In the past, translating a book was an expensive and time-consuming process. You had to find a translator and pay them even before the book was published.  And then you needed to find out how to sell your book in a foreign market you were unfamiliar with, and without a platform or followers.  You transferred your book into print, digital and into an audiobook.  Now, let it translate into other languages, or sell foreign rights to your book.

Then Came Babelcube…

A matchmaking service set up a couple of years ago to get books translated to other languages.  Think like ACX but for languages and in a text, not audio. You post your book, the translator bids on the job to translate your book if you accept, they translate.  Babelcube distributes the translated work and everyone takes a cut after sales (NO up-front fees!). You keep your rights. They just get the option to sell the translated book in other markets during the next five years. After that, you can opt out and choose to sell elsewhere if you want (and make more money).

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Babelcube: Initially Free Translation

The translation and distribution service offers authors and publishers a different option: You can list your book and then partner with translators who will create your book in other languages, such as:

Afrikaans

Dutch

English

French

German

Italian

Japanese

Norwegian

Portuguese

Spanish

Once the translated text is ready, Babelcube’s platform will prepare your new book for publishing and distribute it to all the major online retailers and 100’s of local ones.  The only cost to you is to share the royalties from your new book.

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How to Screen the Translation

Most of the translators on Babelcube have been in the business for years, have websites, LinkedIn profiles, portfolios etc. At the same time, try to find several beta readers, native in the language your book will be translated. Let them check the translation. It would be wise to pay for an editor who verifies the translation text. And don’t forget to let posts and tweets translate too. You will need this when promoting your translated book into completely new markets. Don’t rely only on Google or Deeply https://www.deepl.com/translator translations of your social media/promotional text.

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Approval Points

Rights holders have two approval points, where they can review the translation: a) after the first 10 pages have been submitted as a sample (cancel if unsatisfied) and b) at the end of the book’s draft translation.  Your book will be sold through numerous retail and library channels, based on its language.  Babelcube sells books through 300+ retailers (such as Amazon, Google, Apple, Nook, Kobo, Scribd) and 20,000 libraries – and you can choose which sales channels you prefer.

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Copy Rights & Translation Rights

Who owns the copyright of the translated version of the book? The rights holder of the original version of the book, typically the author or publisher, maintains the copyright of the translated book, including the associated material such as the cover. Translators are paid through book royalties only – not a viable way to earn a living as a translator unless the book is well-promoted and had already high numbers of sales in the original language.

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Pretty Much the ACX Principle

Babelcube owns the distribution rights for the translated book for the first five years. After which, the rights holder can decide to continue using Babelcube’s global distribution network or sell the book via an alternative method they choose.  This ensures the translator(s) will be fairly compensated for their efforts.

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How and when will I be paid?

Babelcube will pay you via your PayPal account. If you don’t have a PayPal account, you can set it up in a couple of minutes here and link it to your bank account. Authors will be paid each month when your account is over the $10 threshold. If your account is below the threshold, its balance will be carried over to the next month.

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Revenue

The royalty revenue is based on the Net Sales Receipts* received by Babelcube from the retailer.  Each individual book in each language is treated separately.  Example: Suppose that a book generated a gross income of $8,000 for the translation into one language.  Each party would receive:

For the first $2,000, the rights holder would receive 30% ($600), the translator 55% ($1,100) and Babelcube 15% ($300)
For the next $3,000, the rights holder would receive 45% ($1,350), the translator 40% ($1,200) and Babelcube 15% ($450)
For the remaining $3,000, the rights holder would receive 65% ($1,950), the translator 20% ($600) and Babelcube 15% ($450)
In total, the rights holder would receive 49% ($3,900), the translator 36% ($2,900), and Babelcube 15% ($1,200).

*Net Sales Receipts means the monetary amount received by Babelcube from sales of each unit sold by Babelcube and Babelcube’s sub-distributors, less any cash incentives, promotional discounts, sales or use taxes, excise taxes, value-added taxes, duties, distribution fees, and returns.

Read the whole FAQ’s here: http://www.babelcube.com/faq

Conclusion

Bestseller Derek Haines concludes in his blog: “With such a low return to the author of 30% of net royalties, plus the consideration that translated books might not sell in huge numbers, it may not be a big money maker.  However, it is an opportunity perhaps for those authors who wish to test the waters, or expand their readership.”

Well, I think, after all, it doesn’t cost anything and after 5 years you own a translated book that you can sell wherever you want and it might be a money-maker.  In the meantime, you make more than selling your manuscript to a trade publisher.  As an easy (and free) translation way into the non-English-language markets, Babelcube is a great starting point.

However, BOTH, the author AND the translator need to promote the book – and hopefully, Babelcube will do their share of promotion as well!

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Read also:

http://www.thoughtsontranslation.com/2017/06/23/babelcube-one-translators-experience/

https://translationandteaching.wordpress.com/2016/12/02/my-experience-with-babelcube/

https://ebooksuccess4free.wordpress.com/2014/08/06/my-babelcube-experience-author-seeks-translators-part-1/

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