ALTA GUIDES TO LITERARY TRANSLATION
The Proposal for a Book-Length
Translation
First Things First
The Query
The Book Proposal
Queries, Proposals, and Multiple
Submissions
Rejections
Appendix: A Sample Query Letter
References
Useful Websites
Translators are often called upon to
write a proposal for a book-length translation, particularly when the
translator is initiating the project. However, an author, editor, or agent may
request this kind of proposal as well. A translator’s proposal resembles the
proposal any writer would submit, but it must address, in addition, the special
issues raised by a work not originally written in English.
This guide will explain the purpose
and describe the elements of a typical proposal for a book-length translation.
By following the steps outlined here, consulting the sample query letter, and using
the resources listed, the beginning translator should be able to produce a
polished, professional proposal. More experienced translators will find tips
and resources here that can help them improve their proposals.
First Things First
Before you prepare a proposal, you
should
·
determine that the translation rights to the work are available, and
· draw
up a circulation list.
As early on as possible, the
translator must determine the status of the translation rights of the work he
has chosen. The importance of this step cannot be overemphasized. A publisher
cannot legally publish a translation without obtaining the English-language
rights to the original work.
Usually this means contacting the
foreign rights manager of the work’s original publisher. In addition, there are
a few specialized agencies that negotiate translation rights between foreign
and American publishers, and they can be very helpful. For example, if you are
dealing with a book published in France, the French Publishers’ Agency (Le
Bureau du Livre Français) (www.frenchrights.com/USA) in New York can help you
determine the status of a book’s translation rights, i.e., whether they have
been sold, and if so, to whom. This type of agency may also be willing to
contact an American press to let them know you are interested in translating a
given title. The German Book Office in New York (www.gbo.org) and the
Nederlands Literair Produktie-en vertalingenfonds/Foundation for the Production
and Translation of Dutch Literature (www.nlpf.nl) serve similar functions as the
French Publishers’ Agency. See both “ALTA Guides to Literary Translation:
Breaking Into Print” (available on the ALTA website or from the ALTA offices)
and the PEN American Center’s “Handbook for Literary Translators” (available at
the PEN website) for a thorough discussion of the exceptions to this general
rule of translation rights.
“I had never considered becoming a translator. But it
happened that I fell in love – with a book. My first foray into translation was
a novella by Mexican writer Sabina Berman. I was standing in a bookstore in
Cuernavaca one January afternoon in 1991, killing time while my students were
in grammar class, when I picked up the slim volume that would eventually lead
me to my new vocation. This book, La bobe, traces the relationship between a young
Mexican girl and her grandmother, an Orthodox Jew and a Russian émigrée. I felt
as though I might have written this book under different circumstances, and I
needed, somehow, to make it mine. After learning that the author held the translation
rights, I went on a single-minded quest to get permission from the author to translate the novel, a mission that
involved a great deal of letter writing, phone calling, and finally a trip to
Mexico City, manuscript in hand. But my persistence paid off, and Bubbeh
was published by Latin American Literary Review Press in 1998. That was the beginning. I’ve translated nine
books now, six of which have been published.”
-- Andrea G. Labinger
Once you have chosen a book that you
would like to translate, or you have begun to translate it, and once you have
determined that the rights are available, your first question is likely to be:
“How do I go about getting this book published?” In fact, finding a publisher
is often half the battle.
It is natural to feel daunted by the
vast array of publishers and the paucity of those that ever publish literary
translations in what is largely an English-language market focused on works
originally written in English. Don’t let this discourage you, though, because
there is a market, albeit limited, for book-length translations.
Each publishing house has a unique
profile. The trick is to choose a publisher known to be interested in your type
of project. In the United States, there are basically three types of publishers,
which are characterized primarily by the markets they target:
1. Commercial presses publish
translations of fiction (only rarely of poetry), as well as of biographies,
histories, letters, and other literary nonfiction with broad appeal or
potential for substantial sales.
2. University presses publish
poetry, fiction, nonfiction and scholarly works that are of high quality but
that do not necessarily have the sales potential required by commercial
publishers. Books in any of these categories may be translations. In addition,
university presses often have series that focus on special topics, writers, or
geographical areas, for example, Latin America, or women writers.
