Foreign Translations: Should you do it? Can you do it? Why or why not?

                                      

When my debut novel, SHATTERED LIES came out, I looked for all avenues of promotion available to me to bring awareness to it, and of course, make a few bucks. Within a few months, I learned of a way to promote it abroad in different languages. I toyed with the idea for a while until a few months ago when I actually decided to go ahead and try it. On December 12, 2016, I signed up with Babel Cube. I uploaded my book and author information. I waited. I heard some good things about this website. Posts by other authors having had success using it. They liked it. What is Babel cube you ask? It’s a website where writers sign up and post their books. Translators looking for projects to translate sign up. They may choose to translate your book. They may initiate contact with you to do so, or you can initiate contact. The translator does a small sample of your book into your chosen foreign language. Babel cube offers translators doing translations in over a dozen different languages that they offer through their sales channels. 

                            

Once a translator and you agree to a translation your project, you both negotiate payment, sign an agreement and proceed with the translation. Fifteen percent automatically goes to babel cube. The rest is up to you and the translator to agree to. Sounds pretty simple, right? Oh, and babel cube holds your foreign rights on your book for five years once an agreement is signed among all three parties. Oh, yes, I also forgot to mention that the translator is required to market your book in their country. Makes sense. Once they translate the book, they now have a monetary interest in it, right? Some have complained that they’re translators not promoters and feel it isn’t fair. Many writers feel the same way. I know I’d rather be writing than promoting my book, but I have no choice.

     I didn't expect anyone to jump on my novel, SHATTERED LIES, but I did expect a bit better than what I did receive: Nothing to date. Nothing to speak of. To date, I’ve had one Spanish translator contact me about translating my book only to cancel the request the same day. Since then, I reached out to two different German translators to translate my book, SHATTERED LIES into German. I received no reply from either. Not even a cordial rejection. I contacted one Italian translator who informed me that she was interested, but “she had to think about it”. Mind you these are people looking for work, which is why they are on babel cube. Same reason that I placed my book there: To get someone to translate it to make money. I have no idea why no one has inquired about translating my book into their language, or even wrote back to decline. Perhaps, my book is a bit too old. Perhaps, the subject matter is too intense for them. Perhaps, they’re looking for an easy way to make money. Perhaps, no one is looking for work at all. I can't say anything good or bad about Babel Cube except for the one time I had to contact customer service, no one replied. Made me wonder if the site even worked.....

                          

     Then, I heard the reply from the Italian translator above. Should you put your book out there in a foreign language? Why not? Just because my experience wasn’t a positive one doesn’t mean yours won’t be. You may find an entire new market out there waiting for you. Reading is an universal activity. Everyone does it. I know one writer that had great success with Babel Cube. At least with an Italian translator. Not so well with a Spanish one. Thanks to the Italian translator, his book was one of the top 100 books on amazon because she promoted his book. The Spanish translator did no promotion. Be aware going in that you may or may not get someone interested in actually translating it and/or marketing your book. I may or may not go with Babel Cube if the right translator comes along and we can make a deal. We'll see....

                      

Of course, I could always pay someone outright to translate my book and do everything myself. There are lots of sites offering to do that. I inquired on several sites about doing just that, which offered quotes. To translate my book would be more than I care to spend. Off the charts. Perhaps, my next book may pique someone’s interest enough to translate it. Perhaps, one day pigs will fly. That’s my take on it. Do you have an experience with translating your book? Was it a positive or negative one? Are you interested in having your book translated and sold into other markets? Why or why not? Did I mention that when you choose to translate, you must also decide whether the language you chose is native to the translator or not? There are some German translators that can translate into Italian, and vice versa, but is that what you want? 

                          

Thank you all for visiting with us. It’s always a pleasure to meet readers and authors. Until next time, every one please stay safe. Smile. Be happy. Show compassion. Be nice to others. Put a little love into your heart. Please speak up for those without a voice, whether it be a dog, cat, elephant or monkey. One person, one voice can make a difference. Read a book and pass it on. Leave a review. Reviews are important for authors. Believe me. I know. Thank you!

