume is eagerly awaited by fans and immediately becomes a best-selling title.
All series in the Kurokawa catalogue are a major success with readers: Mermaid Melody, a shojo in
which mermaid heroines are the stuff of young girls’ dreams; Midori Days, a zany, off-beat comedy;
Kimi Wa Pet, the story of a thirty-something singleton who adopts Momo, a dancer on the run, as her
pet; the official adaptation of the video game and cartoon Megaman or Satan 666, a man with very
special powers; not forgetting Keishicho 24, about the "cops of death" brigade, and Kamiyadori,
somewhere between manga and cyperpunk.
Kurokawa already has a catalogue of almost 90 titles and continues to pursue its editorial expansion
with regular publication of successful new series, such as Les petites fraises (Little strawberries)
created by an illustrator of Japanese fanzines; Regatta, devoted to the world of rowing; Emma, a love
story set in Victorian England; Genshiken, on the subject of otaku (the Japanese term for fans overly
obsessed with manga) and the witches Vanilla and Chocola.
Finally, the latest blockbuster Ippo devoted to the world of boxing sold over 70 million copies in Japan
and should prove a success with numerous fans in France when published there in September 2007.
The launch of these series is backed up by powerful, creative marketing methods, such as publicity
campaigns in specialised media, animation spin-offs and an online buzz competition.
XO GROUP
Hall 6.1 D 927
In seven years (2000-2006):
• 125 titles published;
• of which almost 90 % (109 titles) have made the bestseller lists;
• and 70% (84 titles) have been widely sold internationally.
XO Editions
www.xoeditions.com
XO Editions’ aim is both simple and ambitious. Simple because it involves publishing few books, in
order to have enough time to focus on each one; ambitious, because Bernard Fixot aims to reach a
very wide readership, both within France and abroad.
Almost two thirds of Editions XO’s output comes from new French talent, with first novels by authors
such as Guillaume Musso, Romain Sardou, Mireille Calmel, José Frèches and Nicolas Vanier.
The group’s latest major successes in 2006 and early 2007 include Personne n’y échappera (No one
will get away) by Romain Sardou, Témoignage (Testimony) by Nicolas Sarkozy, La vengeance des
Dieux (Manhunt: Vengeance of the Gods) by Christian Jacq and Parce que je t’aime (Because I love
you) by Guillaume Musso.
OH ! Editions
www.oheditions.com
OH ! Editions publishes non-fiction documents and personal stories that are illustrative of social
phenomena, such as the condition of women, as well as contemporary fiction. A limited number of
works are published each year, in order to maximize resources and ensure the widest distribution both
in France and internationally.
Latest major successes in 2006 and early 2007 include Mukhtar Maï's In the name of Honour,
Hélène's I started with a joint, Brigitte’s J’habite en bas de chez vous (I live downstairs from you) and
Justine’s Ce matin j’ai décidé d’arrêter de manger (This morning I stopped eating).
Publishers not present at the Frankfurt Book Fair
EDITIONS FIRST
www.efirst.com
First mainly focuses on practical guides and information technology, offering a coherent range of
series with broad appeal. Using innovative marketing methods, First is the leading French publisher in
the IT market and ranks third in the practical guides sector.
Since its foundation in 1992, First has developed an editorial policy geared to the needs of its
readership, which has ensured the publisher’s rapid success. The catalogue has gradually expanded
and now covers three main sectors: fiction and non-fiction, practical guides and IT.
Holder of the Wiley licence, First has developped their well-known series ‘Pour les Nuls’ (Idiot’s guide)
both in the IT sector, with for example Windows Vista pour les Nuls (Idiot’s guide to Windows Vista),
and in the general interest sector, with L’histoire de France pour les Nuls (Idiot’s guide to French
history).
