After 20 years of existence, Editions Lambert-Lucas announced their acquisition by Chiron Média, a Swiss group linked to the publishing house Academic Press Fribourg, recently associated with Éditions Montsalvens and managed by Romain Chesa. The transfer of skills, projects and capacities is already underway and the transfer should be signed in early 2025.
A house born from a university collaboration
Founded in 2004 by around ten retired Limousin university professors, the Lambert-Lucas editions aim to publish scientific works in the field of French-speaking language sciences, particularly in linguistics, sociolinguistics and related disciplines such as semiology or discourse analysis.
Marc Arabyanone of the founders, was appointed to take charge of the creation of the house. “ In addition to having taught at the IUT of Limoges, I worked for almost ten years at Éditions L'Harmattan. I therefore had the necessary skills to manage the model, the layout and the relations with the distributors and the printer. », he explains to Weekly Books. His wife Genevieve Lucasthen a business manager, also played a key role in establishing the structure. The name of the house also takes up his surname as well as that of Marc Arabyan's mother, Madame Lambert.
« It's time to pass the torch »
With a turnover of 120,000 euros per year, the Limoges-based house is however not considered a publisher by the National Publishing Union and also does not benefit from aid from the National Center for book in view of its insufficient circulation. But that did not prevent Marc Arabyan and his wife, the only two employees, from publishing nearly 500 works in 20 years, which amounts to around thirty releases per year, including 25 new releases and five reissues of unobtainable classics.
Marc Arabyan is delighted with the acquisition of Lambert-Lucas: at almost 80 years old, it is time, according to him, “ to stop working and pass the torch, to enjoy the children and grandchildren “. He nevertheless expresses a feeling of disappointment at the refusal of five French publishing houses asked to take over the establishment: “ A little gem of French publishing goes to Switzerland », he concludes.
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