SELLING
FOREIGN-LANGUAGE RIGHTS by Dan Poynter
When you write a manuscript, you are creating
a Work. The Work may be published in several different formats (editions):
hardcover, softcover, audiotape, eBook, magazine condensation, newspaper
serialization, movie, translations, etc. These are called “subsidiary
rights”.
By having your book translated into other languages,
more people will benefit from your message, you will gain a new profit center
and the sale counts as an "endorsement". In book publishing, success breeds
success. The more you sell, the more you sell. Part of your sales package is a
list of the subsidiary rights you have sold. Publishers would sell more foreign
rights if they just took the time to let international publishers know of their
books.
Publishers in the United States are very lucky. English is the
business language of the world, it is the aviation language, it is the Web
language, and it has replaced French as the diplomatic language and German as
the scientific language. The market for our original English-language books is
quite large. Worldwide, more people speak English as a second language than any
other. But given a choice, many people would prefer to read your book in their
first language.
Babel; because the Lord did there confound the
language of all the earth. —Genesis, XI. 9.
Language rights
are sold to publishers in other countries. They translate the book, design it,
typeset it, have it printed and then plug it into their existing distribution
system. You do not want to take on these functions as you do not have ready
access to their markets. It is hard to sell books in a distant land.
I
sold the Spanish-language rights to The Skydiver's Handbook to a publisher in
Madrid. Though only 13% of the skydivers in the U.S. are women, I made the book
gender equitable. I show female instructors and competitors. When I received
the translation, I noticed the text was completely masculine¯the Spaniards
took out all the women!
After some reflection (actually snickering), I
decided not to object. I realized this Spanish aviation publisher knows its
(macho) customer base better than I. Being closer to their buyer, they know
what will sell. Contact the publishers’ associations in major language
groups: Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Japan. See International Literary
Marketplace or visit their exhibits at book fairs. Ask them to recommend
memberpublishers that specialize in your type of books.
Match your
book to the international publisher; they are the ones to contact. They know
what you are talking about and they know where to sell your book.
Wring more value out of your Work by having your book read around the
world.
Dan Poynter does not want you to die with a book still
inside you. You have the ingredients and he has your recipe. Dan has written
more than 100 books since 1969 including Writing Nonfiction and The Self-
Publishing Manual. For more help on book writing, see
http://ParaPub.com. ©
2003
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