OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
I've talked before about the truly mind-blowing possibility of rights exploitation as an indie author, and I am trying to put it into action myself as much as possible!
Today, I’m thrilled to announce the launch of Pentecost in German, now out in multiple ebook formats and coming soon in print. If you read German, you might also like to sign up for my German language list – giveaways and another book coming this summer!
I'll be doing a mega blog post in the next few weeks on everything from the translation to the launch marketing approach, so expect more detail soon if you're wanting to experiment with the German market too. For now, here's the book!
Mysteriöse Kräfte wurden 2000 Jahre lang geheim gehalten. Eine Frau ist in Gefahr, alles zu verlieren.
Die Pfingststeine haben die Feuer und das Blut der Märtyrer überdauert. Sie wurden über Generationen von Hütern weitergegeben, die ihre Wirkung und die Aufbewahrungsorte geheim hielten.
Bis jetzt.
In einer Welt, die sich durch religiösen Fundamentalismus verändert, werden die Hüter ermordet, und die gestohlenen Steine sollen für dubiose Zwecke verwendet werden.
Als ihre Schwester und ihre Nichte entführt werden, macht sich die Psychologin Morgan Sierra von der Universität Oxford auf die Suche nach den Steinen. Sie wird dabei von Jake Timber unterstützt, der für ARKANE arbeitet, ein geheimnisvolles britisches Regierungsinstitut, das auf übersinnliche und religiöse Erfahrungen spezialisiert ist. Morgan muss ihr eigenes Leben riskieren, um ihre Familie zu retten – wird sie dabei am Ende verraten?
PENTECOST ist die erste Folge der ARKANE Serie. Der temporeiche Thriller handelt von Grenzbereichen des Glaubens vor dem Hintergrund von frühchristlicher Geschichte, Archäologie und Psychologie.
Rezensionen
„Das Buch hat mich ein wenig an Dan Browns “Da Vinci Code” erinnert, ist aber auf jeden Fall kein Abklatsch und es lohnt sich, das Buch zu lesen!”
„Zuerst war ich skeptisch und dachte ‚noch so ein Mystery-Thriller à la Dan Brown’ aber dieser Thriller hat mich von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite einfach mitgerissen. TOLL! Mehr davon!”
„Ich war positiv überrascht, wie es der Autorin gelungen ist, die Bibel so real in ihr Werk einzubauen. Ich werde sicher die weiteren ARKANE Bücher lesen.”
If you read German and have ideas for marketing, please do let me know! Or if you have any tips for marketing to German speaking readers, please leave a comment below. Thanks!
View Comments (7)
Joanna,
How do you make sure that your tone and style literally translates? That's the part of the process that I struggle wrapping my brain around. Translating sentences is one thing, but translating them in the voice of the author, I would think would be another.
Pete
Hi Pete,
This is where you have to let go and trust your translator! In the post I have coming up soon, I go into this in more detail. It is difficult for sure, but without taking the risk, you will never reach that market. One of the things I like about a 50% royalty split is that the translator is incentivized to do a great job or they won't get paid, so you can trust their work even more.
Joanna,
Are you splitting income/royalty 50/50 with your translator for life, so long as the book's being sold? I'm very curious about the kind of compensation system you put in place w/ your translator. Thanks!
Congratulations, Joanna for the launch of your book in German and the brilliant reviews it has received! As you probably know Germans love 'Krimi' (crime/thrillers) and there are loads of crime series on TV. It is also an extremely popular genre; my sister-in-law, who is German and lives in Germany, is an avid reader of thrillers. I'll send her an email and ask how she chooses her next thriller; if she follows a particular blog, book review site etc. and will pass on any useful information. The translation also seems very good from what I've read so far and you must feel extremely relieved.
I look forward to reading your mega post on translations rights and book launch.
Thanks so much Maria, I am fascinated to learn about how German readers discover books. Please do let me know :)
Congratulations! That's so cool that your book is in an entirely new language. :)
Hi, Joanna. Bookshops and Amazon are the places she looks for her next thriller. Looking at the bestseller list plays a part, but the book description is key and determines whether she makes the purchase. All things you know. It will be very interesting to see how the German publishing industry develops and to what extent readers drive the changes forward. It is an exciting time to be publishing in foreign languages; good luck :-)