After a record year in 2021 (+12.5%), and a relatively neutral year in 2022 (+0.9%), the publishing market in France is on the rise again in 2023 (+1.1%). Even if this result is linked to the rise in prices while volumes are slightly down. The results of the 200 groups and houses listed in our 28e annual ranking Books Weekly demonstrates a great resilience of the profession in the face of ecological imperatives, inflation or the paper crisis that it has been facing for at least two years. This is notably thanks to the explosion of the romance market.
A lot of change, not in the numbers but in the heads at the top of the ranking, since in 2023 Vivendi acquired Hachette, Arnaud Lagardère taking over the management of the group of which he had been the reference shareholder until then. At the same time, the Bolloré family group had to sell Editis to CMI, the structure of the Czech businessman Daniel Kretinskywho chose Denis Olivennes et Catherine Lucet to lead the group. Despite these major capital maneuvers, the top of the rankings has seen very few changes, since the first eight groups are the same as last year.
At the top, Hachette Livre saw its turnover increase by 2.2% in 2023, slightly less than the two previous years (respectively 5.7% and 9.4%). Editis is still second with figures down 4.8% (after a drop of 8% the previous year). Média-Participations, third in the ranking, suffered a drop of 2.7% (after an increase of 5.6% in 2022). Madrigall, 4ehas seen a drop in turnover for the second consecutive year (-1.5%). Lefebvre Sarrut, 5eprogressed by 2.4%, as did Huyghens de Participations (the group around Albin Michel editions, which is 6e) with +8.4%. Behind, LexisNexis, 7emade +4.3% while Glénat, 8eis experiencing a nice increase in its turnover: 16.2%.
Record progress for Auzou
It is only in ninth place that the ranking changes a little. Delcourt gains one place, despite a 6.4% drop in its results. Passing in front of Actes Sud (10e-2.8%). Let us also mention Auzou, who jumped from 22e at 11e place with a staggering increase in its turnover, which has almost tripled, thus becoming the second French player on the youth market, notably thanks to the development of comics, toys and television adaptations. Conversely, Panini has gone from 9e at 13e place showing a drop of 45.4%. Among the houses, we will note the good scores of Stock (Hachette, +61.8%), POL (Madrigall, +55%), largely thanks to the successes of Cédric Sapin-Defour and Neige Sinno. While, on the independent side, José Corti, 96erecorded an increase of 50.6%.
Last year, when commenting on this ranking, we were concerned about whether the encouraging results of the industry were “a lull before an announced storm.” It is clear that it did not happen. And if French publishing is at the dawn of a new era, its contours remain to be invented.
The sale of the Humensis group (PUF, Belin, L’Observatoire, Les Équateurs) and the announcement of the launch of the Les Nouveaux Éditeurs group by the former CEO of Hachette Arnaud Nourry Do they mark the beginning of this great upheaval or the continuation of a gentle restructuring of a mature and balanced market: this is the question that commentators are asking themselves as the literary rentrée is in full swing.
Find in the related documents our tables presenting the 10 main publishing groups; the distribution of publishers’ turnover; and the ranking of the top 200 French publishers.
Methodology
Methodology
This 28e edition of the ranking of the top 200 groups and publishing houses in France is based, like the previous ones1on data collected by returning questionnaires, queries of legal databases, annual reports and commercial court registries. It was carried out in collaboration with Stéphane Demazure (Marianna agency) and databases allowing online consultation of company accounts (tax returns). The parameter used as a ranking criterion is the accounting turnover excluding tax indicated in the income statement for the 2023 financial year. Only groups or independent entities, or those whose parent companies are abroad, benefit from a ranking rank. Subsidiaries appear but do not benefit from a ranking rank. The subsidiaries or distribution and broadcasting departments that certain groups or independent companies have were taken into account in the consolidated turnover. When the companies did not respond, they were ranked, without ranking, with their turnover for the previous year. Some publishers whose accounts are not filed with the court registry and who did not wish to communicate them, are absent from the ranking. Data collection was stopped on July 19, 2024. Only data communicated or available on that date were taken into account.
1. The 2023 ranking was published in LH No. 34, August 31, 2023, p. 40.
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