Hachette Livre acquires a major player in the publishing of imaginary works in France (Fantasy, science fiction and fantasy).
The first publishing group in the country announced on Tuesday February 1 that it had become the majority shareholder of the Bragelonne group (25th tricolor editorial group, with a turnover of 15.4 million euros in 2020).
Hachette had already made a first merger with Bragelonne in 2019, by taking a 43% stake in the group.
Read alsoThe Editis-Hachette merger project puts the world of publishing in all its states
"With this operation, Hachette Livre welcomes a major French publishing house, leader of imaginary literature, allowing it to strengthen its positions in very dynamic editorial segments"
, writes Hachette Livre in its press release.
The Bragelonne group joins the Illustré branch of Hachette, headed by Isabelle Magnac.
"The house will continue its development in autonomy and respect for the identity specific to the culture of Hachette Livre, while benefiting from the power of diffusion and distribution of the group, as well as from its international position",
is- He specifies.
Bragelonne has a catalog of 4000 titles and publishes more than 600 authors, such as Robert Jordan (
La Roue du temps
), Silvia Moreno-Garcia or Arthur C. Clarke.
In particular, he is the publisher in France of the Polish series
The Witcher
(
Le Sorceleur
), by Andrzej Sapkowski, which is a worldwide hit, also published by Hachette Livre in English-speaking countries.
With this acquisition, Hachette Livre also absorbs the group's board game subsidiary, Bragelonne Games, launched more than two years ago.
Read alsoBragelonne, the herald of fantasy
In the spring of 2021, Bragelonne found herself entangled in a scandal after a Mediapart investigation, questioning the behavior of its co-founder and editorial director, Stéphane Marsan.
No complaint was ultimately filed against him, but the case was considered the first MeToo case in the publishing industry.
During the summer of 2021, Stéphane Marson left the Bragelonne group.
He gave way to Bernard Chaussegros as president and to Claire Renault Deslandes as director of the publication.