Translation for Self-Published Authors - Creative Word

Self-publishing has increased phenomenally over the last decade, primarily due to sites such as Amazon, offering great deals for authors with low costs.

However, when you have self-published, how to you go about translating your book so that you can increase sales, reach a multilingual audience, and appeal to new readers?

The following information offers advice to authors on translating their work – what deals might be offered by professional translation providers, how the process might operate, and how to select the right translation provider.

There are three main routes for translating work that is self-published. Choosing the right path for you will depend upon factors such as, your unique perspective, language choices, and your particular situation.

1. Traditional Translation for Self-Published Authors

In this situation the author pays the translation provider outright for the translation. This is usually done under similar terms that a publisher would offer such as, payments in instalments, and translators can also help with marketing.

As a general rule the obligation to produce and sell the book falls to the author.

Depending upon the expected sales potential of the book, this can be a relatively inexpensive way to translate your book as you would only pay once for each language, and can expect to take full return on investments.

However, if the sales are uncertain there may be more cost effective ways to translate your work.
Many professional translation providers offer this option and it therefore tends to guarantee a higher quality of translation.

2. Royalty Sharing Translations

Royalty sharing can be the perfect option for authors that wish to limit upfront costs, as the author and translator agree to share all royalties for the translated work. This is often set with a specific time limit such as, 12 months or 5 years.

It is a win-win situation for both the translation provider and the author; the translator must do a good job in order to reap the benefit of more sales, and the author has fewer upfront costs when first publishing.

In this option the translator will often assist with marketing the translated work as they have the incentive of royalties.

Highly skilled translators may not offer this service as frequently as the first option, but translators who are just starting out in their career are more likely to be open to different choices.

There is a certain element of trust that accompanies this type of royalty sharing deal because if the work is never published, the translator will never receive any money. Likewise, if you are using a translator with limited experience, how can the author be sure of their credentials?

This type of deal is perfect for those authors who are just branching out into translating their work and wish to test the market, and for translators who less-experienced and require new avenues of work.

3. Translation Rights Sale Option

This final option is probably best for the author. If you know you have a good book and it has sold well in its original language, then chances are you could easily sell the translation rights to the book.

An author who has no interest in the publishing, layout, design, and marketing of the book, would do best to select this type of translation.

In this instance, the translation company purchase the rights to translate and sell the book, and generally offer a fixed sum for the privilege, which can sometimes be paid in instalments. They produce and market the book in the new language, but the author has no control over when or how this happens. There is even the possibility that your book is purchased by the translation company but is never translated or published.

 

The key to successfully translating your self-published work lies with selecting the best translation provider for your requirements.

Choosing a translation provider that can cope with your requests, offers an accurate translation, value for money, and specialist knowledge (especially if your work is in a technical field) will help you get the best translation for your money, time and effort.

Check out various translation providers before agreeing to any deals, ask to see samples of their work, and make sure they are on the “same wavelength” as you so that your voice will be heard through the translation.