The second is the right to license the reprint of the book in the. In their initial offer the publisher will tell you how many books with a plan to print and the commission you get on each book sold. Dutch bookseller emanuel querido had been publishing books since 1903, but did. I propose to produce hardback, paperback and ebook editions, which i will make. Buying book rights growing the list of books you publish goes a long way in generating revenue. It shows writers the best ways to reach decisionmakers. By foreign i mean a deal made by a rights owner in the united stateswith a publisher in another nation or territory.
How we sell foreign language publishing rights for book publishers. Im here to help you find the words and tools to make your. Foreign rights department finding a home for your book in the american publishing market is just the start. Jun 02, 20 typically, when a trade book publisher or a literary agency doesnt have an inhouse foreign rights representative, the business will enter into contractual agreements with literary agents for each foreign language or territory. Subsidiary rights may be retained by the author so that the authors agent can negotiate. At dropcap, we rely on two powerful tools to sell our publishers books to global rights buyers. While selling foreign rights for books directly into the english language, france, germany, italy, the netherlands, portugal, and scandinavia, we are supported by a solid network of awesome coagents in the following languages and territories.
Selling foreign rights around the world independent publisher. Understanding foreign rights by greenleaf greenleaf book group. They typically have specialist rights staff that you work with. News about international trade shows and book fairs, books in translation, foreign rights sales, and international bestsellers. Apr 06, 2019 foreign publishers will probably need to contact the publishing house which published the book initially. If you have retained your foreign rights, but have an agent, your agent can market your foreign rights through a foreign agent, hopefully one who specializes in the books genre and is wellconnected in the international publishing world. We represent independent publishing houses who always dreamt of seeing their books translated into foreign languages. Ask your agent about withholding tax that is paid to that country s government. Rebecca was the rights and contracts director at transworld publishers before becoming.
Leopold was founded in 1923 and evolved into a real children and youngadult publishing house in the 1950s. Rebecca was the rights and contracts director at transworld publishers before becoming a literary agent in 2003. Foreign rights trident media group literary agency. Content must be relevant to appeal to foreign publishers and agents. Foreign rights contracts usually grant the publisher only the right to publish the book in its language. Authors who have retained translation rights for their books may submit their book to a foreign rights agent or publishers may commission a foreign rights agent to represent the publisher s catalog, or collection of titles. Download our latest foreign rights guide to view world wide rights available for our titles. There are some markets, like other englishlanguage markets outside of the us, where you might have demands to publish even before you selfpublish in the us, says seth dellon of pubmatch. How much money do publishers generally get for selling the. All other rights, such as serial rights, are usually retained. Selling your books internationally jane friedman when it comes to selling your work overseas, there are two channels. With more than 60 years of combined experience in the trade, trident media groups foreign rights department routinely leads the industry in sales of both fiction and nonfiction abroad. Selling the rights to your books can be a lucrative business, putting local versions of your books in the hands of readers all around the world.
Not many people in the ukraine are going to read your book in english, but if you sell ukranian rights and. Authors, pro tips on how to sell the rights to your book. While one of my books was being submitted in the us, my agent and i learned. With more than a halfcentury successful book publishing industry experience, our foreign rights focus is in the following categories. Get an agent to sell your rights to foreign publishers who will translate and sell your book. In our feature story, montreal foreign rights agency juggles languages and cultures, claude choquette and jeansebastien dufresne of the canadian montreal contactsthe rights agency discuss the challenges and opportunities of working in dual languages and cultures. The first is the right that the owner of foreign rights has to license the translation of the english version of the book into a foreign language. Authors who have retained translation rights for their books may submit their book to a foreign rights agent or publishers. Celeste fine, senior vice president and director of subsidiary rights at folio, says. As some of you may know, my publishing career began oddly.
