The following is an excerpt from the syllabus for Sylvia Hayse’s class, “Selling Foreign Rights for Your Book,” at Ink & Paper Group. Please stay tuned to our site for future offerings of this course. You can also contact our COO, Linda Meyer, if you have any additional questions: linda.meyer@inkandpapergroup.com.

HOW TO BEGIN:
Make certain that (per the contract) the publisher has obtained translation rights from the author. The publisher only has the right to exploit those rights that are specifically granted to the publisher, and any exploitation of rights exceeding the author’s grant could be deemed a copyright infringement of the author’s work.

Proactively and systematically market titles to foreign publishers by:

  • Hiring an agent who specializes in translation rights licensing deals
  • Using the services of publishing or distribution organizations who attend major international book shows
  • Using the services of online rights organizations
  • Establishing a subsidiary rights function in your company
  • Setting up your own website and internet representation
  • Finding out how well your books travel internationally and adapt to the market
  • Asking your authors help to promote internationally

To find contact information, search for publishers, agents, scouts, printers, and distributors by using ILMP International Literary Market Place, directories of Fairs and trade shows, and the Internet. Below is a list of the top international shows:

There are multiple online resources available to assist you in your research. Here are some additional examples: