PRESS KIT
Comédia Publishing
July 2008
Comedia is an atypical book house that specializes in the publication of personalized novels sold on the internet.
A personalized novel from Comedia Publishing is a book in which any person can find themselves. Information filled out on line allows the reader to be plunged into the middle of a rich and exciting story and to become its hero
It is a fresh and unique present to offer oneself or someone close.
Etienne Rérolle, the founder of Comedia Publishing, imagined a software tool that would allow this fine-tuned personalization of a text.
Comedia thus proposes two types of customized novel:
- General public novels: 3 plot lines are currently available in English, whereas 8 are already available in French
- Company novels: The text is custom-tailored for the company who may insert the characteristics of its target audience: customers, collaborators, partners, etc.
With its self-publishing pole, Comedia also offers to all writers the possibility of publishing their works so that they may be preserved or given as gifts.
Comedia Publishing
Numbers, dates, names
Identity Sheet
Established: 1998
Number of Employees: 25
Capital: 46 000 euros
2007 revenues: 1.3 million euros
R&D investment: 15%
Net profit: 24%
Average age: 33 years old
Adress :
272 chemin de l'Auberge de Jeunesse
30 900 Nīmes - France
Phone : 33 4 66 36 00 66
Mail : david.chevrel@comedia-publishing.com
boris.ferlet@comedia-publishing.com
Site: www.comedia-publishing.com
Worksheet
Comedia Publishing has developed a revolutionary novel-generating software program. The seventh version allows as many as 550 fields to be filled out, going from the hero's title and address, to lifestyle (bank, favorite restaurants, preferred cuisine), to behavior (tics, attitudes toward money, stress management, response to danger). The combination of these attributes deeply affects the development of the plot. The novel is further personalized by the inclusion of members of the hero's entourage in the secondary roles based on the information provided by the customer.
This phase permits a sharp and optimal personalization of the novel
This inventive approach to literature, complete interactivity, won the Capital IT technological innovation award. And, thanks to the support from the staff of Comedia Publishing and the partnership with Oséo Anvar, the process just keeps getting better.
A few things to consider :
The time it takes the internet user to fill out the coauthor's guide: an average of one to two hours
Number of entries: up to 550
One entry may be integrated several times during the course of the story. Others require the remodeling of entire paragraphs.
Each novel benefits from proofreading and correction by an assistant editor.
The time it takes for the client to receive the novel: one to two weeks depending on the period.
Progression of Sales
2004 : 8 500 books
2005 : 17 000 books
2006 : 33 000 books
2007 : 41 000 books
Progression of turnover
2004 : 303 784 €
2005 : 548 058 €
2006 : 1 088 677 €
2007 : 1 300 000 €
Comedia Publishing's partners in France
Evene : www.evene.fr
Fnac.: www.fnac.com
Notre famille : www.notrefamille.com
Id Original : www.id-original.com
Cadeau : www.cadeau.com
Cadeau Malin: www.cadeaumalin.fr
Amikado : www.amikado.com
History
1998
Emergence of the idea in July
Legal status established in December
1999
After 18 months of development; the first test runs. The coauthor guides are simple Word files to fill out.
2000
First titles and sales on the website www.monroman.com
2001
Capital-IT technological innovation award in partnership with Oséo Anvar
2004
More than 8 000 copies sold
2005
Creation of the “company novel” activity
2006
An important media success with the presentation of our product in popular television and radio shows .
2007
Creation of a protected site for the customer to fill out the coauthor's guide online
2008
Translation of the three first titles in English.
Commercial launch in Great Britain.
Appearance of two new titles: one, a collection of five historic short stories, and a second of five erotic short stories
The founder : Etienne Rérolle
Like all great ideas, this one doesn't escape the rule of when-least-expected. Etienne Rérolle's first passion, literature, burst in during the practice of his second, yachting. For this book lover, living on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, infatuated with adventure and distant horizons, what could have been better than working in publishing?
