After You Get Them Interested
OK, you’ve proactively or reactively stimulated interest from foreign publishers and/or agents. They’ve requested review copies and probably asked for 90-day options while they reach their decisions.
Now you need to ship the book. Your best, most cost-effective shipping option is the U.S. Postal Service’s Global Priority Mail, which is available to most countries. It’s not nearly as expensive as FedEx, UPS, or Express Mail, but its packages will still arrive at most destinations within a week or so. Using cheaper ways to ship will mean that your book takes several weeks (if not months) to arrive, if it arrives at all.
Include a cover letter, asking the foreign publisher to confirm receipt of the review copy by email. Then follow up regularly. This is critical. Don’t be a pest, but keep in touch to prompt a decision, and maintain a status record of your follow-ups. It is always shocking to know how many publishers go to the expense and effort of sending a book overseas and then sit back and wait, complaining that they "never heard anything."
If you haven’t received confirmation that the book arrived after two or three weeks, follow up. Two or three weeks after you do receive confirmation, follow up again to see if prospects need more information or to relay some good news that will matter to them. When an option has only 30 more days to run, follow up once more to make sure they know the option is about to expire and to ask if they need a little more time. In other words, find legitimate reasons to keep in touch while pressing courteously for a decision.
Your prospect’s editorial people will decide whether they believe the book will travel and whether the content can be translated easily. The production people will determine printing, paper, and binding costs for their edition. The sales and marketing people will make judgments about whether it will sell in their country. And finally, the financial people will determine whether they can make a yen, peso, euro, mark, dinar, schilling, franc, yuan, renminbi, rupee, won, or two.
Responding to an Offer
If foreign publishers decide they do want to acquire the rights to your book, they will either make an offer or ask you for your terms. As in any negotiating situation, you should try to get them to make their offer first. Who knows, it might be better than you expected.
Publishing Consultant Bob Erdmann is a five-decade veteran of book publishing and a two-term past president of Independent Book Publishers Association (formerly PMA). He created the PMA Trade Distribution Program, which has gained more than $20 million in sales for members. Through his popular Frankfurt/Foreign Rights Program he has negotiated more than 2,000 foreign rights sales for clients. Visit www.bob-erdmann.com to learn more, or contact him via bob@bob-erdmann.com or 707/726-9200.
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