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How To Self-Publish An Out Of Print Book In Translation Part 1: Why All Book Authors And Translators Should Care About It

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Extra income potential without writing and translating a book from scratch

Who would not want a bit of extra cash? A lot of authors are retrieving their copyrights of out of print books these days. Up to now, however, these have only been original books, but it can be done with translations as well and I am currently in the process of self-publishing an out of print book as a translator.

Now you might ask yourself, why should I bother if I do not yet have a book in translation? Especially as a successful English language author you could be offered a translation contract by a foreign book publisher out of the blue. And in your excitement you may overlook the fineprint.

Or you might  have tried to get a contract with a foreign publisher for a while and all of a sudden it is finally happening and you are so keen on it that you gladly accept any terms and conditions they offer.

I believe it is important to know your rights from the start to be prepared and make the most of any books you have out there – or to make the most of your translation skills as a translator.

Books in translation can easily go out of print

I said it before and I am saying it again: authors are nowadays expected to do quite a bit of marketing themselves and this is rarely possible for books in translation if the author doesn’t speak the other language.

Foreign publishers will therefore usually do a special promotion for translated books in the beginning, but they cannot keep this up. I saw it myself in Germany when books that I translated were offered in large quantities for a very short time and then they vanished from the shops as fast as they had turned up.

If the author does not have a big name, this can lead to a book being “lost in translation” rather quickly.

Out of print can mean different things, however, depending on the clauses in the contract, and in the age of ebooks and print on demand a publisher could theoretically hold on to the rights forever, even if the book does not sell any copies at all. Would you not rather earn royalties instead?

Author and translator need each other…

In order to self-publish an out of print book, nobody can do it on their own but a translator needs to come to an agreement with the author and vice versa.

In general, translators need to do more than they are used to, above all marketing, at least unless the author is able to speak the language as well, which would be even better. On the other hand, more involvement of the normally invisible translator can also lead to a feeling of emporwerment for them. It has certainly felt like that for me. And who apart from the author knows a book that well and can decide whether it might be worthwhile to give it a try?

Most translators that I know are not even used to earning any royalties at all and this can be a totally new experience.

The German translation is now available at a special price for a short time only, e.g. via this link:

I couldn’t resist using the following Star Trek analogy, especially because I translated so many Star Trek film subtitles in the past…

…to boldly go where no-one has gone before…

It is actually true: I did something new, I couldn’t find any role models for this project, despite extensive research and talking to a many people in the book industry and had to figure everything out by trial and error and. Although it was a lengthy procedure, I was determined to see it through .

Now I am happy to say I am self-publishing the out of print novel “Knowing Sophie – Die Unbekannte” by Brenda Little after coming to an agreement with the original right holders.

I have now learned more about the rights of translators and authors – or in my case the author’s heirs.

Most people and organisations that I asked for advice were encouraging and helpful, but a few experts told me I had to follow certain procedures, which according to them were essential, but they didn’t lead anywhere.

Next time I am going to tell you in detail what worked and what didn’t so that you do not have to repeat my mistakes and also what to pay attention to before signing a contract with a foreign publisher.

 

And if you fancy some inspiration to boldly go into new territory, I have a Star Trek music parody for you.
Warning: Only click on it if you are up for a little silliness 😉

 

 

 Read part 2 of this article: How to self-publish a book in translation – copyright issues

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Haroldo Conti’s “Southeaster”: Talk with Translator and Self-Publisher Jon Lindsay Miles

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A few days ago, I attended an event at the Free Word Centre here in London with Jon Lindsay Miles as the translator and self-publisher of  “Sudeste”, a book that was originally published in Spanish. He talked to senior editor Sophie Lewis of And Other Stories, the publishing house that has now picked up this book.

Everything started, when Jon Lindsay Miles discovered the long forgotten Argentinean book at his local library in the South of Spain. He was immediately gripped and wanted to translate it into English. But first he needed permission from the author’s heirs and travelled to Argentina to meet them in person. They were happy to grant him the right to translate and self-publish “Sudeste” – even though Haroldo Conti is well-known in Argentina, none of his books had ever been translated into English.

Conti was one of the people who disappeared in Argentina without a trace in 1976 after the military coup and was then probably murdered. The translator, however, stressed that he was not focussing on this fact, but on the book’s content and on the way he himself as a reader interpreted it.

In the story, atmosphere is important, the bleakness of the environment including a river and the reclusion of the protagonist. When Jon read part of the book, you could really tell how passionate he was about it. And when he spoke about his own life in a remote area in Spain, I couldn’t help thinking there might be some parallels between him and the main character.

In order to self-publish “Southeaster”, Jon even set up a little publishing house called Immigrant Press. At first, he did everything on his own, but now that the book was taken on by UK publishers And Other Stories, the new edition was going to involve an additional editing process. Editor Sophie Lewis confessed they had been a bit worried how Jon would react to any changes made to his work. But there was no need: the translator had no problem with it.