The idea is very fresh and totally different from what is out there: enable anyone to dive into a fictional adventure and become its hero.
Comedia Publishing is established in Nīmes, in the South of France, in 1998. A simple idea that is in reality extremely complex to develop, he invents the concept of the customizable novel and, in collaboration with the computer specialist Yves Roque, they design a unique novel-generating software program.
The first book leaves the printers' more than a year and a half later and will have mobilized a team of four people in order to offer an online service on par with the standards of international Commerce.
A versatile team- more than twenty people
There are two computer specialists. They optimize the website and the customer downloads. They also facilitate the evolution of the software and the concept.
Six administrative assistants divide between them the following responsibilities: the order desk, communication, operations and logistics for foreign markets, press and commercial relations.
There are about fifteen assistant editors who receive and process the information given by the customers and who make any necessary corrections so that the novel may be personalized.
The chain ends with the three person production team who are responsible for the printing, binding and expedition.
Comedia Publishing products
Customized interactive novels
Customized company novels
Self-published books
Interactive novels for the general public
What is it :
Comedia Publishing succeeds in delivering personalized novels to its customers. It's a novel whose plot was written by an author and which features a certain number of elements that are developed and/or drafted by a co-author: the customer. The latter fills out a co-author's guide, or questionnaire in which he designates a hero along with a few secondary characters taken from the hero's circle of friends and family. The resultant novel is a unique edition that features individuals and takes into account all of their personal details (profession, physical description, behavior, location).
The principle:
The customer visits the Comedia Publishing website, chooses which book to co-write, and fills out a detailed questionnaire. The person chosen to be the hero of the novel is going to be unveiled: a brief biography, personal or professional address, physical description, behavior, and entourage. For each storyline there is a different questionnaire, adapted to that particular scenario. The co-author may modify the subtitle, include a dedication and write a letter (that will be integrated into the text), thereby sending very personalized messages to the recipient.
« Behind the scene »:
As soon as the payment is registered, the order is placed. The Comedia Publishing team waits for the co-author's guide to be completed by the customer. As soon as it is received, an assistant editor is assigned to prepare the novel: that will be the only person to see to it and will be the one who clarifies any shady spots. The information is verified and the answers are put into shape so as to perfectly mesh with the novel. The Comedia software “digests” the given information and adapts it to a matrix (text written by an author). The book is then printed, bound, and mailed out.
Eight customizable storylines:
A veritable interface between the customer and the software, there are currently eight novels in different collections available: espionage, mystery, romance, crime, children's.
To each their own choice of style to write their own novel!
Three of the titles are already available in English, and the five others are currently being translated.
Couple of the year:A truly special gift...
When your couple's best friends or close relatives set out to organise your couple's anniversary party, and send you a journey down to Egypt, why would you turn down the occasion? Everything supports this opportunity for a real intimate break. But nothing will happen as planned. Can one really trust friends and family?
A national phenomenon!
Just imagine a life, yours, uneventful and organised like a clock mechanism, when suddenly, bang! You incidentally discover that you have been unwittingly subjected to an unusual medical experiment. Your world is turned upside down. You have become someone else...
Industrial counter-intelligence detective...
It's what's called "going ballistic"!
What made you want to become a "Detective in Industrial Counter-Intelligence"? If your intuition may be brilliant, you do still have the unfortunate habit of getting
White as snow
It all started with a simple phone call! At 4 a.m. and anonymous, of course!
You have just been blacklisted by a crazy person. When you finally understand what's going on, it's too late. You have only seven days left to live… And it looks like a snow storm is moving in.
Friendship is sacred!
So, when someone close (friend or family) disappears and turns out to be in mortal danger, you are ready to move heaven and earth to save them. A race against time begins and leads you from the capital city to winding mountain roads in the back country. Your insight and reflexes are the threads from which are dangling…their salvation. An unrelenting mechanism has been set in motion: it's up to you to stop it! Be careful, you're next.
Has the world gone crazy?
