First, a book`s topic must be relevant. This is one thing that publishers pay more attention to than to the story itself because their ultimate goal is to sell your book. A compelling rags-to-riches story of a young provincial girl on her way to make it in a big city with all the expected trials and tribulations and brilliant dialogues might not be interesting for a wide audience who are satiated with this type of novels. Additionally, your book must meet the quality standards of that particular publishing house where you send it. You need to follow a precise formula standard for the industry when offering your book to a publisher. For example, you must submit a minimal number of documents usually referred as a "pre-editorial package" along with your manuscript. Usually the package includes your CV (curriculum vitae), a 2-3 page long synopsis of the novel you are submitting, and three chapter samples from the novel. A publisher will consider whether it is worth reading the actual novel only after studying your pre-editorial package.
So, let`s come back to the beginning of your road to fame. You have written a book and would like to send it to a publishing house abroad. Obviously, it is not such a great idea to send your manuscript in Russian. You need a translation. A writer for whom English is his second or even third language will not manage with this task alone. Some articles recommend translating your story into English by yourself (or even write it in English to begin with), suggesting that only a story`s author can know which word to use for a better effect. However, even a genius writer with a perfect fluency in Russian will have difficulties finding a good equivalent to a Russian phrase or word in a foreign language.
This is where a professional translator comes to his aid. We must add that not any translator will be fit for this task. But when it comes to our agency, we employ a separate team of translators who specialize on literary translations, working both with fiction and non-fiction texts.
This is not an automatic rendition from one language to another. Rather a translator will search for an essence of the text, which will result in a thoughtful transformation of the work to an appropriate form that will preserve the story`s innate artistic value. An effective translation undoubtedly is one of the most significant parts on your way to success.
Recently our agency has had several requests for translations of books. It`s important to point out that the algorithm of working with a translator may differ from one author to the next. In one case an author may completely rely on a translator to render the story to another language. In other cases, if the author knows the language well enough, he or she will work together with a translator to achieve a desired effect, to find that perfect phrase and to addresses problematic moments in the text. The author may want to revise this text several times. Either way an author remains satisfied with the result because, despite the translator`s meticulous work, the text is edited by a native speaker. Neither an author, nor a highly proficient translator, if he is not a native speaker, will ever fully adapt the text for an English-speaking reader. A translator may be good at choosing beautiful words, but confuse the prepositions. That is why our staff includes native speakers who proofread already translated texts. We strongly recommend their services to our clients, especially to those who aim for an international market.
International success on a literary arena may be predetermined by a correct choice of a specialist who will be able to assist you at the very first steps of your way to publishing your book abroad. Flarus offers the services of professional translators who will preserve the artistic value of your work while also making it accessible to readers in different parts of the world. Most importantly, write and do not be afraid to enter international market!
