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Comic Book Company Buys Major Literary Publishing Group, Including Abrams

French literary publisher La Martinière Groupe, which includes US publisher Abrams Edition is being bought by Média Participations, the French comics uber-publisher which includes publishers Fleurus, Dargaud, Dupuis, Rustica, Lombard in its portfolio. And in the very near future, that will include La Martinière.

Not only does this demonstrate the much greater power French comics publishers can muster than their American counterparts – the equivalent of Marvel buying Random House – there are also greater opportunity for synergy at an international publishing level.

Could, for example, Abrams be used as a way to lever the translation of French comics into English and access the US and UK market in a way that currently is only being partially exploited by the likes of Dark Horse, Humanoids, IDW, Titan and NBM?

Last year, La Martinière Groupe, the seventh largest French publisher in terms of size, had a turnover of 206 million euros last year, even after selling its distribution companies to the Editis group the year before. Brothers Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, better known as shareholders of Chanel own 46% right now while founder Hervé de La Martinière owns 29%. But the deal is being done.

Média Participations, had a turnover of 355 million euros last year and also bought control of book publisher Editions Anne Carrière in June.

The French are coming… the French are coming…

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