Regards,
S. J. Francis, Writing is my passion, but animals are my world. 
Advocate for the underdog, and cat, and supporting writers, et al.

In Shattered Lies: "It's All About Family." Available now from Black Opal Books and for sale at all on-line retailers and independent booksellers. "Some secrets should remain that way."

                     Shattered Lies is a Finalist in the 2016 Wishing Shelf Independer Book Awards.

                     Shattered Lies is a winner in the Fall 2016 NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Book Awards for Women's Fiction. 

                     Shattered Lies is a runner-up in the 2016 Shelf Unbound Indie Best Book Award Competition.
                                        

                     Shattered Lies is a 2016 Reader's Favorite Honorable Mention in the Fiction - Women’s category.  

                     Shattered Lies was a Finalist in the 10th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards.

                     Shattered Lies was chosen as General Fiction Official Selection in the 2015 New Apple Book Awards.

                     The 2nd, new book cover design for Shattered Lies was a Finalist in the 2016 Authors dB Best Cover Contest. 

                     The first, original book cover design for Shattered Lies was a semi-finalist in the 2015 Authors dB Best Cover Contest. 

My Black Opal Books Author Page:

http://www.blackopalbooks.com/author-bios/bio-sj-francis

                                            Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/sjfrancis419

  Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/pages/SJ-Francis/480058115420325

                                                

       A Book Review 4 U: http://abookreview4u.blogspot.com
      A Consumer's View: http://aconsumersview.blogspot.com
                  One for the Animals: http://onefortheanimals.blogspot.com

                          Pinterest:http://www.pinterest.com/sjfrancis419

 Google Plus:https://plus.google.com/u/0/104831238907682620486/about

             Good Reads:https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/33550975-s-j

And now for some legal stuff: Copyright 2017 by S.J. Francis. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, S. J. Francis and the guest author and are meant to entertain, inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.

Should You Enter Writing Contests? This Author Says Yes & I Agree, to a point.

A Note from S.J. Francis: When I saw this blog post, I knew I had to share it. Should you enter writing contests? This author says yes and I agree, to a point. Why? Before my novel, Shattered Lies was purchased I asked a long time published author friend with all the books out there, how could I make mine stand out? She advised me to enter contests. Well I did. I lost count how many I entered and how much I spent in doing so. To date, my book or cover has placed in seven contests of varying degrees. It's nice to see that others out there, experts in the writing field acknowledged my novel. It's nice to receive their notes and seals of recognition, too. Did winning the awards help my books sales any? Nope. Did it help make my book stand out? Not that I've noticed. Should you enter writing contests? That is completely up to you. If you have the time and can afford it, why not go for it? I know a lot of other authors that don't enter contests while some do. It seems to me to be a matter of preference. Do you enter writing contests? Why or why not?

From The Write Life.com

Should You Enter Writing Contests?

This  Author Says Yes

November 8, 2016 By Emily Wenstrom

Last spring, I entered my novel into awriting contest on a whim, with my state’s writing association.

I felt my odds of winning somethingseemed decent enough it was worth the $40 entry fee, and at minimum, I’d receive the judges’ feedback, which would be extremely helpful for honing my craft.

Who can resist an opportunity to see how you measure up to your peers?

In early summer I got news that I was a semifinalist. Then in August, that I was a finalist. It started to get exciting. I could really, actually place!  But I tried not to think about it too hard, to avoid too much disappointment later.

Well friends, I not only placed, I got first place for the published fantasy category.

And then in a completely unexpected twist, my novel received the organization’s top honor as 2016 Book of the Year.

Hooray!

I was completely floored. Winning an award is a really nice pat on the back—you’re doing something right, and those high-starred reviews on Amazon are not just out of politeness.

Held up to high standards of objective judging, you made the cut.

But beyond fueling a writer’s ego, what can an award do for your author career?

“Award-winning”

As soon as you are declared a winner in a contest, you get to slap “award-winning” in front of your byline any time you want.

