Publishing house re-built

Editions du Rocher's future is looking bright.

In March 2009, Marc Larive took over the management of Monegasque publishing house Editions du Rocher. During the previous 4 years the company had gone from being a successful Monegasque enterprise to struggling to survive. Before 2005 it ranked 6th in the list of French general publishers, and registered annual sales of 12 m euros. By 2008, sales had halved, and the catalog had been reduced from 250 to 80 titles. A lengthy court case drained the company of capital, so that when new Managing Director Marc Larive arrived last year, the publishing house was in a sorry state.

Editions du Rocher was bought by the group Parole et Silence / Desclee de Brouwer and in the past 18 months, Larive has restructured the company. Using new technology and working with 6 or 7 different printers, he's been able to cut production costs and work to short deadlines. The Monaco office has become the base for the directors and 2 permanent workers, while the Paris office lost 4 of its 13 staff. Larive set about building partnerships with Monegasque organizations such as the Fondation Prince Pierre and the Oceanographic Museum. It now releases 160 titles annually on a variety of subjects related to Monaco, and 2009 sales of 3.4 m euros have increased to 4 m euros this year.

Editions du Rocher is to launch a monograph about the Mediterranean on 18th November, marking the Principality's national celebrations with the rejuvenation of a Monaco brand.

Editions du Rocher chronology

• 1943, established in Monaco by Charles Orengo
• 1960s, joined the group Presses de la Cite
• 1984, Jean-Paul Bertrand becomes president
• 1987, bought by Jean-Paul Bertrand
• 2005, bought by Privat, a subsidiary of Pierre Fabre
• 2009, bought by Parole et Silence / Desclee de Brouwer

Le Rocher : soon a collection about the Mediterranean [1]

Editions du Rocher: meet the new owners [2]

Editions du Rocher turns a page in its history [3]

Editions Privat buys Editions du Rocher [4]