Contact
Caroline Destais-Brochain
2ter rue des Chantiers
75005 Paris
Tel. +33 (0)1 45 49 60 17 - [email protected]
EDUCATION
BORDAS
Hall 6.1 A 927
www.editions-bordas.com
Since its foundation in 1946, Bordas has always remained true to its original aim of providing access
to knowledge. The publisher is now a reference in the French publishing world. Specialised in the
publication of textbooks, Bordas supports pupils from preschool to secondary school. It also publishes
a large number of home-learning materials, teaching aids and reference books in the field of literature,
history, philosophy, music and comics.
As a key player in educational publishing in France, Bordas focuses on the quality and precision of
the works it publishes, as well as the proven track record of the educational methods put forward.
It has over the years had numerous successes in a wide range of subject areas. Most recent
successes include the earth and life sciences (‘Lizeaux - Tavernier’ series), the physical sciences
at secondary school level (‘Vento’ and ‘Espace’ series) and Spanish language studies (‘Apuntate!’
series).
As part of its pedagogical collections, Bordas publishes a wide range of teaching aids, such as
practical tools and studies on educational methods, to assist teachers in their work.
Bordas is a leader in the home-learning sector, with its indispensible series ‘L'année de ...’ which
dominates the field. Following a complete overhaul, the series has confirmed its market leading
position and distribution has increased very significantly.
In 2007 Bordas is launching back into the ‘exam preparation’ market, offering a complete range
based around 3 key series: ‘Fiches de Révision’, ‘L’Essentiel’, ‘les Exos +’. The overall concept is
branded ‘Mémobac’ and is already proving a success. 2007 also marks the publication of a
number of new home-learning titles for preschool and primary school children, with a focus on
edutainment, a field in which Bordas has a proven track record.
In the reference sector, Bordas publishes titles that have become essential works of reference in
the academic world and have also gained widespread public appeal. A few examples include the
celebrated Lagarde et Michard anthology of French literature, of course, but also the Mourre, an
encyclopaedic dictionary of history that comes in several different formats; more recent
publications include the Guide des mangas (Guide to manga) and the new Dictionnaire de la
langue française, a French language dictionary series covering various topics (Rhymes, Quotes,
Language traps, Synonyms).
Bordas is also expanding its catalogue of digital products, with the publication of CD-ROMs for
preschool (in the ‘Maternelle’ series, covering the whole programme) as well as the latest versions
of the Lagarde et Michard and the Petit Mourre available on CD-ROM. Nowadays, key science
textbooks and home-learning titles published by Bordas all come with a CD-ROM or relevant
website.
This approach demonstrates that Bordas has a keen eye on the way its readership is evolving, while
aiming to meet the needs of:
students, through textbooks that appeal, with unquestionable content;
teachers, with teaching aids suited to classroom practice; and,
the general public, with reference books that provide access to major areas of knowledge.
Last but not least, Bordas adopted a radically eco-friendly policy in 2007 by becoming the first
French publisher to print everything on recycled or FSC-certified paper.
CLE INTERNATIONAL
Hall 6.1 A 923
www.cle-inter.com
CLE International is the global market leader in teaching manuals for French as a foreign language. It
is present from preschool, with series such as ‘La petite grenouille’ (The Little Frog) and primary, with
‘Alex et Zoé’ and ‘Fluo’, to series for the 11-15s (‘Oh là là!’, ‘Déclic’ and ‘Junior Plus’) and 16-18s
(‘Métro Saint-Michel’ and ‘Belleville’), to adult education, where series include ‘Campus’, ‘Grammaire
Progressive du Français’ ‘Festival’, ‘Tout va bien’ and ‘Ici’. CLE International has also developed a
range of French language-learning tools for adults that focus on specific areas (such as ‘français.com’
and ‘hôtellerie-restauration.com ‘) as well as a beginner’s dictionary, the Robert & CLE International.
The CLE International catalogue contains over 800 titles, with over 100 new additions annually,
including books and CD-ROMs.
