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What are global translation rights?

Translation rights (AKA “foreign rights”) are a bundle of rights that copyright holders own and can sell, license or otherwise transfer.

Translation rights are one of the many subsidiary rights a copyright holder controls and can monetize.

Other rights include movie, TV, radio, streaming, etc.

How is licensing different from international distribution?

Licensing is like finding a traditional publisher but in French or Chinese who will translate, edit, promote and sell your foreign edition as part of their list.

International distribution is the export of your English original to markets like Canada, UK, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand.

How does DropCap market and sell translation rights?

DropCap markets your book to our 3,000 rights buyers based on their genres of interest and past buying habits.

We do this on a daily basis through our award-winning rights management platform, as well as with face-to-face meetings at international book fairs throughout the year.

What is the rights licensing and translation timeline like?

The licensing timeline is usually 3-6 months from first interest to a signed contract, then another 12-18 months to publish the foreign edition. 

We recommend reading this post to understand how the whole process works from start to finish.

Why will it take a rights buyer 18 to 24 months to publish their version of my book?

This is the standard publishing window in the US as well. International publishers often publish faster, however they like to have that cushion so your book is launched at the exact right time for their market.

How long does a global translation rights license last?

Most licenses are for 5-7 years, then if the book is selling well, the international publisher may wish to renew the license for another 5-7 years.

Renewed licenses include another advance and typically a higher royalty rate.

Can a rights buyer make editorial changes to my book?

Yes, as long as the meaning of the book is not substantially changed. The publisher has chosen your title over many others on this topic precisely because they believe in it and in you as an author and expert on your topic.

They are also experts in their particular market and they need some flexibility to ensure their translated edition is edited to fit their marketplace and cultural norms.

Many languages are up to 20% longer than English once translated so some flexibility is needed to create the best size for the target market. 

How does an author get paid for international licensing? What is a typical advance?

The first payment is the advance which is typically received within 90 days of signing a licensing contract.

Then if the book is selling well, royalties will be paid annually, once the advance has been earned out.

Mid to large size markets like France, Germany, Japan, and China have advances ranging from $1,500-$10,000.

Small markets like India, Estonia, Vietnam, and Turkey range from $500-$1,000. (See chart above)

Why do I pre-approve a minimum fee per language, when the average royalties are often higher?

This is so our rights agents can focus on getting the best deals in the most efficient manner.

Remember, DropCap is paid on commission, so we want to sell it at the highest advance/royalty rate as possible.

What happens if a publisher has bought the foreign rights, but I then decide to cancel?

Any rights licenses entered into prior to cancellation will remain active until those contracts end.

The publishers buying these rights are traditionally publishing your book, investing time and resources into translation, editing, design, printing and distribution.

DropCap manages each of the licenses sold during the term through their natural end.

Can I restrict languages or territories for titles?

Yes, you can restrict languages and territories, our system allows us to do so easily.

Once a language or territory is restricted, the title will not be seen by a buyer in that market or if it is, it is clearly marked as already sold.

We do not sell directly into any country, we license to the best possible publisher we can find in each language/territory.

We often carve up Spanish, Portuguese and French into territories.

Is it possible for my titles to have a higher advance than the minimum offered?

Since almost the entirety of our income is from licensing books for as much as we can make for our clients, our interests are aligned with yours in getting the maximum advance and royalty percentage for each title.

We have the $500 minimum in our contracts because that is what the smallest markets (like Mongolia) pay. Our value is the ability to sell your titles into not just the big territories like Germany, but also into the smaller ones like Mongolia or Turkey.

The minimum allows us to move fast on our clients’ behalf without having to go back and forth, slowing the process down. Buyers are often considering similar titles by other publishers at the same time and time is of the essence.

This has never been an issue for the large publishers we represent as they care most about us getting the most licenses at the highest fees possible for the most titles and then monitoring and collecting on each license without any further expense on their end.

In fact, we just completed a Japanese language contract with a $35,000 USD advance recently, which is more typical of the deals we get.

We suggest that you allow us to try it our way and if the results don’t meet your expectations, we make it easy to terminate the contract.

Can authors outside the US signup for your services?

Yes, of course!

Can an author sell foreign rights without an agent?

Yes, but it can be difficult to gain traction without industry contacts.

The benefit of having DropCap handle this for you is that our agents negotiate these types of rights contracts daily with publishers across the globe, have intimate knowledge of the markets, and solid relationships with only the most reputable publishers in each market.

There are many pirates and unscrupulous publishers out there, we know who they are and how to avoid them.