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. ©