GROUPE DE BOECK
DE BOECK EDUCATION, UITGEVERIJ DE BOECK, DE BOECK UNIVERSITE, DUCULOT,
ESTEM, LARCIER
Hall 6.1 A 916
www.groupe.deboeck.com
The story of the De Boeck Group dates back to 1883 when the publishing house was founded. More
recently, its structure evolved in two stages. From 1985 to 1999, De Boeck was involved in mergers
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and acquisitions with various publishers, some of which were founded in the 18 century. These
included the merger of the Belgian educational publishers, Wesmael and De Boeck (1985); creation of
De Boeck University (1986); purchase of Dessain, an educational publisher specialised in ancient
languages (1987); acquisition of Larcier, specialised in legal publication (1991); purchase of Duculot
(1994).
Since 2000, the group has continued to expand, acquiring the Flemish educational publisher De Sikkel
and the educational division of Standaard Uitgeverij the same year. These years saw significant IT
developments with the establishment of DBiT, a subsidiary specialised in computerized document
management, and the acquisition of Fiscalnet, a tax information portal. Geographic diversification also
took place, with the acquisition of Estem, a medical publisher in Paris, and the creation of De Boeck
Diffusion, the group’s distribution subsidiary in France.
With over 200 employees, the group is present in France, Luxembourg and Belgium, with its
headquarters in Brussels and four editorial operations in Louvain-la-Neuve, Anvers, Gand and Paris.
With some 7,000 titles in the catalogue and around 500 new releases per year, the De Boeck group is
a major player in the French-speaking reference, educational, university and legal publishing sector.
The group joined Editis in Spring 2007 and is active, in both French and Dutch, in all aspects of
publishing for the knowledge sector, via six publishers: De Boeck Education, Uitgeverij De Boeck, De
Boeck Université Duculot, Estem, Larcier.
In order to enhance its offering as a publisher, the group has also developed two complementary
business activities:
•
Sales and distribution, via its subsidiaries De Boeck Services (DBS) in Belgium and De Boeck
Diffusion (DBD) in France, which distribute both the group’s own books and reviews, as well
as those of other speciliased publishers.
•
Computerized document management, i.e. digital processing, storage and management of
documents (including search & update facilities), to automatically feed into the paper
production line and printing process, as well as the online production and distribution of its
publications via its DBiT subsidiary in Luxembourg.
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The De Boeck group and its imprint Duculot publish the Bon Usage by Grevisse/Goosse, the 14
edition of which has just been released.
NATHAN
Hall 6.1 B 926
www.nathan.fr
Founded in 1881, Nathan’s titles cover the entire world of education, with materials for students and
teachers ranging from preschool to vocational and technical courses, home-learning materials and
revision aids, children’s books and educational games. Nathan’s titles develop a taste for learning
through a range of media, including early learning materials, teaching manuals, electronic schoolbags,
CD-ROMs, websites, magazines and textbooks, games, atlases and novels. Today Nathan is
recognised both in and beyond France for its expertise in the field of education and strong capacity for
innovation.
In Preschool, Nathan Matériel Educatif has more than 200 new products this year in every curriculum
area, including wooden puzzles to expand the horizons of the very youngest and Quadrimémo, an
unusual 3D memory matching game. On offer in French language are Atelier mots croisés and Atelier
écriture 2 for crossword and writing practice, and a new title to encourage new readers from the ‘Les
apprentis lecteurs’ series, Boucle d’Or et les Trois Ours (Goldilocks and the three bears).
The new ‘Ateliers Acromaths’ series is designed to encourage children’s first steps in maths with a fun,
friendly approach. Also in Maths, Atelier Quadriludi Tableaux logiques introduces children to two-way
tables.
Last but not least, the Imaginathan range proposes an innovative modular concept for the play corner.
