RBmedia enters French language market with acquisition of Éditions Thélème

RBmedia has acquired French audiobook publisher Éditions Thélème, as it moves into the French-language audio market. 

The brand will now oversee the existing Éditions Thélème audiobooks catalog and handle all its new French-language titles in the future.
Founded in 1990, Éditions Thélème specialises in publishing classic and contemporary French-language audiobooks, from authors including Marcel Proust, Victor Hugo, Plato, Jane Austen and Emily Bronté.

The brand will join W F Howes, Wavesound, BookaVivo, and the recently launched German arm RBmedia Verlag as RBmedia’s international audiobook publishing businesses.

Miles Stevens-Hoare, m.d. of RBmedia international, said: “RBmedia has established itself in the English, Spanish and German language audiobook markets—Éditions Thélème is the next step in our expansion into additional languages. With the increasing global demand for audiobooks, which we have seen mirrored in France, Éditions Thélème gives us the perfect platform to develop our French language business.”

Éditions Thélème founder and m.d. Adeline Defay said: “I founded Éditions Thélème when I noticed a hole in the French publishing market—there was no audiobook offering for classic literature. Since its creation more than 30 years ago, our motto has always been ‘great authors read by great actors’. It’s rewarding to see RBmedia further our goal of making these essential texts accessible to everyone, everywhere.”