tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post4840361101908492056..comments2024-03-18T06:16:18.802-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Thinking GlobalJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger186125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-28335919832682464062012-01-27T11:42:48.084-06:002012-01-27T11:42:48.084-06:00I agree with you about the potential for eBook sal...I agree with you about the potential for eBook sales. More and more people are finding the idea of keeping all their reading on one slim device very appealing, especially in other countries, as eBooks tend to cost significantly less than their counterparts made of paper. But, like you said, it does require <a href="http://www.certifiedtranslate.com" rel="nofollow">document translation</a>. I think it's a good idea to let you agent handle that type of stuff. Much less stressful to you as the author.Keelytmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11988570653621032375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-64260148105678625632011-11-18T13:07:41.885-06:002011-11-18T13:07:41.885-06:00I actually made the leap as soon as I saw that Ama...I actually made the leap as soon as I saw that Amazon .de on my dashboard. I found a German translator to do it at a reasonable cost. Her name is Renate Volz and she did an amazing job. I then formatted it and had it up on Kindle .de in One day. You can check it out at https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0061NCH4W<br />I'm hoping it will do well as I had a lot of publicity in the German market. I wrote a Celebrity kiss and tell called "Once Upon a Star". I was told their is a big market in Gemany for this genre. I'll keep you posted.<br /><br />~Peggy TrentiniPeggy Trentinihttp://www.peggytrentini.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1820426136518018302011-10-26T04:41:39.952-05:002011-10-26T04:41:39.952-05:00Great Post!!!! I wonder if we'll see greater e...Great Post!!!! I wonder if we'll see greater emphasis on learning other languages in the US.Micheal Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08466607753784253677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-80869203680201957102011-09-09T17:35:43.698-05:002011-09-09T17:35:43.698-05:00I uploaded 2 short stories with German and two Eng...I uploaded 2 short stories with German and two English versions to Amazon DE and both hit the number one spot for their catagory.<br /><br />Das ende, oder eine neuer Anfang amd Der feind Innern.<br /><br />Sales are low but last month I am sure that's what helped me seel 20 English shorts.<br /><br />As for India, I was sure the talk was that Amazon was opening for printed books and not yet for kindle. India has enjoyed an 11% growth in printed books this year. The problem with india for ebooks is the readers beign able to afford to buy eReaders.<br /><br />I am currently working on translating a short to Brazil Portuguese. Brazil is another market poised to take off for eBooks.Declan Connernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-12322394353667757522011-08-06T19:06:36.218-05:002011-08-06T19:06:36.218-05:00Funny, for once I was ahead of the curve. I posted...Funny, for once I was ahead of the curve. I posted about this three days before Amazon's announcement.<br /><br />Amazon still needs to get this move right. I saw eReaders for sale in India for close to $400 USD. That's more than 13% of per capita GDP over there. <br /><br />They need to take an early loss on the readers or else partner with a local firm (HUGE tech industry over there) to produce an inexpensive local unit. If they don't, a local company will jump in and steal the market. (Just look up who owns Jaguar if you are still skeptical).<br /><br />If you count internet cafes, India probably has more regular internet users than the US. They are ripe for the eBook Revolution!A.G. Claymorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06109502266487845431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-57783702490793002182011-08-04T05:04:28.687-05:002011-08-04T05:04:28.687-05:00The world is our lobster. That's the great thi...The world is our lobster. That's the great thing ebook- no shipping- your books around the world in seconds.<br /><br />I got a new book out: Welcome To Killville, USA: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Welcome-To-Killville-USA-ebook/dp/B005DEYS1U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312451780&sr=8-1<br /><br />You're an inspiration. Keep it up.<br /><br />Mark YarwoodMark Yarwoodhttp://www.markyarwood.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-3536413989598210132011-08-03T16:49:31.955-05:002011-08-03T16:49:31.955-05:00Narf ... it didn't publish my Name right :)
A...Narf ... it didn't publish my Name right :)<br /><br />And that last paragraph was kinda wonky. I wanted to say that it is important that German publishing houses get their back lists into electronic form and drop the prices while they are at it.<br /><br />Anyways ... anyone in need of an "indie translator"? :))Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-24784715521642481342011-08-03T16:47:38.165-05:002011-08-03T16:47:38.165-05:00@bigeasy78