This year Nathan Primaire offers the next part of the new reading scheme, ‘Un Monde à Lire’ (A world
to read) for 6-7 year-olds, helping new readers to explore the world and share it with others. New in
French language is the next part of the language and literature series ‘A livre ouvert’ (With an open
book) and the complete 2007 edition of the series for developing language skills ‘La Balle aux mots’
(The word ball). In mathematics, the ‘Vivre les Maths’ (Living maths) series concludes with a teacher’s
manual in colour and there are puzzles and games from the popular Kangourou series, popular
throughout Europe. Meanwhile Vers le monde (Towards the world) is a travel diary for use in history
and geography.
In Education the new reference series ‘Éducation en poche’ includes a new dictionary of education
with 100 key ideas arranged by theme.
MDI, La Maison Des Instituteurs, publishes teaching tools. The range has increased with over 40 new
titles, including Toute l’écriture (All about writing), a course teaching joined-up writing. Euréka des
problèmes pour chercher (Eureka problems to solve) provides an unusual combination of mathematics
and experimental methods. Particular attention has been paid to the sciences, with the ‘Découvrir le
monde’ series enhanced by two new titles, Matières et Objets (Substances and objects) and Le
monde du vivant (The living world). An a la carte set of transparencies can be superimposed and
photocopied to create a wide range of documents. This year’s themes are ‘Le Corps Humain‘ (The
human body) and ‘Cartographie‘.
Among the new textbooks on offer this year for secondary schools, four striking new titles deserve
special mention. Europe and the world post-1945 provide the focus for the first volume of the
secondary level history series ‘Le manuel d’Histoire franco-allemand’, jointly published by Nathan and
German publishers Klett and written by a team of teachers from France and Germany.
‘Les Carrés classiques Nathan’, a new series of original and classic works of literature, is offering 20
titles this year. Its aim is to foster a taste for reading among secondary school students through an
innovatory approach to content and a square format.
There are two new series in modern foreign languages, ‘Join the team’ for English, with a first textbook
for 10-11 year-olds, and ‘Juntos’ for Spanish, with a first textbook for 14-15 year-olds, both reflecting
the principles of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF).
Home-learning for Primary age children: a range of tools for alternative approaches to learning,
outside the school setting and all year round, including the summer holidays. The preschool list
includes Mon cahier d’école maternelle (My preschool workbook) and Les Ateliers de la maternelle
(Preschool workshop) as well as two new educational colouring books, Mes premiers mots d’anglais
(My first English words) and Mes premières additions (My first sums). ‘Daniel et Valérie’ make learning
to read and write fun with two new titles: Mes premiers pas en lecture (My first steps in reading) and
Mon premier cahier d’écriture (My first writing book). Designed for both Primary school children and
their parents, the ‘Je comprends tout!’ series has proved highly successful. It provides methodical,
complete cover of the entire curriculum, with appropriate content for all needs. Meanwhile Fred and
Jamy, heroes of the well-known television series on popular science, are on hand to help 6-11 yearolds have fun developing their skills in maths and sciences with two series: ‘Les Maths C’est pas
sorcier!’ and ‘Les énigmes, C’est pas sorcier!’ In the holidays young readers can revise with pleasure
with the 23 titles of ‘L’Énigme des vacances’, bursting with colour and suspense, whose perennial
success speaks for itself.
For older students there is a new edition of the Dictionnaire d’économie et de sciences sociales
(Dictionary of economics and social sciences), fully revised by C.D. Echaudemaison, the Petit guide
st
de la Littérature francophone, with a preface by Abdou Diouf, the new 2007 edition atlas of the 21
century L’atlas de l’Histoire de l’Europe, a new title in the ‘Repères Pratiques’ series, La gestion des
ressources humaines (Managing human resources) and many updated editions, including Le Vin dans
le monde, the book on wine throughout the world, which has been fully revised and explains all there
is to know on the subject, and last, but by no means least, the grammar and vocabulary series in
modern languages ‘Le Robert & Nathan’ and ‘Voie Express’.
Nathan Technique - Supérieur - Formation Adultes, present in 50 disciplines at 16 different levels,
is a market leader in vocational and technical training, particularly for the new Bac STG
(Baccalaureate in Management Sciences and Technologies) and Bac ST2S (Baccalaureate in Social
and Health Sciences and Technologies).
