Publishing in multiple languages

Question

I wrote a book in Spanish. I translated the book to English, French, Arabic and Italian. I want to publish the book in these five languages simultaneously but there are some problems.

I live in Spain; most of the citizens speak Spanish, a few speak the other four languages. Therefore the number of books I will sell in non-Spanish in my country is very small compared to the number of books in Spanish. The profit of selling the books in these languages doesn't cover the cost of translations and editing. I then have two options: either to ignore the other languages and publish only in Spanish or publish in all languages and find a market in other countries. Since most publishers are local (not international), I can only think of 3 options:

• Publish in Spanish in my country (Spain) and publish in other languages in other countries then import some of these books and sell them here. The price of the book in English will be higher than its price in Spanish.
• Publish all languages in my country and export them to other countries. But there's no market in these countries because people don't know me.
• Publish in all languages in my country and publish them also in other countries. That is, for example, I publish in French in my country and then publish it in France; two publishers publishing the same book! Is that even possible?

How do I deal with such a situation?

Answer 1

I would suggest that to reach an international audience you need a publishing house with international reach that is used to dealing with multiple languages and markets. Alternately talk to your existing publisher about relationships they have with local publishing houses overseas, they may be able to introduce you to people who can assist you in reaching a wider audience, you would be working with multiple publishers on the same material but at least they'd know each other and understand how they do business.

Answer 2

I suggest networking. Right now there are online gatherings with writers, translators, publishers and agents in which you can connect. Particularly they are also important to know about publishing rights. If you want a different or complementary path, I suggest search the net and do your own research of publishers in the different countries. Consider self-publishing. I am on a situation, as a Spanish to English translator of a book to find a way to publish the book in the English market, in a way that it also acknowledges me as a translator. Good luck!