3. Independent presses (as they
prefer to be called, although they are often listed in references as “small”
presses) often focus on a few areas of special interest to their editors; these
are the presses most likely to publish works that lack significant commercial
potential. The range of
these publishing houses is great --
from those able and willing to compete with the major houses on their own terms
all the way to those functioning as glorified vanity presses. They usually can
not offer as much money up front or status as commercial or university presses,
but the reliable ones are more likely to keep a book in print and to back it up
in the long run.
“More than once, the announcement of
a Nobel-prize winner (Szymborska, Seifert, Aleixandre) has found the
works of that writer available in English only from a relatively obscure press.
It may make a difference to a translator whether or not a press is run for
profit or not. A non-profit press has access to grant funding and other kinds
of support that greatly enhance the attraction of publishing literary
translations. A non-profit press may also ask a translator to contribute to
looking for grant money to help
in the publication of the work. This is a legitimate collaboration, but watch
out for the ‘vanity’ end of the continuum that simply prints the book at the
translator’s expense.”
--Jim
Kates
It is often difficult to decide
which type of publisher would be most appropriate for your book project. In
recent years, there has been increasing overlap of mission among the several
types of publishers. In particular, many university presses have begun to take
over the mid-list books once published by commercial publishers, and
independent presses that do the same have won critical respect. The point is to
choose a press appropriate to your project. Don’t spend your time approaching
commercial presses with proposals that are extremely unlikely to interest them.
This is not to say your book is more likely to be published by a university or
independent press because it is somehow more specialized or “obscure.” Many of
these presses do make quite an effort in their marketing strategies, with the
intention of selling translation titles to a larger audience.
One way to locate potential
publishers is to find other books similar to yours and see who published them.
You can also consult the wealth of references available on publishers. Look
through the catalog at your public or college library, ask a reference
librarian for help, and search the Internet and the writers’ references listed
below under “References.” Also, consult publishers’ catalogs. Another good way
to identify presses that might be interested in your work is to talk to
published translators. Such personal references can be very fruitful. For
additional discussion of this important topic, refer to the “References”
section below, as well as to “Breaking into Print” and PEN’s “Handbook of
Literary Translation.”
Publishing houses are usually more
than willing to send you their catalogues and title lists. University and
independent presses usually post these also on their web-sites, often with
“mission statements” and other useful information. These will give you an
overview of the activities of
the publishing house.
Keep in mind that what a publisher
wants to publish can change, depending, for example, on who the editors are at
any given time. Be aware of this fluidity in the publisher’s choice of works.
Once you have found some prospective
publishers for your translation, draw up a circulation list. When your proposal
is not accepted--and the statistical likelihood is that you will receive many
more rejections than acceptances--you should be ready to send it off again
immediately.
The Query
Before you write a lengthy proposal,
it is a good idea to send out a brief prospectus to prospective publishers. Your
prospectus should include: a cover letter (see Appendix) describing the
project, some information about the author of the work you intend to translate,
your own resume with a short sample (2-3 pages) of the translation in
question, or if available, a few pages of some of the translator’s already
published work.
“If you are translating from one of
the more unusual languages, it is helpful for the editor to know whether the
book has been translated into French, German, or Spanish. If your
query/proposal piques the interest of a publishing house, it might want to send
out a French or German translation for readers’ reports. Some translations have
been commissioned after editors read, for example, the French translation.
These books might not have been bought for translation otherwise.”
--Peter Constantine
The entire prospectus should
comprise no more than a few succinct pages but it should give enough
information about the importance of the project to spark interest. You may send
this initial prospectus to many editors at the same time without having to face
the delicate question of multiple submissions (see below). It is also useful in
your cover letter to ask the editor what other presses she might suggest you
contact if she is not interested in your project. Another advantage of sending
out many such short queries is that an editor will probably be able to respond
more quickly if she has less material to read. By narrowing down the group of
potential publishers, you will be able to decide more easily where to send your
full proposal.