Today is not just another day! You're on your way to school, like usual. But all of a sudden, things get weird: the weather goes nuts, classmates are acting funny. Not to mention the green wart everyone has on their neck. So when everyone keeps on repeating “She sells sea shells down by the sea shore”, you know there is trouble…
Three new titles will be added to the catalog this fall; one is an heroic fantasy book for children the second a collection of five historic short stories that will plunge the character into as many adventures in time and the third is a collection of five erotic short stories for equally exhilarating journeys.
Frequently asked questions about the interactive novel
How are customized novels edited?
It is the marriage between a highly capable software program and an assistant editor who is going to ensure that the “soul” of your storyline is correctly transferred to your novel.
Can I say anything; write anything in a Comedia Publishing novel?
Yes, the coauthor may include just about anything in their script, with the exception of what is prohibited by the law on disorderly conduct as concerns violence, sex, inciting racial hatred, etc. This being said, some of our books have the option of containing a “hot” passage!
Is the coauthor's name visible?
Yes, the coauthor's name appears in the same place as the author of the generic novel, and this is even an obligation, the book could not be published without it.
Is all of the supplied information protected?
Yes, we respect all of the rules of confidentiality and the right to privacy. We have signed an agreement with the CNIL, we make no commercial use of the information that is entrusted to us.
Is it possible to include a photo of the coauthor or the hero?
Yes, the inclusion of photos is possible. Pictures of the coauthor and/or the characters appear on the book cover's fold-back flaps: customizable.
Is it possible to get extra copies?
Yes.
Customer service:
A hotline is in service at the number (33) 4 66 36 00 66 or by email with a guaranteed response in under four working hours.
This service is at no extra charge (not counting the cost of the call). In addition, our assistant editors are there to proofread what is written, correct any eventual mistakes and ensure the textual integrity of the “finished” novel.
How do I fill out the booklet?
The customer can write in sentences or respond more briefly, in which case the assistant editor will write in the answers.
The customized company novel
Most companies are looking for a way to stand out and innovate, and that's why Comedia Publishing has invented a unique means of communication: the customized company novel. Through its format and the messages that it sends, this prop embodies a note of originality, relevance, and effectiveness for a reasonable price and observes a qualitative approach to communication.
It all started as a shared supposition between the company and Comedia Publishing, who then went about looking for a writer who would be compatible with the project. The chosen author anchors the company in a fictional story designed especially for it with the parameters that it chooses put forward and in a literary style (mystery, crime, fantasy, comic) of its choice. The book cover is also customizable, and it is possible to include a dedication on the fold-back flap, a picture of the “hero”, a bookmark, an advertisement, a banner. The story is shared but each collaborator or customer will get their own copy that will be unique in some way: the name, the address, the town, the profession, the workplace, tics, habits, colleagues. This individualized personalization was made possible by the invention of a unique software program and by the set up of questionnaires that are specific to each title.
This extremely targeted prop encourages an original and enduring communication with collaborators, customers, or the company shareholders. It's a new way to pass messages like results and the company's new stakes, the description of a product, acknowledgement to loyal customers. Beyond the appreciation felt in receiving a present, the novelty of the idea will impress the reader.
Website: www.romandentreprise.com
Self-publishing
More and more people are spending their spare time writing. No matter the subject: biography, short story, novel, poetry, essays… and they would like to materialize these traces in the form of a book, either to be kept or to be offered as a gift.
Comedia offers its services to its customers who seek guidance or help during all of the phases leading up to the realization of their project, which is to say from the receipt of the text in computer file format, to the expedition of the hard copy. The editor offers his skill and his experience as a numeric printer to make the wish a reality.
Each year, tens of writers put their trust in Comedia, who guarantee quality, price and delivery time.
Website: www.auto-edition.fr
Contact information
www.comedia-publishing.com
EDITIONS COMEDIA
272 chemin de l'Auberge de Jeunesse
F-30900 Nīmes - FRANCE
www.ed-comedia.com