And you should definitely want to. The external affirmation of an award can help new readers consider you worth a risk. Over time, this is a credential that pays off.

Speaking opportunities

This new tag next to your name should be able to help you get a few more speaking gigs, too.

My award came with one opportunity built in: I’ll be the “person of renown” at next year’s conference, and will deliver an address the first day. Which is terrifying, but at least I have a year to prepare for it.

While at the conference, I got invited to address a writer’s group, and I’ve already started sending out queries to see what else I drum up—post-award is no time to kick back and relax … it’s time to jump into high gear!

“But I’m a writer, not a speaker!”

No, I am sorry, but you are both.

Being prepared to take on speaking gigs is a powerful way to expand your platform. I know it’s awful—when I step on a stage my hands visibly shake.

But the more you do it, the easier it gets. Start small in your own community and work your way up. If it helps, round up a panel to work with. But don’t let a fear of public speaking hold your beloved book back from success.

Media buzz

Any time you earn recognition for your work, be sure to send out a press release to any reporters in your area who cover books, or arts and culture in general (just one per media outlet please, so do your research to find the best contact first).

Your returns on a press release may vary, but odds are you’ll get at least a hit or two, and every mention can help readers discover and remember you.

Copies in hands

This result was immediate: As soon as the awards ceremony concluded, people were stopping me to say they couldn’t wait to purchase my book in the conference book store the next day.

At a winners’ signing in the morning, I sold 20 books in about 90 minutes—and got as many new subscribers to my email list. For comparison, I sold fewer books than that over a three-day local comic con.

I saw a jump in my Amazon ranking over the following week, too.

Putting it all to work

So how do you find the right contest for your book? Chasing the Man Booker or the Pulitzer on your first shot is probably not going to pay off. But, winning an award that lacks credibility won’t help you much, either.

A few tips:

• Look to your local and state organizations. These often offer competitions that draw in a smaller pool since they’re not national, but most writing associations are still respected influencers in their region.

• Research the judging process. I’ve seen contests before where books are nominated by readers, and then voted upon online—this is less a judge of writing quality than a popularity contest.
  
  The contest I entered had a meticulous process including objective scoring thresholds to reach semifinalist and finalist status—so even being named a finalist was a true accomplishment. Another thoughtful feature this contest used was that to account for varying tastes in writing, the judge whose score was farthest away from the others was tossed (whether it was higher or lowers than the others).Look for contests with high standards and a clear, thoughtful judging process.

• Assess your work honestly. Do you genuinely feel that your manuscript holds up to the competition? What do critique partners tell you? Online reviews? Submitting a work you don’t feel is your best is just throwing your money away.

• Genre considerations. Look at the competition’s past results. How does your genre fare? Are there specific categories for your genre in this competition?
  
  Don’t submit your hot romance novel for a literary prize—you may have written the most wonderful romance ever, but genre fiction is not what that competition is looking for! Find a romance competition instead.

• Fringe benefits. Make sure you gain a benefit from the contest even if you don’t win—most commonly, you should receive the judges’ comments on why they scored your manuscript the way they did.

A time to seize opportunities

This was a great mid-year jumpstart to bring my book sales back to life a bit, and reaffirmed my efforts after a mid-year sales slump.

But taking full advantage of the opportunities is taking a ton of work, so be prepared. I’m reaching out to libraries, book stores, media outlets, and whatever else I can think of to seize opportunities.

Quite frankly, winning an award is some awful hard work. No sooner did I receive this unexpected honor than my heart started to race with all the new to-dos on my list. But it’s the good kind of work to have, so it’s hard to complain.

Want to create this situation for yourself? Don’t be afraid to get out there and submit!

Do you submit your work to writing contests? Why or why not?

About the Author: Emily Wenstrom

E. J. Wenstrom is a fantasy and science fiction author living in Cape Canaveral, FL. Her first book,Mud, is a dystopian fantasy novel.... Read full bio.