One subsidiary right is foreign rights the right to publish and sell the book in markets other than the main territory. Obviously, foreign rights often involve translating the book into a foreign language. The sub rights department in a book publishing house is charged with selling subsidiary rights to the parties who will exploit themfor example, to book clubs, audiobook publishers, foreign publishers, movie producers, etc. For information on translation rights of our books or reading copies, please. Our publishers trust us to effectively and energetically sell the foreign language rights to their books. The second is the right to license the reprint of the book in the english language and sell the same in a local territory. Dropcap rights agency foreign language rights for book. Interested in purchasing rights to publish one of our titles in another language or territory. More than just selling rights, our interest is in helping publishers build and grow a list with international potential. Foreign rights in publishing explained 2 seas agency. Childrens rights guide bologna 2017 childrens rights guide frankfurt 2018. He can negotiate for a specific print run, and if the book does well, it. Jan 26, 2019 subsidiary rights represent important ancillary revenue streams for the books publisher and for the author. Dec 16, 2018 for an overview of how traditional publishing rights work, read this general article on book advances and book royalties.
If youre selling into india or china or another pirate haven dont. A publishing rights manager develops and oversees publishing rights for books and related products, in order to ensure that a publishing company maximises its profit. The money is, of course, split 5050 with the author, if youre talking about us publishers and books. Translation rights are the right to publish a book in languages other than the original language.
The big traditional publishers often promote their books by highlighting the number of languages the books has been translated into. Rights agency is an international foreign rights agency specialising in illustrated childrens books from around the world. Literary agencies that handle foreign rights in multiple. She now specialises in foreign rights management at david luxton associates as well as agenting a select number of nonfiction writers. Travelling to large international rights fairs at least twice a year becomes essential to get direct contact with foreign publishers and subagents. The sub rights department in a book publishing house is charged with selling subsidiary rights to the parties who will exploit themfor example, to book clubs, audiobook publishers, foreign. Foreign rights agents should have an intimate understanding of the markets in which they represent work. Foreign languageterritory rights are publication rights for a book in another language andor. If an agent believes money can be made from your book, he or she will work for you on a commission basis, usually 20% of advances and subsequent royalties in foreign markets. An indie authors guide to selling foreign rights lifetree media. We have over 40 books in print, including bestsellers lucia the luchadora, hot dog cold dog, ishi.
Subsidiary rights are negotiable in a book contract and will cover such potentially valuable rights as movie, film, videotape and audiotape rights, electronic rights such as cd rom publishing, translation. For foreign rights, best to get an agent who is well versed in international book markets, such as the frankfurt book fair. Published originally in sweden by norstedts forlag, larsson tried to negotiate a foreign rights deal with british authors but was unsuccessful until the london publisher quercus bought the englishlanguage rights for the book. I propose to produce hardback, paperback and ebook editions, which i will make available for sale as widely as possible. We would be delighted to send you our catalogue and material via pdfs or hard copies.
Thats when he realized the book has international appeal and he became interested in the topic of foreign publishing rights. These books come to foreign rights agents from the rights holder, or the publisher or person who holds translation rights for the book. Selling foreign rights it is easier than you think. Foreign languageterritory rights are publication rights for a book in another language and or. The wittmann agency claudia wittmann foreign rights. This might include arranging foreign rights, as well as the sale of rights to book clubs or for reprint paperbacks, north american editions, serials and extracts, audio and. Laserfocused, customtailored and efficient outofthebox online marketing. Results will include publishers and literary agents web pages with names and contact information of their foreign rights agents. Reactivate dormant backlist titles for rights sales and create a whole new income stream without interrupting your current rights selling attempts through subagents and at book fairs. If you are interested in obtaining audio, book club, paperback reprint, large print, television, or motion picture rights to books published by amazon publishing, please contact us to.
Foreign publishers will probably need to contact the publishing house which published the book initially. Jan 30, 2011 celeste fine, senior vice president and director of subsidiary rights at folio, says. Selling foreign language rights for your book with. My first foreign rights sales occurred as a result of book expo america, where for a small fee, the book was displayed in a coop booth. Dropcap combines our innovative technology, decades of personal relationships with rights buyers, and deep industry knowledge to sell foreign language rights for our u. How authors sell publishing rights, from the alliance of independent authors alli, helps authors navigate todays complex rights marketplace. To date, the book has been translated into 24 languages.