“Chance
encounters, networking, and third parties have played some part in almost all
book length translations I’ve been part of. Nonetheless, I’ve assembled and
sent out tons of proposals, and it’s crucial for two reasons: 1) Sooner or
later, the interested editor needs to convince a colleague or boss. At that
moment he needs from you—instantly—the descriptions, reviews, samples, and any
other evidence. This also means you have to keep adding to the file. For
example, the very week a university press editor decided he wanted a Cuban
novel I was working on, a review of several published translations had lamented
that this book deserved to be in English, too, but no commercial house was
likely to do it. My editor’s boss needed to see that review, but the editor
himself didn’t know about it; 2) An editor may reject a proposal, but if it’s a
good proposal, then you’re on her map; she may even feel bad about having to
turn you down. Then, if a translator she’s counting on for some other book in
your area of interest/expertise falls through, she might very well call you,
and you get to work with a good author you barely knew about. This has happened
to me, too.”
--Dick Cluster
Always direct your letter and query to
a specific person by name. You can ask in your letter that the
person to whom you wrote forward it to another editor at the company if that
editor would be the more appropriate one to consider it. You can often find the
names of acquisitions editors and others on the publishers’ websites. Other
members of ALTA are an important resource when it comes to finding out editors’
names.
The Book Proposal
Each press has its own guidelines
for a book proposal, from fairly short and informal to highly structured and
lengthy. Sometimes a one- to two-page cover letter and a short sample
translation--a query, essentially--will suffice for the book to be accepted.
More often than not, though, you will be expected to write a more formal and
detailed proposal. An editor may tell you in a letter or phone call what to
include in your proposal. The press may have written guidelines for proposals.
In any case, follow proposal guidelines carefully. Many presses require a vote
by their editorial board before approving a book for publication, so it is in
your interest to follow the requested guidelines and give information that is
as complete as possible.
Always assume that you are
addressing a general audience, i.e., an editorial board composed of people who
do not necessarily know the language from which you are translating and who may
have minimal familiarity with the culture and country from which the text has
emerged. You should be prepared to supply all of the following information,
even though not every editor will require it.
1.
A cover letter (similar to the query letter, see Appendix) briefly
introducing the author and the book and explaining how it relates to the United
States and/or English-language market. Although a book may have done very well
in its country of origin, here it is much more critical to explain its value
for an English-language audience. Be prepared to address this question in your
cover letter and to discuss it with an editor either in person or over the phone.
Depending on the project, it might
be important to discuss your role in the bringing the project to this point.
In any case, you should be able to
state that the translation rights are available. Any experienced editor will
want that assurance from the beginning.
2.
An author biography and an introduction to the author and his work,
which should list principal publications, previous translations into English or
other languages, and any literary prizes or honors received.
3.
A synopsis of the book with a statement explaining the work’s literary
and cultural significance.
4.
Reviews of this book and any others by the author, particularly in
English, that seem relevant. You may also be asked to provide translations of
reviews of the original work; e.g., a selection of reviews from the most
reputable Japanese literary magazines and journals, for a work from Japan.
5.
A bibliography, including the author’s books and all literature cited in
the proposal.
6.
Your resume and bibliography, including principal publications, previous
translations into English, and literary prizes or awards received, if any.
7.
An excerpt from the original text with an accompanying, polished sample
translation. Expect to be asked for twenty to thirty pages.
8.
If you already have ideas about the cover and illustrations, you may
suggest these in your proposal. Some presses will expect ideas and even sample
photos from you, and others will make these decisions internally. You may even
be expected to secure rights to photo and illustration reprints, so be prepared
to do this early on. Also, if possible, ask the author whether he or she has
any suggestions or strong feelings about the cover, as the latter can be
critical in setting the tone for the entire work.
9. If the press or series in
question requires an introduction to the work (for example, a scholarly
introduction in a university press series) and you feel competent to write it,
mention that you would be prepared to write this yourself. If you don’t feel you
have the necessary background, suggest to the editor someone else in the field whom
the press might contact to write the introduction. Such introductions are
usually just a few pages when they are intended for the general list but can be
forty or fifty pages and include a bibliography when they are meant to be read
by students or scholars. Naturally, the
issue will arise later, once the project is under way. However, it may be
useful for your proposal to explain your level of expertise early on.
