How to publish a translated edition
A translated edition opens a whole new readership for a book that already exists. But a translation is a new piece of writing, not a find-and-replace — and treating it as one is how good books die in a second language. Here’s how to do it properly.
Why translate, and in which direction
There are two situations: you’re an author with a book in one language and you want it in another, to reach those readers; or you’re a publisher who wants to bring a foreign book into your market — which means acquiring the rights first.
Librum produces literary translation into Serbian, reaching readers across Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Croatia — one shared language and a real readership. And we represent rights in both directions for Serbian literature.
Never machine-translate literature
Machine translation is fine for a menu. For a book it fails exactly where it matters: voice, rhythm, idiom, humour, the line that has to land. A literary translator doesn’t swap words — they rewrite the book so it reads, in the new language, the way it read in the first. Use native-language literary translators, and a second reviewer to proofread the result. That’s our standard.
Sort out the rights first
Translation is a right that can be held, sold and licensed:
- If you’re the author and hold your rights, you can commission a translation freely.
- If your book was published by someone else, check who controls translation rights — they may sit with your publisher.
- If you’re acquiring a foreign book to publish, you license the translation rights from the rights holder before anything else. We handle exactly this.
A translated edition is a new edition
Treat it as a new book in production terms:
- It needs its own ISBN (a new edition in a new language).
- It has its own copyright page, crediting the translator — naming the translator is both correct and increasingly expected.
- It is typeset fresh: translated text is often longer or shorter than the original, so the layout, page count and sometimes the cover are redone, not reused.
Adapt, don’t just convert
Good translation makes small, deliberate cultural decisions — what to keep foreign, what to bring closer, how to handle names, measurements, references. The aim is a book that feels like it was written for its new readers, while staying true to the original.
Where Librum fits
We translate into Serbian with native literary translators and a second-reviewer proofread, handle rights in both directions, and produce the full new edition — typeset, covered and ready for print and eBook.
Questions
Can’t I just use a machine translation?+
Not for literature. It loses voice, rhythm and idiom — the things that make the book worth reading. Use a literary translator.
Do I need a new ISBN for the translation?+
Yes. A translated edition is a new edition in a new language and needs its own ISBN.
Should the translator be credited?+
Yes — on the copyright page and, increasingly, on the cover. It’s correct and expected.
I’m a publisher. How do I get the rights to translate a Serbian book?+
We represent Serbian authors and handle rights and licensing end to end.