We represent independent publishing houses who always dreamt of seeing. Understanding foreign rights your book must travel well. Opportunities to sell rights vary by market, and authors should consider researching foreign rights early in the selfpublishing process. If you have retained your foreign rights, but have an agent, your agent can market your foreign rights through a foreign agent, hopefully one who specializes in the books genre and is wellconnected in the.
While selling foreign rights for books directly into the english language, france, germany, italy, the netherlands, portugal, and scandinavia, we are supported by a solid network of awesome coagents in. Although the book didnt take book expo by storm as i somehow thought it would it received interest from and i sold translation rights to publishers in mexico, poland and nigeria. As veterans in the foreign publishing world, we will treat your foreign publishing experience with. Mar 19, 20 obviously, foreign rights often involve translating the book into a foreign language. Read on to find out about the role of a foreign rights agent. To find agents who specialize in a certain genre, such as childrens books. Hammering out the royalties and advance with a foreign publisher can be. Foreign publishing is a great marketing and promotional tool as well. If you are interested in obtaining audio, book club, paperback reprint, large print, television, or motion picture rights to books published by amazon publishing, please contact us to learn about specific opportunities. Foreign rights agents generally receive books for representation in one of two ways.
We attend the london and frankfurt book fairs and are always happy to meet new. Authors who have retained translation rights for their books may submit their book to a foreign rights agent or publishers may commission a foreign rights agent to represent the publishers catalog, or collection of titles. Well, not a lot, but their publishers and authors do both know how to take advantage of foreign book sales, a growing sector of the publishing industry where the. Put simply, the right to sell your book in foreign places. But how does an indie author sell their publishing rights abroad. As veterans in the foreign publishing world, we will treat your foreign publishing experience with the same commitment as your domestic sale. Note michele blood is not held responsible for any foreign rights agreements you may use through this sample. If an agent believes money can be made from your book, he or she will work for you on a. Coagents selling foreign rights for books 2 seas agency. And for some self publishing rights information, the following are some common questions from readers about self publishing fees, different book rights and book royalties that authors have to consider when making the decision to publish or with whom to publish. Quiller publishing ltd has sold many titles to international publishers and our equestrian, dog training and shooting titles have proved extremely successful. You have written a book, and you would like me to publish it. A standard foreign rights publishing deal the deal is typically structured like this.
Our conversation delved deeply into the topic of how to license and sell foreign language publishing rights even if you are a self published author. Adult fiction and nonfiction rebecca winfield promotes our books around the world for publication in translation. Foreign rights are the right to publish a book in its original language in countries different from those in which the book was originally published. With the global publishing marketplace easier to access. Take a look at a midsize book publishers foreign rights webpage to better understand what im describing. A small but important clause that may need to be added states that the publishers shall not assign the rights granted to them without the authors express written consent. Im here to help you find the words and tools to make your business stand out in todays global and digital book publishing industry, get fresh ideas to succeed through international licensing, foreign rights and online marketing and make you a goto. The publishing house was founded in autumn 2001 and the first books were published in the spring of 2002. Typically, when a trade book publisher or a literary agency doesnt have an inhouse foreign rights representative, the business will enter into contractual agreements with literary agents. International publishing, book fairs and trade shows. Subsidiary rights are negotiable in a book contract and will cover such potentially valuable rights as movie, film, videotape and audiotape rights, electronic rights such as cd rom publishing, translation rights, book club rights, foreign rights etc. How to buy the rights to a book with pictures wikihow. Dropcap combines our innovative technology, decades of personal relationships with rights buyers, and deep industry knowledge to sell foreign language rights.
In the major international markets, we work directly with publishers to develop strong relationships not only between agent and publisher, but between editor and author. Whether youre an author or a publisher, book publishing rights and other intellectual property rights such as film rights or translation rights and book royalties. There are some markets, like other englishlanguage markets outside of. In order to do this, you will need to become an expert in foreign rights, getting to know a wide variety of agents, subagents and publishers in a number of territories. Combined book exhibit is one of the most widely recognized and highly respected names in the publishing community. If you are interested in publishing our titles in europe, please contact. Not many people in the ukraine are going to read your book in english, but if you sell ukranian rights and the book is translated into ukranian, you might find yourself a lovely new market.