Vocational training recently saw the arrival of a new generation of manuals with a single volume
covering the French and history and geography syllabuses for students studying for the CAP
(Certificate of Professional Aptitude), and new multimedia packs including tailor-made short films for
15-18 year-olds on vocational courses, to help them gain a better understanding of the business
world. In technical education Nathan Technique has responded to the Bac STG and Bac ST2S
reforms with innovative new series linked to many online services for teachers.
Patnerships with the world of work (including the French standards authority AFNOR, training provider
Cegos and construction industry experts CNEI) ensure that training needs are perfectly met.
Nathan is also investing strongly in multimedia innovation. Many CD-Roms, over 250 accompanying
websites and, from 2007, the first web 2.0 interactive sites offer teachers essential complementary
materials for use in conjunction with manuals. In particular the new version of Lettris and the reference
tool Compter (Counting) offer multimedia materials to help adults out of illiteracy.
In addition, since May 2007 Nathan has launched several interactive sites in the main subjects
(English, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, Life and Earth Sciences and Health and Social
Sciences and Technologies) enabling teachers to access resources and exchange ideas with
colleagues.
Higher education
Nathan TSFA publishes books for students studying for diplomas and competitive exams for
administrators and paramedics and those taking preparatory courses in commerce and science. There
is also a new series of 22 high level accountancy titles produced in partnership with the Groupe Revue
Fiduciaire.
Adult education
Nathan TSFA is also developing series intended to transmit knowledge to wider audiences. The titles
in ‘Repères pratiques’ offer a synthesis of knowledge in a wide range of fields and some are
prescribed texts from secondary school to university. ‘Voie Express’ and ‘Géo Langues’ introduce
adults to foreign languages.
Nathan Jeunesse publishes titles for the early years, non-fiction and activity books and fiction for all
age groups.
The early years catalogue includes many flagship series (such as ‘Kididoc’), often featuring
characters that have become heroes for today’s French children, including T’choupi, Cajou and, in
2007, Emma, featured in books by Susie Morgenstern). This year again sees the arrival of some
exciting new concepts.
Petit Nathan’ invites us to explore a brand new range designed for babies from birth to 18 months.
This concept for the very young was developed with child psychiatrist Professor Catherine Graindorge,
who has provided notes for parents in every book, helping them to understand, create and enhance
the three-way relationship between parents, child and book.
Firmly established as a market leader, Nathan non-fiction features new titles for all ages, including Ma
petite encyclopédie Dokéo (for the under-6s). ‘Dokéo Dossiers’ on the themes of Jobs and protecting
the planet (ages 10+) complete the ‘Dokéo’ series.
This year the series ‘Mallettes métiers’ features a new activity book, C’est moi la vétérinaire (I’m the
vet) helping children to create endless scenarios for play on universal themes.
The fiction series ‘Nathanpoche’ continues to expand year on year with new titles by prestigious
authors and now includes over 200 titles for young readers on a very wide range of themes, including
detective fiction, humour and adventure. At the same time Nathan offers established authors the
opportunity to create large format novels for the ‘Europa’ series.
Back to school:
’C’est pas sorcier’: a brand new series with a new approach to information. In collaboration with
France 3 and Riff Production, Nathan announces a major publishing event: after 12 years on French
TV screens, ‘C’est pas sorcier’ will now also be available in bookshops. Several new titles from Nathan
set out scientific concepts in simple scenarios, using interactive techniques with carefully-designed
visuals to explain the theory. ‘Livres-poster/C’est pas sorcier’ is a non-fiction series featuring the
plurality of approaches and fun, lively style of the TV series. Each title has a corresponding poster
book, activity book and quiz book.
‘C’est pas sorcier d’être...’ is a documentary fiction series in which the reader becomes the hero, while
Mon année 2008 C’est pas sorcier offers 365 new animated questions and answers providing a piece
of information for every day of the year.
