How much does it cost to use RightsWord?

We offer three plans: Free (evaluation with 20 publishers, no fees), Solo at $99 (700+ publishers, no commission — keep 100%), and Premium at $199 (1,500+ publishers, dedicated agent, 20% commission on deals, with the $199 credited back from your first commissions).

How is this different from just uploading to Amazon?

Amazon is self-publishing where you handle everything. We connect you with traditional publishers who pay advances, handle translation, printing, marketing, and distribution in their market. You get a dedicated publishing house in each country.

What kind of books can I submit?

Fiction and non-fiction in all genres. Your book should be completed and you must hold the translation/foreign rights - meaning you're self-published, or your publisher granted you these rights.

What happens after a publisher makes an offer?

We handle the entire negotiation - advances, royalty rates, rights duration, territory scope. Once you accept, the contract is signed and the publisher pays the advance.

What do publishers handle after buying rights?

Everything: translation, editing, cover design, printing, marketing, and distribution. You don't invest any money - you simply receive royalty payments. Truly passive income.

How long does it typically take to get a deal?

Some authors receive offers within weeks, others take several months. Your book stays active indefinitely, and we continuously match it with new publishers joining our network.

Is my manuscript safe on the platform?

Publishers only see your synopsis and sample initially. Full manuscripts are shared only with seriously interested publishers under confidentiality terms.

Can I use RightsWord if I already have a literary agent?

If your agent handles foreign rights, work through them. But many agents focus on domestic markets - if you hold your foreign rights, we can complement your existing representation.

Do I need a literary agent to use RightsWord?

No. RightsWord was built specifically for authors who don't have foreign rights representation. We work directly with independent and self-published authors - no agent required. If you do have an agent, we can complement their domestic focus with international outreach.

Can I submit a book that's already on Amazon?

Absolutely. Most of our authors are self-published on Amazon or other platforms. As long as you hold your translation and foreign rights (which self-published authors automatically do), you're eligible. Having existing sales data actually strengthens your pitch to international publishers.

How much do translation rights typically pay?

Advances typically range from $500 to $5,000 per language deal, with ongoing royalties of 7%-12% on every copy sold. Premium authors with strong sales records or high-demand genres can command higher advances. Multiple deals across different countries create compounding passive income.

What genres sell best internationally?

Thrillers, romance, literary fiction, self-help, and business books tend to have the strongest international demand. However, every genre has markets - children's books do exceptionally well in certain regions, and niche non-fiction can find dedicated publishers. We evaluate each book's global potential individually.

What countries buy the most translation rights?

Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Brazil are among the largest markets for translation rights. Asian markets like China, Japan, and Korea are rapidly growing. Eastern European countries like Poland and the Czech Republic are also very active buyers. Our network covers 50+ countries across all continents.

Translation Rights Scams: 9 Warning Signs to Avoid (2026)

Translation rights scams have gotten more sophisticated. The crude "we have a Russian publisher interested in your book for $2,500" email of five years ago has been replaced by polished websites, AI-generated contracts, and convincing "interest from publishers in Germany, Spain, and Korea" pitches that target indie authors with even a modest backlist. Knowing the warning signs is the cheapest insurance you can buy.

The nine warning signs

1. Any upfront fee, framed any way

Legitimate rights agencies work on commission. They earn a percentage of what the publisher pays you, and only when a deal closes. If someone is charging you to "translate your book for international submission," "produce a foreign rights catalog entry," "feature your book at Frankfurt Book Fair," or "secure publisher interest," that is a service company, not an agency. The deals rarely follow.

Fee names to watch for: setup fee, catalog fee, pitch package, distribution fee, Frankfurt booth fee, translation sample fee, marketing retainer, exclusivity deposit. All variants of the same red flag.

2. Pressure to translate first, then "submit to publishers"

The pitch sounds reasonable: "Publishers want to see translated samples, so we will translate your first three chapters into German, French, and Spanish for $4,500, then submit to our network." Real publishers do not work this way. They evaluate the original English (or commission their own sample) and decide based on the manuscript, your sales, and genre fit - not on a sample they did not commission. See who pays for book translation.