I wasn't questioning the size of t...@bigeasy78<br /><br />I wasn't questioning the size of the German market, I was just saying that the Spanish language market had huge potential.David Gaughranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13236692339928690142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-12060826628057665912011-08-03T16:45:29.572-05:002011-08-03T16:45:29.572-05:00Dave ... you said:
[i]Books are a global $80bn bu...Dave ... you said:<br /><br />[i]Books are a global $80bn business. The US market is just one, albeit important, market.[/i]<br /><br />The US is the biggest book market in the world, in terms of revenue. Followed by ... Germany.<br /><br />In 2010, the US had around $16.5bn in revenue, in 2009 Germany had around $13.5bn ... so $30bn of that $80bn you mentioned comes from 2 markets!<br /><br />This is also directed at the people kind of dismissing the 90 million people speaking German, in comparison to the spanish speaking countries ... Germany was and is the second largest book market in the world. Don't forget that.<br /><br />Right now, the ebook market here in Germany is miniscule. But Amazon just opened their kindle store. Kobo just entered the market a few weeks back.<br /><br />Sonys ereader and a few others are already in the market for quite some time now. The rise of tablets and smart phones makes more and more ereader devices available.<br /><br />Right now the German reader is slow to adapt. But Germany lags about 2 years behind the US in terms of developement and widespread adoption. Once Amazon offers a German Kindle version (right now they only sell the English version, although directly through amazon.de) and it drops in price a little (right now the just switched the $ sign for the €) - 99€ would be a great price point, maybe at Christmas - Germans will adopt it more.<br /><br />Also very important is that more novels are available in German. And that their prices drop as well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-78984610850525794342011-08-03T14:02:08.746-05:002011-08-03T14:02:08.746-05:00Does anyone know how to get a book placed on the f...<i>Does anyone know how to get a book placed on the foreign versions of Amazon?</i><br /><br />@Jude,<br /><br />I know that books are available on the Amazon UK and Germany sites; I set up my Author Central on those sites after reading somewhere about doing that.<br /><br />Although my last name is German, I married into the family ;-) so the German site might have been a problem (it's all in German, naturally), but as I was doing the Author Central thing from the U.S. to the UK to Germany, they're all set up the same, so it was fairly easy to remember what to do.<br /><br />As for the French and other Amazon sites - I have no clue.Nancy Beckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06214579721075450777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-32428992730936688132011-08-01T13:14:35.392-05:002011-08-01T13:14:35.392-05:00Why is it that Amazon.com foreign sales only pay t...Why is it that Amazon.com foreign sales only pay the author a 35 percent royalty. We get 70 percent here in the U.S.<br /><br />The UK is the only overseas market I have sold books to in volume. Someone in Germany bought a couple books by accident. <br /><br />Because India has a huge English speaking population, that market has a lot of potential. I have already noticed Dndian authors selling their E-books here in the United States.Walter Knighthttp://www.waltknight.yolasite.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-68289061466345898572011-08-01T12:23:56.753-05:002011-08-01T12:23:56.753-05:00I'm working on getting my debut novel onto Kin...I'm working on getting my debut novel onto Kindle but I'm feeling a bit in over my head with making my book cover/manuscript are set to Amazon's requirements. Do you have a website or company that you would recommend that could help me with this? <br />Writing the book was the easy part...all of this techinical stuff is WAY over my head. <br />Thanks.Amynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-77720529399762334452011-08-01T09:43:34.805-05:002011-08-01T09:43:34.805-05:00David,
“…cost of living…”
Your books are impor...David,<br /><br /><i> “…cost of living…” </i><br /><br />Your books are imports; that means they’re bought in US dollars. And that’s why I used nominal GDP instead of purchasing power (which is slightly higher). Even if domestic goods are cheaper there, they still need to pay for your e-books in foreign currency.<br /><br /><i> “…the "black" economy dwarfs the official economy” </i><br /><br />The underground economy is everywhere. British Columbia’s largest per dollar export, for example, is supposed to be marijuana.<br /><br />Besides, if the black market was disproportionately large in Latin America, then the real cost of living would be higher than it is. But you’ve already conceded that it’s lower, so the GDP numbers must reflect the real state of the Latin American economy.<br /><br /><i> “…GDP is an imperfect measure of economic activity.” </i><br /><br />It’s also the only one. The size of the local telecommunications firm is hardly a more reliable economic indicator. <br /><br /><i> “…Argentina is one country that LOVES books.” </i><br /><br />I’ve heard this, and I have no reason to doubt it. But so do Germans. They’ve one of the most bookish cultures to have ever existed.