Are you searching for publishers of translated fiction, but are struggling to find a comprehensive list of publishing houses in one place?
The following compilation is especially for you.
1. Amazon Crossing
Amazon Crossing is an imprint of Amazon Publishing, and it is known as the leading publisher of translated books in the United States. Through this, they make international literature available worldwide, helping readers discover award-winning authors and their works.
Among their most renowned titles you will find “The Glassblower”, by Petra Durst-Benning, “P.S. from Paris”, by Marc Levy, and “A River in Darkness: One Man’s Escape from North Korea”, by Masaji Ishikawa. In terms of fiction and non-fiction, they publish fantasy, historical fiction, memoirs, mystery, thriller, and suspense, women’s fiction, literary fiction, science fiction, young adult fiction, and children’s books.
If you want to collaborate with them, you have the possibility of submitting your manuscript here.
2. Open Letter Books
The University of Rochester’s literary translation press, Open Letter provides English readers with high-quality books from all around the world. As they only publish around ten titles per year, they are looking for outstanding works that could make a difference in the industry.
Their website includes an extremely broad range of book categories, among which you can find countries such as France, Germany, Greece, China, Denmark, Estonia, Peru, Poland, Russia, Spain, and South Africa. In short, they are interested in excellent work, regardless of the geographical area from which it was sent.
Here is where you can submit your manuscript, if you’re interested. You are especially welcome to do so if you write novels, short stories, literary essays, or poetry.
3. Akashic Books
A haven for authors who are ignored by the mainstream or who simply refuse to work with major corporate publishers, Akashic Books is an independent company based in Brooklyn. They are particularly interested in publishing urban literary fiction and political non-fiction, as you will see on their website.
When it comes to translations, the Latin American Interest section is one of the places where you can find them – “American Visa”, by Juan de Recacoechea and “Bellini and the Sphinx”, by Tony Bellotto are just two examples.
Although they are not open for print submissions at this time, they provide some alternatives here, in case you don’t want to wait for their next submission period.
4. Calypso Editions
A non-profit press, Calypso Editions publishes high-quality books of fiction and poetry, thus succeeding to build an international community of both writers and readers. Because of this, their activity mainly consists of translating foreign works into English.
Although they have several book categories available on their website, such as fiction, classic, and contemporary, they have a separate section for translations. Here you can find “My Mother, Resurrected”, by Fabian Casas, “Morasses”, by Andre Gide, and many other titles.
Their submission period has not been updated in a while – however, if you want to collaborate with them, you can still contact them here. You can also reach them on social media. Either way, they will provide current information regarding their activity.
5. Arcade Publishing
Arcade Publishing is another option in terms of translated fiction in the US – an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing since 2010, they are promoting talented authors of fiction and non-fiction from all around the world. Some of the most renowned writers published by them are Mo Yan, Ismail Kadare, and Andreï Makine.
If you’re looking for their most recent titles, you can read about them here – it is actually recommended that you become familiar with them, as you can then decide if your manuscript would be appropriate for submission.
Some other genres in which they take interest are history, adventure and travel, arts, memoir, nature and science, food and wine, and current interests. You can find the Submission Guidelines online.
6. 2Leaf Press
2Leaf is an imprint of the Intercultural Alliance of Artists & Scholars, Inc. (IAAS), which is an organization that promotes literacy and multicultural literature. Because of this, the imprint works with a broad variety of clients, regardless of their country of origin, as they wish to promote international books in both print and eBook format.
Their preferred genres are alternative fiction, poetry, non-fiction, as well as bilingual works. However, they place particular importance on scholarship regarding social justice and diversity. In order to become accustomed with their already published writings, you can browse their catalogs here.
Unfortunately, their submission period is now closed. If you want to work with them, though, you can still check for updates online.
7. Action Books
A feminist and political publisher, Action Books is transnational and interlingual, meaning that, regardless of the language in which you choose to write your book, you can still publish with them. By translating works from Sweden, Korea, Japan, Chile, and many other areas, they have managed to introduce the American people to several avant-garde masterpieces.
In terms of genres, their preferences vary widely – you can find literary non-fiction, Latina studies, LGBTQ+ studies, and many others, with separate sections for the Korean Literature Series, Scandinavian Literature Series, and Latin American ones, among which there are works of fiction as well.
Even though they are not open for submissions at the moment, you can still check for any updates here, in order to see when they will become available again.
8. Aunt Lute Books
A San Francisco-based multicultural women’s press, Aunt Lute have dedicated their activity to providing talented women the visibility they deserve. Some of their most renowned lesbian and feminist authors are Alice Walker, Gloria Anzaldúa, and Audre Lorde. They are also known for the first US collection of Filipina/Filipina American female writers and for some translated texts (such as Rosa Monero’s “Beautiful and Dark”).
Their titles fit the standards of fiction, LGBTQ+ themes, memoirs, anthologies, poetry, theatre, and many other genres. Among the fiction titles you will find “Gulf Dreams”, by Emma Pérez, and “flesh to bone”, by ire’ne lara silva.
