When I talk to someone who does not work in publishing, they often ask what my title means. What do I do? Being the Foreign Rights Manager means that I sell the rights to publish our books in other languages. I present our titles to editors and publishers from around the world, either over the internet or in person, at book fairs. (Yes, I get to travel internationally twice a year! I attend the London Book Fair every April and the Frankfurt Book Fair every October.)
I often use foreign agents who represent a territory, such as the French language, the German language, or the Italian language. These subagents are highly valuable to me. Since I am only one person, it would be difficult to have to research each and every territory and each and every publisher to find out who might be interested in publishing our books. Subagents know their territories and the most suitable publishers for our titles. They often make things easier by conducting the whole deal in their own languages. Of course, they obtain a commission for their services.
After book fairs, I send out many books to these foreign publishers. There, they review the titles in their acquisitions meetings, and, if they decide they would like to publish them, they make us an offer. We negotiate, make a deal, and I prepare contracts and send materials for their production process. After months (and sometimes a whole year or more), I receive the foreign editions of the books. It’s always interesting to see their take on our books. Some have entirely new layouts, illustrations and covers, some new names. Our Penis Pokey in French is Penis Circus, for instance, (which sounds a little more fun to me)! Our Baby Owner’s Manual is our top-translated title, translated into 22 languages.
How did you get this wonderful job? you ask. Patience, being a team player, education (Bachelor’s in English), a love of books, and a love of fun. I began as a marketing intern, then became a part-time editorial intern, then did some temp work one day a week for the Subsidiary Rights Director. I was lucky enough that she needed a full-time assistant, and I was hired! I have since taken over my current responsibilities of Foreign Rights Manager. I feel very lucky to have been trained on the job and to work with such wonderful, creative people!
(One last note: I am also the “front desk” person, aka receptionist, aka Quirk Sheriff, and I have a badge to prove it! At small companies, sometimes, you have to wear many hats. I enjoy the variety!)