In some cases, there may already
exist a brief piece (by the author about his work or by a critic about the
author’s work) that can serve as an introduction or as part of it.
10. If any financial support is
available that will cover all or part of the additional costs of translation,
this possibility should be mentioned first in the query and then repeated in
the proposal. The translator should research this as carefully as the rights
situation. For example, the French government subsidizes some translations from
French into other languages. American publishers are often aware of such funds
and how to obtain them, but it is worth it to a translator to have this kind of
information available when proposing a book.
Queries, Proposals, and Multiple
Submissions
How do you decide whether to send a
query or a proposal? How many editors
can you target at one time?
The query (see above) is the
briefest type of inquiry. In it, you are
making a quick pitch and asking whether an editor wants to see more. You can send the same query to as many
publishers as you think might possibly be interested.
The proposal (also see above) is a
more substantial pitch, but it is a pitch all the same. It requires much more of you--and asks for
much more from the editor. While a query
can be read in a few minutes, a proposal will take an editor much longer to
review in a serious way. Although you
can certainly bypass the query stage, often it makes more sense to send the
query widely and follow up with the proposal for those editors who express a
desire for more.
Does this approach constitute
“multiple submissions,” and if so, is it wise to adopt it?
There is a taboo inside the
publishing industry against multiple submissions. It is a bad idea to submit a
complete manuscript to more than one publisher at a time, and understandably
so. If an editor is so impressed with a project as to read the entire
manuscript, he or she would be understandably indignant at the translator if
the manuscript was also being considered elsewhere.
A good proposal, on the other hand,
is concise. If the cover letter and supporting materials persuade the editor to
read the sample translation, he has still spent only an hour or so on the
proposal. It is entirely reasonable to
submit a book proposal to as many editors as are likely prospects. If and when
an editor shows interest, you will follow one of two routes, depending on your
situation.
If for some reason you have already
translated the complete manuscript, you can explain that the query is being
read by others as well but that you would be happy to submit the full
manuscript to this one editor exclusively for a specific length of time, say,
three months. Should you receive another request for the manuscript, you can
then tell the second editor that the manuscript is being considered elsewhere
and it will be available again for review when the three months are up. If no
other editors express interest, of course, there is no need to withdraw the
manuscript from the first editor at the end of the three months.
Another approach would be to choose
the two or three publishers one is most interested in among those who responded
to one’s initial query and ask all of them if they would object to sending the
manuscript to two or three editors at once.
Not everyone will have a full
manuscript at the proposal stage, and indeed there is a strong argument in
favor of not translating the book or manuscript first. (This allows you,
for example, to wait until you have a
more definite commitment or expression of interest before continuing with your
translation, thereby giving you more time to explore other books and send out
other queries. However, see below for an exception regarding poetry.) If an editor expresses interest in pursuing
the project, the translator can submit as much as is available or can come to
an agreement with the editor about how much of the manuscript should be
submitted by what date.
Another major consideration is
whether your project involves poetry or prose. Two chapters of a novel or
nonfiction work, or several short stories from a collection may suffice, in
addition to other supporting materials, for a prose project to be accepted. But
for poetry, usually the publisher will want to read the whole manuscript first.
Rejections
Although it is easy to say, try not
to be too disheartened by rejections. They are part of any writer’s life, no
matter what the field of writing. By drawing up a circulation list of potential
publishers, you make it easy to send the proposal out again immediately and in
this way may soothe some of the sting of rejection. Again, it can be quite
useful to ask a press for ideas about other publishers that might be interested
in your translation. Most editors are happy to suggest other contacts if they
can.
Sometimes rejection letters provide
a brief explanation of why the proposal was not accepted. Glean from these what
you can. Decide whether the editor has said anything useful that may then help
you to improve your proposal.
Appendix: A Sample Letter*
[Editor’s
name/address]
Re: Russian
Booker Prize Nominee
Dear
[Editor’s Name]:
I have
translated Here Comes the Messiah!, a Russian-Israeli novel nominated
for the Russian Booker Prize. Might you have an interest in considering the
manuscript for possible publication?
Here
Comes the Messiah!
is in its second printing in Russia, its fifth printing in Israel, and is
currently under contract for publication (in translation) in Germany. Also, the
novel is being included in a fifty-volume Russian edition of select
twentieth-century Russian literature.