 

It was great to see how dedicated everyone involved is to “Southeaster”. Of course first of all the translator, because without him the book would never have been published in English. But then there are also the lovely people of And Other Stories, who can now help to find more readers for the book. And I met more interesting people at The Free Word Centre. This place is really, in their own words: a unique “international centre for literature, literacy and free expression in the world”.

 

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20 Reasons Why I Love E-books

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I can’t do without e-books anymore and here are my reasons:

1. Buying Foreign Books Is Easy

You don’t have to pay expensive postage for foreign e-books and can start reading straigthaway. The German satire novel “Look who’s back” – “Er ist wieder da” (translated into English by Jamie Bulloch) is an example: it is available as an e-book in different languages around the world.

 

2. Learning Opportunity Through Dictionaries

You may come across unfamiliar words while you are reading. Monolingual dictionaries are usually preinstalled – my Kindle has the Oxford Dictionary of English, the New Oxford American Dictionary as well as the German Duden Universalwörterbuch and some others. Dictionaries are particularly useful when you are reading books in foreign languages and you can buy additional bi-langual ones for e-readers.

In the pre-ebook era I rarely looked up unfamiliar words, because it would have been too invonvenient and I usually understood the vague meaning from the context anyway. This didn’t really improve my language skills, but now I am learning a lot more each time I am reading a book in a foreign language.

3. Further Learning Opportunity Through Wikipedia

Some books mention unfamiliar concepts that can’t be found in dictionaries and are often not necessary to understand if you just want to grasp the basic meaning of something, but I have a lot of information at my fingertips through Wikipedia on my e-reader when I am connected to Wifi. This would be another wasted learning opportunity with print books because it is the same as with dictionaries: I find it too tedious to use an external encyclopedia.

4. E-Books Are Often More Up To Date Than Print Books

Changes can be implemented quickly into e-books, especially if they are written by self-published authors, who are able to do everything themselves. New books can be launched faster as well. I am sure this will be even more important in future, since the information we rely on is changing more and more rapidly.

5. Benefits for Self-Publishers And Their Readers

Self-published e-books are usually cheaper than those from publishing houses, as self-publishers have lower expenses and are still able to earn good royalties.

In addition, self-publishers have more flexibility in various ways and are for example free to decide the length of their books. I read several good quality self-published non-fiction e-books that focussed on the essence of a topic and saved me some time.

Translators can be publishers as well, sometimes finding interesting books that nobody else would publish.

6. Special E-Book-Offers

Certain websites are featuring special e-book offers for limited time periods, for example bookbub.

7. Free Classics

A lot of classics are permanently free for Kindle, among them one of my favourites, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

8. Marking Text And Adding Notes Is Easy

I love marking text – whenever I want to read the most interesting parts of a book again, I just flick through the marked text. In e-books I can add markings and notes quickly and may change or delete them just as easily.

9. Text Passages Can Be Found Quickly

In print books, I can sometimes find certain parts of the text only after an extensive earch, if at all, even if there is an index. The search function in e-books makes things a lot easier.

10. Easy Relocation And Mobile Life

When I moved to the UK many years ago, I arrived with just one backpack and one suitcase, I left a lot of books behind and most of the weight that I carried consisted of print books as e-books did not yet exist back then. That was quite a pain and I am glad I will definitely take all my e-books with me when I am moving again.

Paper books can also take up a lot of space in moving vans. And just think of the modern nomads who are living without a permanent residence nowadays  –  unthinkable without an e-reader!

11. Spending Less For Accomodation

Some might think I am exaggerating now, especially those who don’t read much or who are lucky enough to live in a large home, but I am not joking: accomodation costs are an issue for me as well. London is one of the most expensive cities of the world, but I believe that those who are based in smaller towns can also reach their limits with print books if they cannot or do not want to spend more than necessary.

12. I Always Have My Whole E-Library On Me

When I am out and about reading at a cafe, a pub, in a park or wherever I go – I always have my whole e-library on me.

13. Convient On Holiday

On holiday, I can buy as many e-books as I want in advance and download more at my holiday destination, provided I have WiFi access. I don’t have to carry print books and on the plane I save extra charges for heavy suitcases.

14. Reading Comfortably With One Hand

It is easy to hold an e-reader comfortably with one hand, whenever this comes in useful.

15. Unobtrusive Background Lighting

The background lighting of e-readers is an advantage when you don’t have sufficient light. In case you are sharing your bed with someone and one person is sensitive to light and wants to sleep and the other one prefers to read late at night, this unobtrusive lighting may be very useful. But make sure you buy an e-reader that actually has background light or buy an e-reader cover with integrated lighting.

16. More privacy

I like the fact that people cannot easily see from the cover what I am reading, and I am not even talking about certain adult novels 😉

17. Cover Look

Some people say they wouldn’t want to do withouth those wonderful looking print book covers on their bookshelves. I have had a look at all my covers again and must admit that I do really like some of them, some are kind of okay but there are others that I find dull or ugly. With an e-book cover of my choice, however, I will always have one that fits my taste.