You can submit a manuscript here – their priority is to publish both transgender and cisgender women, especially when it comes to women of color.
9. Alma Books
Alessandro Gallenzi and Elisabetta Minervini founded Alma Books in 2005, and it now publishes around 70 titles every year. Over half of their publications are translations from Spanish, Italian, French, Russian, and several other languages. They place great importance on both the editorial process and the final aspect of the book, distinguishing themselves from the mass producers.
With 5 imprints available, they manage to cover a broad range of genres, which includes fiction, non-fiction, classics, illustration books, music, and more. One of their most recent releases is “Call Me Zebra”, by Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi.
Although they are currently closed for submissions, you can still wait for updates to be announced here.
10. And Other Stories
A UK-based company, And Other Stories focuses on the publication and promotion of high-quality contemporary writing, regardless of the origin. Because of this, they work with international authors, thus having a well-established team of translators and editors.
Their Book section does not allow you to search for writings by genre, but you can, however, list them by their original language. You will find Afrikaans, English, French, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, and other options as well.
Their submissions closed in July 2019, as they need more time to read the already submitted manuscripts. However, this will change soon, so make sure to check their website for updates.
11. Oneworld Publications
Juliet Mabey and Novin Doostdar founded Oneworld in 1986. Initially, their main interest was non-fiction – however, in time, fiction has also become a priority, as they permanently try to find innovative books to publish. With an international approach, Oneworld has writers, literary agents, and publishing partners all around the world.
They have a separate category for translated fiction, where you can find titles such as “The Meursault Investigation”, by Kamel Daoud, “City of Jasmine”, by Olga Grjasnowa, and “A Very Special Year”, by Thomas Montasser.
Although you cannot send them a manuscript at the moment, you can still wait for updates – they will be mentioned here.
12. Bitter Lemon Press
A London-based publisher founded in 2003, Bitter Lemon Press works with authors from Latin America, Continental Europe, New Zealand, the US, and many other areas. Most of their publications are award-winning translations, and they are particularly interested in contemporary crime fiction books and thrillers. They also have an imprint for non-fiction.
Their books are categorized by country, so you can find Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Iraq, Spain, and many others in their catalogue.
If you have any writings that fit the standards of literary crime and thriller, feel free to submit them here, according to their guidelines.
13. Scribe Publications
An independent trade-publishing house for over 40 years, Scribe has headquarters in both Australia and England, as well as a New York scout. In Australia, it publishes around 65 fiction and non-fiction titles every year, and around 60 in the UK, all written by authors from different parts of the world.
In their catalogue you will find works of narrative and literary non-fiction and translated, local, and international fiction. The books are available here.
They are closed for submissions for the rest of 2019, but, if you want your book to be published by them, you should check for updates – the sooner you send the manuscript, the more your chances of being booked in 2020 raise.
14. Hachette Australia
A part of the global publishing house known as Hachette Livre, Hachette Australia publishes authors from different countries in order to accustom their readers with international cultures.
Their website consists of several book categories, among which you can find the Fiction in Translation one as well. Some of the titles you will find are “The Girl Who Lived Twice”, by David Lagercrantz, “Love Letters from Montmartre”, by Nicolas Barreau, and “The Archipelago of Another Life”, by Andrei Makine.
Although they are currently closed for submissions, they will update both their new submission period and their guidelines in the following weeks, so you should check their website once in a while.
15. Arsenal Pulp Press
A Vancouver-based book publisher, Arsenal Pulp Press has over 400 titles in print, with around 20 new titles being released every year. Their translations have been distributed throughout Great Britain, Japan, Taiwan, France, Spain, Italy, and many other countries. Their publishing activities are being financially supported by the Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia.
In terms of genres, you can find fiction, non-fiction, LGBTQ+, poetry, cooking, children’s books, and a few more. The fiction category includes titles such as “There Has to Be a Knife”, by Adnan Khan, “The Walking Boy”, by Lydia Kwa, and “Sketchtasy”, by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore.
Before submitting your manuscript, make sure that it fits their program, as they are a small publishing press, and so it is difficult for them to respond to all authors. Thus, it is necessary for your submission to respect their guidelines as well – you can find them here.
16. House of Anansi Press
Founded in 1967, House of Anansi initially focused on the publication of Canadian writers. However, this has changed in time, as they managed to publish writers from other areas as well. With books available in both print and eBook format, they try to reach wider audiences, thus providing the proper visibility for their authors.
With genres varying from poetry to fiction, besides their general categories you can also find the Anansi International section. They have numerous titles available on their website, among which we can name “Atonement”, by Gaetan Soucy and “Autopsy of a Boring Wife”, by Marie-Renee Lavoie.
If you want to publish your book with their help, you should first read the Submission Guidelines available here – as long as it’s fiction, non-fiction, poetry, crime fiction, or a graphic novels, your manuscript will be taken into consideration.
Are there any other publishers of translated fiction that should be on this list? Please tell us about them in the comments box below.
Hiten Vyas is the Founder and Managing Editor of Writing Tips Oasis.