The author
of Here Comes the Messiah!, Dina Rubina, has been publishing in Russia
for the past twenty years and now lives in Israel. Her work has been translated
into twelve languages, she has won literary awards in the former Soviet Union
and in Israel, and a translation of her work into French was voted the best
book of the 1996 literary season.
Here
Comes the Messiah!
is both a satire of Russian émigré life in Israel and a spiritual exploration.
Its narrative tones vary from contemplative to cynical to satirical.
The novel
begins with the story of Ziama, a Russian Jewish émigré woman living in Israel.
What the reader gradually realizes is that Ziama’s story is being written by
another character, Writer N., the central protagonist. The text moves back and
forth between Writer N.’s own “real” life and Ziama’s “fictional” life, all of
which is actually being written by yet another narrator. We see Writer N.
populate her novel with characters from her own life, we watch them struggle,
sometimes hilariously, sometimes tragically, with the dangers and absurdities
of life on the West Bank, in Jerusalem and in Tel Aviv, in the Israeli army, in
Russian émigré cultural institutions and society. We follow characters who seek
the Messiah, characters who claim to be him, swindlers and the swindled,
crooks, prostitutes, rabbis, secular Jews, observant Jews, Christian pilgrims,
homosexuals, journalists, Holocaust survivors, Palestinian Arabs, Israeli
soldiers, children, pets. Writer N. seeks, through the writing of her novel, a
sin offering to redeem her Russian émigré community, a sacrifice, a character
who can fill the role of Messiah and bring order out of chaos. This novel is very
much a classical biblical story of a people gone astray and in need of
redemption, a story told with as much humor as pathos.
Over the
past year, Ms. Rubina has generously responded to questions I posed while
translating the text, and during a visit of hers to Boston last fall, she and I
discussed strategies for rendering, in English, her text’s mix of Russian,
Ukrainian, Hebrew and Yiddish word play.
At
Princeton University, I concentrated in Russian Studies, and was awarded a
fellowship for language study in Russia. I also hold an MFA in Writing from
Vermont College of Norwich University. My own short stories and personal essays
have been published in The Florida Review, Green Mountains Review,
The Greensboro Review, Oxford Magazine, South Dakota Review, Fiction and Drama
(Taiwan), The Abiko Quarterly (Japan), and elsewhere. My translations of
contemporary Russian fiction and memoir have appeared in issues of Beacons:
A Journal of Literary Translation (published by the American Translators
Association), and an article I wrote comparing various translations of
Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment is forthcoming in Exchanges:
Translation and Commentary (Univ. Iowa). Also, I have spoken on translation
theory at a conference of the American Literary Translators Association.
I know of
no other novel that explores the Russian émigré experience in Israel. Given the
American Jewish community’s struggle to help Russian Jews emigrate to Israel
and the United States, Here Comes the Messiah! would be of tremendous
interest to the sizable American Jewish reading community.
May I send
you a sample of the translation?
Sincerely,
Daniel M.
Jaffe
There is an abundance of books and
magazines that offer advice about publishers, about writing in general, and
about writing book proposals in particular. Most of that advice will apply to
your translation proposal. You, however, have the additional job of convincing
the editor that the extra risk (and, often, expense) of publishing a work that
must go through the additional stage of translation is worthwhile.
“ALTA Guides to Literary
Translation: Breaking into Print.” Available at http://www.literarytranslators.org. A practical guide for the literary translator
seeking publication.
The Babel Guides, published by Boulevard Books,
London. Although neither exhaustive nor completely current, they give an
overview of what literature has been published, a review of the works, and some
brief author bios. They can be particularly useful to a translator who is not
sure whether a work in question has been translated or not, and if it has, by
whom and when:
The
Babel Guide to the Fiction of Portugal, Brazil and Africa by Ray Keenoy, David Treece, and
Paul Hyland. 1998. Paperback, 166
pp. ISBN: 1-899460-055. Published by
Boulevard/Babel 8 Aldbourne Road, London W12 OLN. Tel/fax: 0181 743 5278;
e-mail: webreply@raybabel.dircon.co.uk.