Website | @emilywenstrom

Original link: http://thewritelife.com/should-you-enter-writing-contests/?utm_source=The+Write+Life&utm_campaign=30350e6fea-Dedicated_elance_8_1_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ae07a22b59-30350e6fea-106455669&mc_cid=30350e6fea&mc_eid=574010d6f7

Thank you all for visiting with us. It’s always a pleasure to meet readers and authors. Until next month, every one please stay safe. Smile. Be happy. Show compassion. Be nice to others. Put a little love into your heart. Please speak up for those without a voice, whether it be a dog, cat, elephant or monkey. One person, one voice can make a difference. Read a book and pass it on. Leave a review. Reviews are important for authors. Believe me. I know. Thank you!Regards,
S. J. Francis, Writing is my passion, but animals are my world. 
Advocate for the underdog, and cat, and supporting writers, et al.
In Shattered Lies: "It's All About Family." Available now from Black Opal Books and for sale at all on-line retailers and independent booksellers.

                     Shattered Lies is a winner in the Fall 2016 NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards for Women's Fiction. 

                     Shattered Lies is a runner-up in the 2016 Shelf Unbound Indie Best Book Award Competition.

                     Shattered Lies is a 2016 Reader's Favorite Honorable Mention in the Fiction - Women’s category.  

                     Shattered Lies was a Finalist in the 10th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards.

                     Shattered Lies was chosen as General Fiction Official Selection in the 2015 New Apple Book Awards.

                     The first, original book cover design for Shattered Lies was a semi-finalist in the 2015 Authors dB Best Cover Contest.

                     The 2nd new book cover design for Shattered Lies was a Finalist in the 2016 Authors dB Best Cover Contest. 

My Black Opal Books Author Page:
http://www.blackopalbooks.com/author-bios/bio-sj-francis
                                            Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/sjfrancis419
                 Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/pages/SJ-Francis/480058115420325
       My Writing Blog: http://www.sjfranciswriter.blogspot.com
A Book Review 4 U: http://abookreview4u.blogspot.com
      A Consumer's View: http://aconsumersview.blogspot.com
                  One for the Animals: http://onefortheanimals.blogspot.com
                                               Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/sjfrancis419/
 Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/104831238907682620486/about
                           Good Reads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/33550975-s-j

And now for some legal stuff: Copyright 2017 by S.J. Francis. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, S. J. Francis and the guest author and are meant to entertain, inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.

On-Line Writing Groups: Should You or Shouldn't You? It Really All Depends....

                            

Should you or shouldn’t join an on-line writing group? Good question. Personally, I think joining one is a good idea. For support. For encouragement. For an opportunity to promote yourself and others. To exchange ideas with other authors. Writing is such an isolated career one often forgets that there are others in the same boat. In the end, of course, it all really depends on the club. Here’s why I say it all depends. Watch out for these red flags and then, decide whether or not to join that on-line writing group that sounds so good. First, do they charge a fee to join? Big red flag there! Yes, some writing groups may offer you some fantastic benefits, but is it worth the membership fee? Is the membership fee actually collected and labeled as such when you go to pay? I joined one on-line writing group where the membership fee was labeled, “Donation” when I signed up to pay via PayPal. BIG RED FLAG. I questioned it and was told, they “messed up when opening the account and clicked on donations instead of fee and never got around to changing it”. ANOTHER BIG RED FLAG. In fact, as it turned out, every fee from contests to blog tours to more were labeled as “Donations” not fees. Is the group on a paid or free website page? If it is a paid for website page, that would sort of justify charging a membership fee, right? If the website page is free, what are you paying for? It better be for some fantastic membership benefits, right?

                                        

     The on-line group I joined had a big red flag: It’s called the “On-line Writing Group by Santa Claus. Website name.com”, which, of course means the page is free. Wix and Word Press among others offer this option. You get the free web page with their name on it. Is the club big on promoting to readers or for more recruits? Do they have fundraisers and ask for more money because they “say” they need it? For what? Why would an on-line writing group on a free web page need any funds? Good question? Do they promote you and your writing to readers, or just to other members? Are their activities geared toward access to readers, or just to other members? I was part of one Back to School Blog tour that was aimed at bringing in other members to visit my blog, which of course, after that visit, no one ever returned. Silly me thought the purpose of an author blog tour was to bring in readers.

