Most book reviews rely on a star system to rate books, but wouldn’t a more precise numerical system be better? By Edward Nawotka In today’s lead editorial Chad Post wonders whether book reviews that offer a clear numerical rating system would be more engaging to readers than reviews that don’t offer a clear “numerical baseline” against which readers can react. …
Amazon.com to Underwrite Best Translated Book Awards
PRESS RELEASE from Open Letter Books: October 20, 2010: Amazon.com has awarded the University of Rochester/Three Percent website a $25,000 grant in support of the 2011 Best Translated Book Awards. This grant will support $5,000 cash prizes for both the winning translators and authors. Launched by Three Percent (http://www.rochester.edu/threepercent) in 2007, the Best Translated Book Awards aim to bring attention …
Russia’s Young, Exportable Writers
By Chad W. Post Back in 2000, the “Debut Prize” was established by the Pokolenie (Generation) Foundation to support Russian writers under the age of 25. Ten years later, the best works generated by this competition will be made available to English and Chinese readers. According to Olga Slavnikova, winner of the Russian Booker Prize and director of the Debut …
Is the Lack of Interest in Translations a Global Problem?
By Edward Nawotka In today’s editorial Chad Post makes a compelling argument for the utility of publishing both translations with the potential to be blockbuster bestsellers and those that cater to a more niche audience. Post is writing primarily with American readers in mind, with the understanding being that US publishers are largely reticent to publish translated works due to …
Building a Case for Translations, Part 2: “It’s Not The Elegance of the Hedgehog“
• Last Friday, Chad Post argued for the need to prioritize how to increase readership of translated fiction instead of worrying first about how to pay production costs, in turn shifting the focus from production to marketing and sales. • Today, he explains how the rare blockbuster bestselling translation is a mixed blessing, and why there’s still a reason to …
How Do You Get People Interested in Your Books?
By Hannah Johnson In today’s editorial, Chad Post argues that when it comes to publishing translations in the USA, publishers should not first ask how they can pay for the production costs, but rather how they can get people interested in these translated titles. So how do you get people interested in the books you publish? What has worked the …
Building an Audience (and a Case) for Translations
• The commonly accepted wisdom in the United States says that translations cost more to produce, and that they don’t sell well. • Chad Post argues that publishers should focus on finding and developing readers for international literature rather than on fixing supply-side factors like translation costs. Editorial by Chad Post “What we need is a great translated beach book. …
Wylie’s Odyssey Editions Explained by Chad Post
By Hannah Johnson Over at the Three Percent blog, Chad Post of Open Letter Books (and next week’s guest editor on Publishing Perspectives) wrote a great in-depth article on Wylie’s Odyssey Editions. He looks at the holes (or lack thereof, depending on whose side you’re on) that exist in publishing contracts of the past which encouraged Wylie to begin publishing …
Introducing Your Guest Editors: Chip Rossetti and Chad Post
By Edward Nawotka I’m off for the next two weeks to take a course video journalism — I’ve discovered in the past 18 months of doing Publishing Perspectives that the Web is in large part a visual medium — but in my stead you’ll have the steady hands of my talented colleagues Chip Rossetti and Chad Post to guide you. You …
Catching up with Open Letter’s Chad Post re: Paper-Over-Board
By Edward Nawotka Last year at this time on Publishing Perspectives friend and contributor Chad Post, director of Open Letter Press at the University of Rochester, wrote a paean to paper-over-board book bindings — you know, those hardcovers without the book jackets. At the time, Chad revealed that despite his dedication to the format, both consumers and booksellers were often …