<br /><br /><i> “Mexico…Spain…Argentina…Chile… [etc.]” </i><br /><br />If you’re talking about one man in all this (namely, yourself), then I’m sure you can find enough fans to make it rich in Spanish, and I sincerely wish you well. But if the question is a general one regarding market potential for a luxury good (i.e., books), then you don’t count heads, you count disposal incomes. And on that score, the German market wins hands down: the combined GDPs of Mexico, Spain, Argentina and Chile are a little less than Germany’s, and they’re still spread over four and a half times more people.W. Deanhttp://platoshead.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-3989048536156933012011-08-01T03:25:09.843-05:002011-08-01T03:25:09.843-05:00Thanks for the blog post. it was really interestin...Thanks for the blog post. it was really interesting.Sell your house fast in the UKhttp://www.libertyigloo.co.uk/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-53441565607322137202011-07-31T17:30:21.328-05:002011-07-31T17:30:21.328-05:00Self-published translations are a great idea. Not ...Self-published translations are a great idea. Not everyone in the world is able to read English comfortably. Also, make sure your books are at least available in English *all over the world*.<br /><br />I'm pretty resentful of the fact that I can't buy many German Kindle books in German because of 'geographic limitations. Publishers can't possibly be having some wetdream fantasy that I'd buy it in English translation, can they? Translations are for books in languages I *don't* speak. I hope those who are predicting that this will change are correct. 'Geographic limitations' make as much sense for e-books as they do for the wind. <br /><br />By the way, Michael E. Walston, don't 'learn other languages'. The language is only part of the equation: Translation is a specialized craft -- always hire an expert.<br /><br />sincerely,<br />thornAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-80192944425779479642011-07-31T01:07:54.488-05:002011-07-31T01:07:54.488-05:00don't take shit from people. Ever. Being a doo...<i>don't take shit from people. Ever. Being a doormat is not the way to live life. Neither is caring if everyone likes you, understands you, or reads your blog.</i><br /><br />I just bought 2 iPads this week, all self publishing money. But I'm still getting emails from authors who are spending untold hours formatting their own manuscripts in Word. People who design their covers in MSPaint. One email was from an engineer, another a doctor. They oils afford it, they just didn't feel that the writing warranted the $500 expense. And that is an epic fail. <br /><br />Joe, I'm listening. I remember a few weeks back when someone was giving me some shit about my sales; something about "selling a few thousand copies does not make a bestseller" or something like that.<br /><br />I've taken all of Joe's advice. It's a formula, and it works. There's no mystery to it. Don't write shit, and produce a professional product . So simple, and people still don't get it.<br /><br />I've published under 4 different pen names, and I am making money with each one. Last month I sold over 3,000 books, (including audiobooks, nonfiction, and fiction). I made 18k. <br /><br />Stop making excuses and just fucking do it.Marie Simashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07255293343641053930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-91925088947147016752011-07-31T00:25:42.568-05:002011-07-31T00:25:42.568-05:00I'm British and I've heard of Linwood Barc...I'm British and I've heard of Linwood Barclay. He is pretty popular in the UK and his books get quite a bit of media attention and good placement in Waterstones and Blackwells.<br /><br />I'm currently living in the Middle East and I've seen his books in the bookstores here too. Although I haven't spotted an arabic translation yet.<br /><br />Many people in arabic countries speak excellent english, and I often see people reading english language newspapers rather than the arabic editions.<br /><br />I attended the Dubai literature festival this year and most of the books were written in English by British or American authors. Tess Gerritsen and Mark Billingham gave talks on their books.<br /><br />Dubai Mall has one of the biggest bookstores I have ever seen, called Kinokuniya, and most of the books I have seen on sale are written in English.Danicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00426083119180429178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-66092841352612384952011-07-30T23:45:32.479-05:002011-07-30T23:45:32.479-05:00used to work for a translation agency. For folks i...used to work for a translation agency. For folks interested, it's usually a per word basis and depends on the language as far as price. Spanish is the cheapest usually, followed by French. And if anyone is considering a computer program to translate a novel, I highly suggest you DON'T.learn chinesehttp://www.easysaychinese.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-51638410021391776982011-07-30T13:39:48.714-05:002011-07-30T13:39:48.714-05:00Thanks for the post. Your #1 news kindle news sour...Thanks for the post. Your #1 news kindle news source!<br /><br />Mumbai, here we come.<br /><br />Jon Olson<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Petoskey-Stone-ebook/dp/B004EYTBM6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293830105&sr=8-1" rel="nofollow">The Petoskey Stone</a>Jon Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11798152229818636016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-56409101058824966312011-07-30T11:29:27.634-05:002011-07-30T11:29:27.634-05:00Has anyone ever heard of a Canadian author named L...Has anyone ever heard of a Canadian author named Linwood Barclay? His U.S. sales appear to be lackluster, but I was browsing Amazon.fr and noticed he has five books in the top twenty mystery and thrillers--in English.<br /><br />So it might be that self-published authors can cash in on foreign markets without even having to have their books translated.<br /><br />Does anyone know how to get a book placed on the foreign versions of Amazon?Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-28819336405335017582011-07-29T15:59:46.602-05:002011-07-29T15:59:46.602-05:00Karl,