Contains 150 reviews of books by Portuguese, Brazilian, and African (Angola and
Mozambique) authors.
The Babel Guide to French Fiction in
English Translation,
by Ray Keenoy, Laurence Laluyaux, and Gareth Stanton. 1996. Paperback, 256 pp. ISBN: 1-899460-10-1.
Published by Boulevard/Babel 8 Aldbourne Road, London W12 OLN. Tel/fax: 0181
743 5278; e-mail: webreply@raybabel.dircon.co.uk.
Contains 150 reviews of books by 100 authors from France, Quebec, North and
West Africa, Belgium, and Switzerland.
The Babel Guide to German Fiction in
English Translation,
by Ray Keenoy and Mike Mitchell. 2000. Paperback, 192 pp. ISBN: 1-899460-20-9.
Published by Boulevard/Babel 8 Aldbourne Road, London W12 OLN. Tel/fax: 0181
743 5278; e-mail: webreply@raybabel.dircon.co.uk.
Covers Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and contains 100 reviews.
The Babel Guide to Italian Fiction
in English Translation, by Ray Keenoy, Fiorenza Conte, et al. ISBN: 1-899460-004. Published by
Boulevard/Babel 8 Aldbourne Road, London W12 OLN. Tel/fax: 0181 743 5278;
e-mail: webreply@raybabel.dircon.co.uk.
Contains 150 reviews of books by Italian authors available in English.
Directory of Literary Magazines
2000, by Council of
Literary Magazines and Presses. February 2000. 325 pp. Moyer Bell LTD. ISBN:
155921239X. Provides journal descriptions, contact names, submission
guidelines, payment procedures, circulation figures.
Directory of Poetry Publishers. Len Fulton, editor. 16th
edition, 2000-2001. ISBN: 0-916685-80-2.
Order from Dustbooks, P.O. Box 100, Paradise, CA 95967. Orders: 800-477-6110;
fax: 530-877-0222; e-mail: dustbooks@dcsi.net.
Has over 100 entries under “Translation.”
Directory of Small Press/Magazine
Editors and Publishers. Len Fulton, editor. 31st
Edition, 2000-2001. ISBN: 0-916685-81-0. Order from Dustbooks, P.O. Box 100,
Paradise, CA 95967. Orders: 800-477-6110; fax: 530-877-0222; e-mail: dustbooks@dcsi.net. Contains 7,500
listings of editors and publishers in alphabetical order.
Encyclopedia of Literary Translation
into English. Olive
Classe, editor. April 2000. 2000 pp. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. ISBN:
1884964362.
Every Page Perfect: A Full-Size
Writer’s Manual for Manuscripts Format and Submission Protocol, by Mary Lynn. 3rd
Edition, January 1997. 185 pp. Toad Hall, Inc. ISBN: 096374982X.
Handbook of Latin American Studies: The Library of Congress. HLAS
OnLine: http://memory.loc.gov/hlas
The International Directory of
Little Magazines and Small Presses. Len Fulton, editor. 36th Edition, 2000-2001.
Paperback. ISBN: 0-916685-78-0. Order from Dustbooks, P.O. Box 100, Paradise,
CA 95967. Orders: 800-477-6110; fax: 530-877-0222; e-mail: dustbooks@dcsi.net.
Literary Horizons: http://www.pw.org/lithoriz
Literary MarketPlace: http://www.literarymarketplace.com
Novel and Short Story Writer’s
Market. Barbara
Kuroff and Tricia Waddell, editors. January 2000. 678 pp. ISBN: 0898799341.
Includes sample query letters and the dos and don’ts of writing them.
The Oxford Guide to Literature in
English Translation. Peter
France, editor. 2000. 680 pp. Hardback. ISBN: 0-19-818359-3. Oxford University
Press. Part I contains the theory and history of translation; part II gives
literature translated into English by language of origin.
“PEN Handbook for Literary
Translators” http://www2.pen.org/translation/handbook.html
Small Press Record of Books in
Print. Len Fulton,
editor. 28th- 29th Editions, 1999-2001. ISBN:
0-916685-71-3. Order from Dustbooks, P.O. Box 100, Paradise, CA 95967. Orders:
800-477-6110; fax: 530-877-0222e-mail: dustbooks@dcsi.net.