                                                 

                   

      Not so. When I questioned the club’s President, she said it wasn’t. Point blank. The “lottery” that was held during this tour in which I was to award prizes to visitors turned out to be won by guess what? All the “random” winners turned out to be other club members and no one else, though I had invited others outside the membership to visit. One winner was even a club Board member who fortunately never claimed the prize. Good thing because I wasn’t going to award a club board member a prize. I saw nothing ethical about this, though the club President was quick to point out that “there was nothing wrong with it”.

                                          

     I received my renewal notice in the middle of May. I thought hard about it and then, in the end decided against renewing. I sent my concerns off to the club President: How I felt about the club giving nothing back. No one reciprocated and more. In reply, I received an immediate cancellation. No apology. No trying to retain my membership. Nothing. All this went in line with the way I watched this club operate. As long as you did what they wanted when they wanted, you were in. When you questioned their practices, the President took it personally and told you off. No way to run a club, is it? Learn from my mistakes. Watch out for those groups that take all you have to give without giving you anything back. Watch out for those that charge "membership fees" to join. I joined two on-line writing groups last year. I paid for the privilege in more than one way. I learned a great deal more than I thought I would, too. Sort of soured me on on-line writing groups. Those that have BIG RED FLAGS showing anyway.

     All this leads back to the original question, Should you or shouldn’t you join an on-line writing group? If you live in an area that doesn’t have a physical writing group, as I do, and doesn’t have any red flags, I say why not? A writing group offers comradery and an opportunity to promote you and your writing, as well as helping out other writers. As long as there are no red flags, why not? The choice is up to you, but choose wisely. I wish I had done so, but that is another post. 

     Thank you all for visiting with us. It’s always a pleasure to meet readers and authors. Until next month, every one please stay safe. Smile. Be happy. Show compassion. Be nice to others. Put a little love into your heart. Please speak up for those without a voice, whether it be a dog, cat, elephant or monkey. One person, one voice can make a difference. Read a book and pass it on. Leave a review. Reviews are important for authors. Believe me. I know. Thank you!

Regards,
S. J. Francis, Writing is my passion, but animals are my world. 
Advocate for the underdog, and cat, and supporting writers, et al.

In Shattered Lies: "It's All About Family." Available now from Black Opal Books and for sale at all on-line retailers and independent booksellers. "Some secrets should remain that way."

                     Shattered Lies is a Finalist in the 2016 Wishing Shelf Independer Book Awards.

                     Shattered Lies is a winner in the Fall 2016 NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Book Awards for Women's Fiction. 

                     Shattered Lies is a runner-up in the 2016 Shelf Unbound Indie Best Book Award Competition.
                                        

                     Shattered Lies is a 2016 Reader's Favorite Honorable Mention in the Fiction - Women’s category.  

                     Shattered Lies was a Finalist in the 10th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards.

                     Shattered Lies was chosen as General Fiction Official Selection in the 2015 New Apple Book Awards.

                     The 2nd, new book cover design for Shattered Lies was a Finalist in the 2016 Authors dB Best Cover Contest. 

                     The first, original book cover design for Shattered Lies was a semi-finalist in the 2015 Authors dB Best Cover Contest. 

My Black Opal Books Author Page:

http://www.blackopalbooks.com/author-bios/bio-sj-francis

                                            Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/sjfrancis419

  Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/pages/SJ-Francis/480058115420325

                                                

       A Book Review 4 U: http://abookreview4u.blogspot.com
      A Consumer's View: http://aconsumersview.blogspot.com
                  One for the Animals: http://onefortheanimals.blogspot.com

                          Pinterest:http://www.pinterest.com/sjfrancis419

 Google Plus:https://plus.google.com/u/0/104831238907682620486/about

             Good Reads:https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/33550975-s-j

And now for some legal stuff: Copyright 2017 by S.J. Francis. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, S. J. Francis and the guest author and are meant to entertain, inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.