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June 01, 2005
The Cost of Translation
The New York Sun covered the Books in Translation panel moderated by Moby Lives's Dennis Johnson recently held in New York.
It costs about $35,000 for Dalkey to publish a translation, Mr. Post said, and if 2,000 copies sell, the publisher earns back $12,000–$13,000 dollars. Selling 3,000 copies is considered a “wild success,” he said. “Now we know why the big publishers stay out” of publishing translated work, said Mr. Johnson. Joking about how that loss per book could be made up, Mr. Johnson added, “We’re selling cupcakes outside.”
Okay, so I understand the initial problem. But it still seems like someone should be able to find a solution to it.
Posted by Mary Anne Mohanraj at June 1, 2005 07:06 AM
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Posted by: Anonymous at June 1, 2005 07:06 AM
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