Lists more than 50,000 titles from more than 5,000 small, independent,
educational, and self-publishers worldwide.
2000 Writer’s Market: The Electronic
Edition with CD-ROM.
Kirsten C. Holm and Donya Dickerson, editors.
August 1999. Paperback, 1112 pp. Writers Digest Books. ISBN: 0898799163.
Includes more than 4,000 consumer and trade magazines, book publishers, script
buyers, etc.
Writer’s Digest:
http://www.writersdigest.com.
Targeted at magazine and book writers, contains articles on fiction and
nonfiction writing,
Writer’s Guide to Internet Resources, by Vicky Phillips and Cindy Yager.
March 1998. Arco Publishing. ISBN: 0028618823.
Writer’s International Guide to Book
Editors, Publishers and Literary Agents, by Jeff Herman. New revised ed., July 2000. 936 pp. Prima
Publishing. ISBN: 0761522166. Contains names and specific areas of interest of
editors at over 500 publishing houses, as well as interviews with literary
agents.
Useful Websites
American Literary Translators
Association (ALTA).
Lists Publishers of Books in Translation and Journals Publishing Translations,
Calls for Submissions, Prizes, Grants and Awards, as well as other pertinent
information: http://www.literarytranslators.org
AcqWeb’s Directory of Publishers and
Vendors, University Presses. Includes foreign presses. Also helpful is the list of
publishers, poetry publishers and the subject directory: http://acqweb.library.vanderbilt.edu/acqweb/pubr/univ.html
American Translators Association, 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590,
Alexandria, VA 22314. http://www.atanet.org
Association of American University
Presses, 71 West 23rd
Street, Suite #901, New York, NY 10010. Telephone: (212) 989-1010; fax: (212)
989-0275; e-mail: aaupny@aol.com. Online
Catalog (The AAUP Online Catalog closed its doors on April 2, 2001. Home pages
for the AAUP member presses and other presses that were included in the catalog
are listed): http://aaup.uchicago.edu
Council of Literary Magazines and
Presses: http://www.clmp.org
Council of Literary Magazines and
Presses, Publisher
Resources – Further Reading and Directories: http://www.clmp.org/resources/reading.html
Foundation for the Production and
Translation of Dutch Literature: http://www.nlpvf.nl/home.htm
French Publishers’ Agency: http://frenchrights.com/USA
German Book Office, c/o Goethe-Institut New York, 1014
Fifth Avenue, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10028. Tel: (212) 794-2851;
FAX: (212) 794-2870; E-mail: post@gbo.org; http://www.gbo.org/gbo/content.html
Links to Translation Studies
Resources,
including a brief list of publishing houses that have series of books in
Translation Studies: http://spinoza.tau.ac.il/~toury/links.html
PEN American Center: http://www.pen.org
Translation Search: A Guide to
Sources for Finding English Translations. Part of the University of British Columbia library
website, this lists a number of directories/indices to literature in
translation. http://www.library.ubc.ca/hss/transl.html
University Press Directory (not a complete listing): http://www.writerswrite.com/books/bookpubs/upress.htm
Already published in the ALTA Guides
to Literary Translation series: Breaking into Print
Upcoming in the ALTA Guides to
Literary Translation series:
Promoting Your Translation
Getting Started
Editing a Translation Anthology
Translation and Tenure
Contact ALTA at:
American Literary Translators
Association
UTD, MC35
Box 830688
Richardson, TX 75083-0688
tel (972)883-2093
fax (972)883-6303
http://www.literarytranslators.org
e-mail: melshelton@comcast.net
This brochure was prepared by the
ALTA Guides Committee: Melissa Marcus, Trudy Balch, Bruce Berlind, Daniel
Jaffe, Alexis Levitin, Carol Maier, Olivia Sears, and Marian Schwartz.
Reference and website research by Beth Pollack.
* Note: In
this particular case, the translator had already completed the translation, but
the key points in the letter can easily be adapted to query letters and cover
letters for translations not yet begun. Here Comes the Messiah! was
published by Zephyr Press in 2000.