Thank you for wanting to donate your precious time to translate Lily Bowers and the Uninvited Guest!

I must admit, I did not expect the high number of translators who signed up for my project via We Make Change. I’m so grateful.

I’m also a bit cautious because there is a financial and time risk for me as an author to sell my book in an unfamiliar language and market which is why I’ve decided to send you this form: to protect and keep us both happy.

Please fill out this form to clearly define your expectations and find out what you’ll receive in return.

When I receive it, I will email it back to you so that you have a copy as well.

If after reading this, you no longer want to translate my book, I understand, just send me a quick email instead of filling this out: info@jesslohmann.com!

If you’re OK with everything below and fill out the form, welcome aboard and thank you!

What language are you translating in? *

What is your name? *

First

Last

Why do you want to donate your time to help me with my book project? *

What do you want to get in return for your work? Please clearly define your expectations. *

If you deliver the translation, you will have permission to name this project as a reference. However, since I can't speak your language, I will only be able to write you a client testimonial if I get feedback from an editor on the quality of your work. I will try to get as much feedback from the editor as possible. Are you OK with this? *

I cannot guarantee that I will publish your work for the following reasons: 1) I would have to invest ca. 1,000+ euro per language in editing which is difficult for me at this moment. 2) I don't have any experience in entering a market in your country. I would first have to see IF there is a market that warrants the high investment of editing and time spent publishing and launching the book. Some languages such as Spanish, French and Italian are big enough, but If in other languages, the market is too small, it will be a huge financial and time risk for me. 3) I cannot assess the quality of your work, only an editor can do that. If the work delivered is poor according to the editor, I will not invest any money to have it edited because of the high cost. That said, my promise to you is that I will definitely ask editors in your language to send me a quote and offer feedback on your work to be able to at least write you a client testimonial. I will do my very best though to publish it in order to spread Lily's message in your country, however, because of these reasons, I cannot guarantee that on any specific date. Are you OK with this? *

Since I can't speak your native language, I personally won't be able to effectively sell my book in your language. Entering a new market without language knowledge or funds to hire an expert is extremely difficult. Would you be able and willing to help market my book in your country or countries where your language is spoken? *

This will help me assess the chance of being able to sell my book in an unknown market. No pressure if you answer no. Donating your time is obviously all up to you! If and when I'm able to invest in marketing help, I will.

If you answered yes above. How would you be able to help exactly?

Examples of help could be: Translate the blurb and sales page, write a few social media posts or ads, post about it on your channels, doing a live (or pre-recorded) reading of the 1st two chapters, similar to on my YouTube channel, ask schools in your area if they're interested in adding it to their curriculum, etc.

If I choose to hire an editor for your translation I want to reduce the cost as much as possible. Translations need special care, especially when it comes to punctuation and other grammar rules, ie the punctuation in dialogues is quite odd. Since I cannot assess whether your work is good, the editor will have to do this and will base his/her price on the quality of your work. Even though I've been writing since forever and translating since 1997, I had to learn the grammar rules for fiction novels and edited my first draft at least 5x before sending it to my editor. The more work the editor has to do, the more expensive it will be for me. Please check the fields below to let me know that you are taking them into consideration. *

I know OR will research the grammar rules of fiction writing
I will edit my first draft to deliver the best version possible
I know it helps to find mistakes when I read my translation out loud
I will clearly highlight where the inside images will appear

Do you have any comments, or concerns?

Do you still want to translate Lily Bowers and the Uninvited Guest? *

If you answered yes above, when do you want to deliver your work? By the way, I am NOT giving you a deadline, however, I know how important it is for me to set my own deadlines and to communicate them. If you miss your set deadline, please just send me an email: info@jesslohmann.com to let me know. Again, no pressure, just for communication purposes only. *

If I publish your translation, what name do you want me to write in the credits? I would also send you a paperback copy, printed from Amazon, so will ask for your physical address once it's published.

I add the translator's name in the title description on Amazon + co as well as on the title and copyright pages in the book. Like this: https://www.amazon.de/-/en/gp/product/3982063930.

Message

Thank you for wanting to donate your precious time to translate Lily Bowers and the Uninvited Guest!

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