By Olivia Snaije

Marleen Seegers, who was foreign rights assistant and then manager at French publisher Stock for five years has left Paris to open the California-based 2 Seas Agency with partner Derek Dodds. The agency handles translation rights, scouting for domestic and foreign markets and translation and book report services. Seegers says they aren’t limited to the US market and are aiming for an international presence. Between the two of them, Seegers and Dodds master six languages including Dutch, German, Spanish and French and will provide translations services for literary and non-literary texts. They also hope to become a virtual platform where publishers and translators can interact and connect.

2 Seas could be a boon for self-published authors who, once their work has been translated, might be looking for an agency to follow up for them on the international front by handling translation rights, providing contracts and keeping an eye on the publication process and even royalty statements once the book has been published abroad.

In global publishing where English language publishers and the rest of the world are in need of as many bridges as possible, 2 Seas, with Seegers’ experience, is well positioned to serve exactly that purpose.