Traditionally, it would have involved a rig...Karl,<br /><br />Traditionally, it would have involved a rights sale by a proactive agent, or some horse trading at a book fair, well in advance of the book's publication in English.<br /><br />Nowadays, you have all sorts of foreign agents and scouts for publishing companies scouring Amazon for self-published stuff that they think might sell well in their markets and contacting authors directly.<br /><br />Obviously, a book that is selling well will attract more attention, but I have seen cases where the book wasn't doing so well and foreign publishers were interested for whatever reasonDavid Gaughranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13236692339928690142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1917151451927135742011-07-29T15:53:33.600-05:002011-07-29T15:53:33.600-05:00That's interesting, Dave. I wonder how those ...That's interesting, Dave. I wonder how those books achieved enough visibility that someone was willing to pay for their translation.<br /><br />But absolutely the point is that a self-publisher starting out shouldn't be thinking about accessing foreign markets right away; they should invest their resources on good help (with cover art, editing, etc.) and maximizing their home sales, then use those profits to launch their books in other languages. No one needs to go bankrupt self-publishing … you can start small and when (hopefully it's a when) you start seeing some success, you can build off of it.Karl El-Kourahttp://www.ootersplace.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-83373155840325753032011-07-29T15:13:15.843-05:002011-07-29T15:13:15.843-05:00My good friend is Indian, but has lived in America...My good friend is Indian, but has lived in America for decades now. She had a book published by an Indian company a few years back and it was published in English. There was never any thought for publishing in any other language even though it was an Indian company. I'll have to ask her more on this topic...kathleen shoophttp://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Letter-ebook/dp/B004XR50K6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1304519936&sr=8-4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-23943248151226140252011-07-29T14:39:28.339-05:002011-07-29T14:39:28.339-05:00Hmmmm, may I just say: it's about time!:DD And...Hmmmm, may I just say: it's about time!:DD And yes, there's a huge middle class in India (for one) who speak perfect English, so translations needn't be a huge deal. Having said that, I can see the logic in getting work translated if you can afford it in the future, because hey, at some point, the use of ereaders will spread from those who are comfortable speaking in English to those who would enjoy an alternative in their mother tongue.<br /><br />I don't see this happening at the speed of light though. At least, not in Asia. English has become far too strong a second language in much of Asia (esp in the countries Christine Carmichael mentioned in her comment) for readers to need alternatives urgently. There will be a window, I think, for books in English to carve a market in Asia before multi-lingual readers demand alternatives, after which author's profits from those sales would probably be able to finance translations into other languages etc anyway. <br /><br />I guess, if you can really (and I mean, really, really!) afford translations now, you really don't lose anything in the long run... but maybe it would be too early right now to make that decision? Perhaps translations would be cheaper to obtain in the near future?... or is that wishful thinking?:)Isabella Amarishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17334922448048534161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-48310623314218765882011-07-29T14:12:51.159-05:002011-07-29T14:12:51.159-05:00Karl,
There are plenty of examples of books which...Karl,<br /><br />There are plenty of examples of books which took off in translation before they sold in any numbers in English. But you have a point. If a title is not selling well in English, you should think twice before considering translating it. There may be some exceptions, such as if you have set a thriller in Paris and you are confident you will recoup the French translation costs, but in general, sure, you would want to be selling well in English first.<br /><br />Translation could be something you could consider investing in from the profits you make, but I wouldn't think it's prudent to put yourself in the hole on a blind roll of the dice.<br /><br />DaveDavid Gaughranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13236692339928690142noreply@blogger.com