18. Touch

And then there are people who say they love to hold a print book in their hands and wouldn’t want to use an e-reader for that reason. Again, I prefer an e-reader cover of my choice. They come in many different kinds of of textures, even fluffy onves, if you fancy them.

19. Smell

Oh, and the smell… Don’t you think that print books emit a wonderful odour? I personyally disagree, as I read a number of books that smelled horribly, probably due to cheap paper, not to mention really awful smelling books from public libraries and I prefer the neutral, non-smelling e-experience.

20. Adjustable Font Size

And last but not least you can change the font size of e-books. When I showed my e-reader to my parents, this was the feature they liked best. It is very handy for people who have problems with their eyesight and might otherwise have difficulties reading any books at all.

 

So, that was me and my reasons. Did I miss anything that you find important? If so, I would love to hear from you.

 

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5 Reasons Why Self-Publishing Could Help To Get More Books Translated Into English

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Many books are translated from English into other languages, but not vice versa. A certain rumour is wrong, though: There is no “stigma” attached to translations in the English-speaking world… they can be just as popular as original English books.

The last London Book Fair was an eye opener for me: A bookseller told us, that is a group of literary translators, readers did not care at all whether they were reading a translation or not, they read all books like originals. Nonetheless not many foreign books make it into English and I am going to tell you why I believe, self-publishing could be a game-changer.

1. Self-published authors don‘t depend on publishing houses where nobody speaks their language

Learning foreign languages is not high on the agenda in most English speaking countries as English is the lingua franca of the world and therefore it doesn’t come as a surprise that the staff in publishing houses are often not able to read foreign books to find out whether they would be worth translating. This is even more relevant for books from so-called “smaller languages”. Let‘s say you have written a great book in Bulgarian: It is still less likely to be accepted by an English publisher than a book in a “bigger” language like Spanish or German. But authors can successfully self-publish in translation, regardless of their native language.

2. Online bookshops provide plenty of space for everyone

I hear this reason all the time: Too many books are published in English and there simply isn‘t enough space left for books in translation. This is only true for physical bookshops, though. Self-published books are usually sold via online shops with lots of space, even for translations.

3. English social media may support books worldwide

Authors are nowadays expected to do a lot of their own marketing, even if they are with a publishing house. Most of them have their own website, blog or social media, sometimes all of it – but in their own language. I suspect this could be another reason why most English language publishers prefer to just stick with the large number of English language authors instead of foreign authors who require them to do more work.

Do You Speak english correctedSelf-published authors are usually dealing with all of their marketing on their own anyway and could benefit from doing some marketing in English as well, even if this isn’t their first language. They could start with a platform that they feel most comfortable with and doesn’t require too much work – e.g. some authors like Twitter best. English marketing might also be an advantage if your book has been translated into more languages. Readers from all over the world could get in touch with you, because English is so widely spoken as a second language. I see this happening with music videos on Youtube: fans communicate in English, no matter where they are from. And don’t believe you need to be perfect – I am certainly not perfect myself and if you point out mistakes to me, I will even be grateful 🙂

4. Self-published authors can work with translators who are on their wavelength

In case an author does have an English translation contract with a publishing house, their publishers are usually the ones who choose the translator. But what if the author doesn‘t like the translator‘s voice? In most cases he or she will only find out when it is too late. A director of a London publishing house told me they stopped doing translations, because their foreign authors often spoke English reasonably well and were not always happy with the results.

Self-published authors, on the other hand, can look for their own translators who they feel comfortable with. When looking for someone, it is a good idea to find out which genres translators specialize in and read parts of their past translations to get a feel for their voice. Not only could this lead to a far more satisfying experience, you may also build a long-term working relationship which would make subsequent book translations easier.

translate-TasteA book should ideally be translated by someone into their native language, but provided your English is very good or your native language is a rare one, you might even consider translating the book yourself and working with a good editor. I recommend editors in any case, even if there is a translator involved. In addition, I would always do sample translations and specify from the start how you want to work with each other – especially who has the final say – to avoid misunderstandings.

5. Translators could play a far more pro-active role

Roles are a lot more flexible in self-publishing than in the traditional publishing world. Not only can authors be publishers now – translators could be publishers, too. And don’t underestimate your potential power if you are a translator and your native language is English – most foreign authors would love to be translated into English. Not only does this global language promise a large audience, but once the book is in English, it can also be more easily translated into other languages.

As a translator, you could look out for books that you like and get in touch with the author. If a translator really likes the book, the work is more fun and the translation is usually much better as well.

After the work is finished, translators could even promote the books on their own or in cooperation with the author. This would be quite different from their usual invisible role (see my article “Translation is like housework…)

As someone who translates into English, you might also like to look out for books of foreign publishing houses – even the vast majority of them are not picked up by an English language publisher, so why not offer your services via self-publishing if it is done in a professional way including editing, proofreading and marketing? I wouldn’t be surprised if you had some success with this.

And then there are the translator-authors who may promote translated books alongside their own…

I believe there are much more opportunities these days if everyone is prepared to think outside the box!

 

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