What Foreign Publishers Are Looking For

The hot topics are psychology/self-help (which is always popular), business, personal development, personal finance, parenting, and anything with the word success in the title. Thousands of books on these topics have been published, so buyers abroad want books with unique angles, not just ho-hum, me-too books.

"Will it travel?" is a question we hear often, which means, Is the content universal, or appropriate just for America? Page count is also important. A 300-page book in American English would swell to more than 400 pages in German. Conversely, that same book would shrink to about 200 pages in most Asian languages.

Foreign publishers seek books and booklets that have excellent track records and are easily translated. The more work they would need to devote to their edition, the less interested they become. Although they prefer recently published books, it is most important that content be current and not likely to become obsolete quickly, like the content of travel books and computer books.

You can be proactive (by prospecting), reactive (by participating in book fairs), or both to start building your foreign rights revenue stream.

(c) 2005, Bob Erdmann

Publishing Consultant Bob Erdmann was the Expert we interviewed in February. He is a five-decade veteran of book publishing and a two-term past president of PMA (now IBPA. 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.

How does your topic fit in with foreign rights sales? Does it travel well? If so, think about what your next steps are to expand your reach and your bottom line.

Until next time,

Paulette - who has appreciated the additional overseas sales over the years

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