3. Generic "interest from publishers in [list of countries]"

The email says: "Our publisher network has expressed interest in your title across Germany, Brazil, Italy, Korea, and Spain. To proceed with formal offers, we need a $2,000 processing fee per market." No real editor ever expresses formal interest before reading a manuscript, and no agency charges authors per-market fees. The "interest" is fictional.

4. Foreign publisher asks the author to cover translation

"We love your book and want to publish in [language], but our budget for translation is limited - can you contribute $6,000 toward the translator's fee?" That is a vanity publisher dressed up as a foreign deal. Real publishers fund their own production. Walk away.

5. Contracts in the wrong direction

In a real deal, money flows from the publisher to you. If your contract has line items for "author contribution," "marketing co-investment," "translation reimbursement," or "minimum print run guarantee paid by author," money is flowing the wrong way. Real translation rights contracts have an advance line and a royalty rate - that is it.

6. Agency with no verifiable deals

A legitimate rights agency has a track record - books in print in real bookstores in real countries, publisher logos you can verify, deals listed in Publishers Marketplace or similar trade databases.

How to verify in 5 minutes:

Search the agency name in Publishers Marketplace dealmaker history.
Pick three "client books" from their site and check if foreign editions actually exist on Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.co.jp.
Search "agency name + scam" and "agency name + complaint" on Google.
Check Writer Beware (sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware) - they maintain a public list of known bad actors.

7. AI-generated outreach

2026 brought a wave of AI-generated agency pitches: clean grammar, plausible domain name, vague details about a "European rights team," and a contact name that does not appear on LinkedIn or in any trade database. The tell: ask one specific question ("Which German publishers have you worked with in romantasy the last 12 months?") and the answer evaporates or pivots back to the fee.

8. Vanity foreign press disguised as traditional

A "publisher" abroad offers to translate and publish your book if you cover translation. The contract uses traditional-publishing language (advance, royalty, term) but bundles a "production contribution" of $5,000 to $20,000. They are selling a service to you, not buying rights from you. The book gets published, sometimes well, and almost never sells.

9. Urgency and exclusivity pressure

"We need a decision in 48 hours or the offer disappears." "Sign this exclusivity letter before we share the publisher's name." Real deals do not work on artificial deadlines, and no legitimate party asks you to sign anything binding before disclosing who they are talking to. Slow down, ask for the publisher's name, verify, then respond.

The 60-second verification routine

Before responding to any unsolicited translation rights offer:

Search the agency or publisher name + "scam," "fraud," "complaint," and "writer beware."
Look up the contact person on LinkedIn. Real rights people have public profiles with rights-focused job titles.
Check if the publisher has books for sale on the local Amazon site for that country.
Email back: "Could you share three recent indie-author translation deals you have closed, with publisher names and publication dates?" Real agents answer in one email. Scams disappear.
Run any contract through Authors Guild's free contract review (members) or a publishing-savvy lawyer before signing.

What a legitimate offer looks like

It comes from a publisher you can find on Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, etc., with books actually in print.
It includes a specific advance (not "to be discussed"), royalty rate, term, and territory.
The publisher pays for translation. The contract says so explicitly.
Money flows one direction: from them to you.
There is no upfront fee from anyone - not the publisher, not the agent who introduced you.
You have time to read, ask questions, and negotiate.

The honest summary

Translation rights is a real, well-paying ecosystem for indie authors who learn the basics. It also attracts scams precisely because the upside sounds large and the rules feel foreign. Ten minutes of verification before responding to any offer prevents the overwhelming majority of losses. Anchor on the simple rule: money flows from the publisher to you, never the other way.

If you want a clean, commission-only path - no upfront fees, ever - submit your book. We review every submission personally and only take on books we believe in.

Translation Rights Scams: The Warning Signs Every Indie Author Should Know