Publishing insiders have wished for many years that translations would gain popularity with readers, particularly in English-language markets. Now it appears that new movements in nationalism, swelling refugee populations, and political pressure around immigration may be making sales of translations into English more viable for authors and publishers.
In a panel this week at the Sharjah International Book Fair—which brings together rights holders and buyers from many parts of the world—AmazonCrossing editorial director Gabriella Page-Fort said that the American reader’s attitude toward translated work is similar to that of the US traveler toward venturing abroad: “America is so big and there’s so much to see, why would I leave the US?”
Having already translated more than 300 titles (67 this year alone) in 21 languages from 36 countries, “AmazonCrossing is actively courting the wider industry for content that might otherwise be missed, a departure from the agent-focused route used by most translation houses,” Page-Fort said.
Sonia Draga, a Polish publisher, finds that the climate is getting better for translation because of new and aggressive grants being made available to publishers who will translate local work into new languages and territories. For example, the Sharjah program offers $300,000 in grants this year to publishers interested in translating work from the Arab world and publishing it in other markets.
“We’re looking for books that have already had an influence, books that have already moved people to action,” said Page-Fort. She added that, in times of political resistance to various ideologies, she looks for the answer to the question What is it about a book that people inside its own culture mean when they say, “You’ve got to read this book”? For example, Dark Echoes of the Past by Ramón Díaz Eterovic of Chile (translated by Patrick Blaine for release later this year) is a mystery that deals with some of the darkest days of Augusto Pinochet’s oppression.
Bottom line: AmazonCrossing veers from translation tradition by publishing genre work as well as literary fiction, and now the program is actively seeking work outside the usual agent-submitted titles. Now is the time to take advantage of interest and investment in translating all types of contemporary world literature, whether trade- or self-published, into English. The key, Page-Fort says, is to document how a book has been sold, reviewed, and otherwise received in its original language. “Tell us ‘Why this book?’” she said. “That’s what we need to know.” Visit the AmazonCrossing submissions portal.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