Azur et Asmar: to mark the release of the new film by Michel Ocelot (writer and director of Kirikou),
Nathan Jeunesse has published 5 books linked to the film Azur et Asmar: a theatre-book, picture
books, a novel and an illustrated non-fiction book take us to the heart of other cultures with
understanding and poetry. The success of this series has given rise to a new project for a highly
original illustrated book, a collection of 2000 vues du film (2000 images from the film).
Le livre des grands contraires philosophiques (The book of great philosophical opposites) has taken
up the slightly crazy challenge of making abstractions visible in order to help children learn to think.
The result is an extraordinary and resolutely original illustrated book presenting twelve pairs of
philosophical opposites, initially defined by their contrasts, then linked by a question and a conclusion
that reveal how each relies on the other. The fascinating illustrations that accompany each stage bring
the ideas to life, because thinking needs images just as abstraction needs its opposite, the concrete. A
unique book to look at and think with.
Nathan Loisirs et Société: in this new catalogue from Nathan every book is designed to fuel
enthusiasm and curiosity, from the fascination of parents for their children to the desire to explore
other cultures past and present, creativity in search of inspiration and the passions of star-gazers,
nature and animal lovers.
Also new this Autumn is a title from the family-oriented ‘L’Enfance pas à pas’ series, offering a guide to
infancy and a child’s first steps in the world. A range of experts join forces to discuss these questions
for the first time. The book has an accompanying DVD offering a lively presentation of further
information on early bonding.
Two new series respond to parents’ need to pass on their knowledge and to understand how their
child becomes socialised: ‘L’Enfance en Questions’ (Childhood through questions) is a series written
by established authors in the field (Patrice Huerre, Christian Baudelot and Roger Establet) and ‘Petits
cours de rattrapage à l’usage des parents’ (Brief revision lessons for parents) is published in
collaboration with Editions Adam Biro.
Why not transform ordinary family life by changing established patterns and discovering new things
about ourselves? On fait quoi aujourd’hui? (What shall we do today?) and Fait Maison (Home Made)
from the ‘Faire ensemble’ series offer a range of ideas for bringing new interest into everyday family
life. A multitude of games and activities provide opportunities for free expression and stimulate
imaginations, conversations and creativity, turning family life into an extraordinary adventure.
For amateur astronomers and star-gazers, the new edition of Le Ciel à l’oeil nu (The sky with the
naked eye) has just come out.
SYROS
Hall 6.1 B 926
www.syros.fr
Syros looks at the world
Pionneering publisher Syros is well-known for its bold, militant editorial policy. With the series ‘Souris
noire’ (Black mouse), followed by ‘Rat noir’ (Black rat), Syros was the first publisher to offer children
and teenagers the chance to read detective novels written by the greatest writers in adult crime fiction.
Today Syros remains a leader in the genre and has also opened up its catalogue to literature,
illustrated books, traditional tales and non-fiction. Although its boooks are known for their rigorous
excellence, Syros does not want them to be elitist, and to that end has launched ‘Mini Syros’, ‘Albums
souples’ (at very low prices) and, this year, the exciting new series ‘Le tour du monde d’un conte’ (A
tale’s world tour) revealing different versions from across the globe of the most popular and best-loved
tales. Syros’s non-fiction sector is more particularly aimed at older teenagers. ‘J’accuse!’, ‘Femmes!’
and ‘Les documents Syros’ use the words of real people telling their personal stories to create
intergenerational books that enable adults and teenagers to exchange ideas on the great issues facing
the world.
RETZ
Hall 6.1 A 927
www.editions-retz.com
Founded in 1975, the Retz brand sets the standard in educational innovation, personal and
professional development and support. Its catalogue comprises 700 titles (90 new releases annually)
in three categories:
Classroom methods for primary school (ages 3-10), including three flagship series, ‘J’apprends
les maths’ (ages 5-10, translated into English, Spanish, Basque, Breton and Corsican), the
reading methods ‘Mika’ and ‘À l’école des albums’ plus a language proficiency series, ‘Mon
Manuel de français’, a series of activity packs, ‘Les Ateliers Retz’, and a collection of preschool
picture books ‘Apprendre à parler, parler pour apprendre’.
