Businesses

Lagardère Publishing

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The Book Publishing subsidiary, which publishes more than 12,000 new titles every year, focuses on general literature, textbooks, and illustrated and reference works. It also publishes booklets, which are sold at newsstands. Publishers, often the heirs to a long historical tradition, remain the heart and soul of the Lagardère Publishing organization, which aims to be an association of human-scale publishing houses that respect different cultures and skills.

The group benefits from its balanced representation in its three key language markets: French, English and Spanish. In addition, Lagardère Publishing operates in other parts of the world as a publisher, broadcaster and distributor – booklets in Japan and Poland, and textbooks in Morocco and Côte d'Ivoire, for example.

Literature

In the 1850s, Librairie Hachette expanded into general literature by publishing great authors like Victor Hugo and Charles Dickens. A century and a half later, Lagardère Publishing ranks No. 1 in adult literature in France. The group's Book Publishing subsidiary comprises such prestigious publishing houses as Grasset, Fayard, Stock, J.C. Lattès and Clamann-Lévy, as well as Hachette Littérature, Livre de Poche and Editions Harlequin.

In 1998, with the acquisition of the British group Orion, Lagardère Publishing  made its entry into the English-language market in the general literature segment. In 2004, it considerably strengthened its position with the acquisition of Hodder Headline, a well-regarded publisher in this sector. And in 2006, Lagardère Publishing  crossed the Atlantic for the first time, acquiring Time Warner Books, which became Hachette Book Group USA in the United States and Little Brown Book Group, reporting to Hachette Livre UK, in the United Kingdom. Lagardère Publishing currently publishes general literature throughout the English-language market.> Since 2004, the Anaya group has ensured Lagardère Publishing's presence in the Spanish-language general literature market through four reputable publishing houses: Alianza Editorial, Ediciones Catedra, Ediciones Xerais and Algaida.

Textbooks

In France, Lagardère Publishing currently leads the market in textbook and other educational publishing. Its educational materials are published by two leading firms: Hachette Education and, since 1996, the Alexandre Hatier Group (founded in 1880), which notably includes the publishing house Didier. The university sector and the general and professional training sectors improved their positions by acquiring Armand Colin and Dunod in 2004.

With the acquisition of Hodder Headline, Hachette Livre UK has become a key player in the education sector. Hodder Education, one of the UK’s major publishers in this sector, mainly focuses on secondary education, a market in which it ranks second. In March 2006, the British publishing house Philip Allan, which specializes in secondary education programmes, also joined the group.

In the Spanish-language market, Lagardère Publishing  has a presence covering the entire education sector, from kindergarten to university, and in the job training sector as well. The group built up its position in several stages. In 1996, thanks to Edelsa, a Hatier subsidiary, Lagardère Publishing  became a leader in the world market for Spanish language-learning courses. In 2001, Bruño, a publisher of textbooks and other educational materials for over a century, joined Lagardère Publishing . And in 2004, Lagardère Publishing  became No. 1 in the textbook market in Spain when it acquired Anaya, the country’s leading educational publisher in 2005-2006, while establishing a stronger presence in Latin America.

Illustrated books

Young readers, practical and travel guides, and large-format illustrated books are areas in which the publishing houses that comprise Lagardère Publishing  demonstrate an expertise characterized by creativity and innovation.

In France, Hachette Jeunesse, through its Bibliothèque Rose and Bibliothèque Verte collections, plus Gautier-Languereau, Rageot, and Didier Jeunesse, in particular, offer children a vast array of imaginary worlds. Hachette Tourisme leads its sector while Hachette Pratique lists some 500 titles in its practical-guides catalogue, supplemented by Marabout publications in the same segment. Lastly, Chêne, E.P.A. and Hazan set the standard with their beautiful art books.

Cassell & Co., an Orion subsidiary, joined Lagardère Publishing  in 1998, heralding the group’s entry into the UK illustrated book market with practical guides and large-format illustrated books, works highly valued by British readers. The Watts Publishing Group enables Lagardère Publishing  to penetrate the youth market, a position strengthened by the acquisition of Hodder Headline in 2004. Three years earlier, the buyout of Octopus Publishing Group had added five of the UK’s largest illustrated book publishers to Hachette Livre UK’s portfolio. In 2006, Hachette Book Group USA gave Lagardère Publishing  a presence in the United States, both in the illustrated book – practical guides and large-format books – and youth segments. Illustrated books are Lagardère Publishing’s second leading business line in the English-language market.

The publishing houses Anaya, Larousse, Bruño and Salvat are well known in the Spanish-speaking world for their illustrated publications, including books for young readers, practical and travel guides, and large-format illustrated books. The Larousse acquisition represented a major step in the group’s establishment in the Spanish-language market, especially in Latin America. Lagardère Publishing  ranks No. 2 overall in the illustrated book sector, while the youth segment leads the Spanish market.

Dictionaries, encyclopaedias and collections

Mastering knowledge requires superior resources. In France, Diderot, Emile Littré and Pierre Larousse produced the illustrious forerunners of the reference works we call encyclopaedias and dictionaries. Lagardère Publishing carries on this tradition with Hachette Education, Hachette Collections, Le Livre de Paris and, since 2004, Larousse and its Harrap's imprint. This sector is experiencing strong international growth in Europe, Latin America and Japan. Lagardère Publishing  ranks No. 1 in France in the monolingual and bilingual dictionary sector.

The development of English-language reference works is concentrated in the United Kingdom. This began with the creation of Hachette Partworks in 1998, and continued in 2004 when Chambers and Harrap's joined the group and expanded its offering of dictionaries and thesauruses.

In Spain, Lagardère Publishing  has become established in the reference-works market over the past 20 years through Salvat Editores, which specializes in encyclopaedias and booklets. The group's acquisition of Anaya in 2004 strengthened its presence in this sector. Since then, Lagardère Publishing  has expanded into monolingual dictionaries with Vox and Larousse and bilingual dictionaries with Harrap's. Lagardère Publishing  also enjoys a strong presence in this market in Portugal and Latin America, namely Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Venezuela.