Teaching skills: almost 20 series of titles for teachers, including ready-to-teach materials for
classroom work, educational theory and school plays, in which Retz is the market leader in
France.
Personal and professional development, educational support and remedial teaching, with home
learning series for children aged 3-12 and series in the field of formal and independent learning,
psychotherapy, psychiatry and management.
Publishers not present at the Frankfurt Book Fair
PARASCHOOL
www.paraschool.com
Founded in 2000, Paraschool is a new web-based company specialising in the design of interactive
content. It is currently making its mark in two main areas: vocational training and learning support.
Vocational training
The interactive vocational content developed by Paraschool is tailor-made for companies to suit their
approach to client communications. Paraschool has created a module for EDF, training users in the
liberalisation of the electricity market.
Learning support
The materials created by Paraschool are intended for pupils aged 8-18. They are 100 % interactive
and are designed either for pupils to use themselves outside class time, or as aids for teachers.
Paraschool also creates online lessons for individual learners.
e-learning
The vocational training materials are multimedia and/or online courses tailor-made for companies to
suit their professional development programmes. For example Paraschool has developed a training
module for pilots at Eurocopter.
REFERENCE
LE ROBERT
Hall 6.1 A 925
www.lerobert.com
A unique mix of top-of-the-range dictionaries, specialising in language and culture and available in
print or in digital format.
Le Robert French language dictionaries cover all aspects of the French vocabulary. Alain Rey’s
Dictionnaire historique de la langue française (Historical dictionary of the French language) reviews a
thousand years of French. The Grand Robert (14,000 pages) and Petit Robert are comprehensive
dictionaries describing word etymology and usage, illustrated in detail by quotations and examples.
In addition to these general dictionaries, Le Robert offers a complete range of French language
dictionaries, covering numerous themes and dialects, which are both works of reference and genuine
working tools. These are complemented by educational titles adapted to the needs of primary and
secondary school pupils.
The Robert & Collins range of bilingual dictionaries meets the needs of English and French speakers
alike, whatever their language level, thanks to a broad selection of adapted formats.
Le Robert dictionaries’ first-rate reputation is based on the publisher’s high standards and
contemporary approach to culture, the popularity of which has been confirmed by the enormous
success of its latest concept: the Dictionnaire culturel en langue française (Cultural dictionary of the
French language), first published in 2005 under the editorship of Alain Rey, which reveals the vast
historical and cultural context of each word.
A dictionary of furniture and works of art, Le Dictionnaire des mobiliers et objets d’art, published in
2006, is the first of its kind to enter Le Robert’s catalogue. Fully illustrated, it has in less than a year
become a reference among the general public. It offers a complete and previously unpublished review
st
of French furniture and works of art from the Middle Ages to the 21 century.
This season’s blockbuster is the Robert Encyclopédique des noms propres 2008 (an encyclopaedic
dictionary of proper nouns), the only cultural encyclopaedia in a single volume.
SERVICES
INTERFORUM - Diffusion Internationale
Hall 6.1 A 954
www.interforum.fr
Interforum - Diffusion Internationale operates in 100 countries, marketing French language
titles for Editis firms and other publishers in the following fields:
Education
Reference
Academic and Professional
Literature
Children
Multimedia and Games
An average annual total of around 10 million books exported.
Interforum - Diffusion Internationale’s principal assets are the skills of its team:
Expert knowledge of international markets
Interface between publishers and final clients
Tender management
Active presence at all events (exhibitions, conferences)
Representatives
The experience and performance of a team familiar with international trade, together with the quality
and diversity of the product, guarantee a leading market position for Interforum - Diffusion
Internationale.