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 Territory and Language Mistakes (2026)

Most indie authors signing their first translation deal accept whatever territory language the publisher sends. The standard draft usually says something like "world rights in the German language" or "world rights in the Spanish language" - and one phrase silently collapses three or four potential deals into one. The fix is small, costs nothing, and routinely doubles long-term income from those languages.

Why "language" and "territory" are different fights

A translation rights contract grants two things: which language the book can be translated into, and which territories the publisher can sell it in. Indie authors instinctively focus on language. Publishers know the money is in territory.

Spanish, Portuguese, French, English, Arabic, and Chinese are all spoken across multiple major book markets with separate publishers, separate distribution, and separate buying habits. Granting "world Spanish" gives one publisher the entire Spanish-speaking world - usually a Spanish house with weak Latin American distribution, or a Mexican house with weak European distribution. Either way, half the addressable readers get a book that never reaches their bookstores.

The five language traps

1. World Spanish

Granting "world Spanish" to a Spain-based publisher (Planeta, Roca, Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial) almost always means Latin America gets weak distribution. Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Chile all have strong local publishers who would happily pay separately for their territory. The right split:

Spain + Andorra: One publisher
Latin America (excluding Brazil): Separate deal, or split further into Southern Cone / Mexico-Central America / Andean
US Spanish-language market: Often a separate carve-out (HarperCollins Espanol, Vintage Espanol)

2. World Portuguese

Portugal and Brazil are completely separate markets with completely different publishers, different Portuguese (European vs. Brazilian), and different reader bases. Never bundle. Two contracts, two advances, two royalty streams.

3. World German

German-language territory is Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg ("DACHLI"). A single publisher covering all of these is standard and usually fine - German-language publishing is genuinely integrated. The fight here is not territory; it is making sure the contract says "German language" and not "German language and ancillary European rights" that try to scoop in Dutch or Polish for free.

4. World French

France, Belgium (Wallonia), Switzerland (Romandy), Luxembourg, and Quebec all read French. A French house typically wants France + Belgium + Swiss + Luxembourg and can usually handle all four. Quebec is separate. Quebec has its own publishers, its own grants, its own audience, and Quebec readers notice European French translation in a way that costs sales. Always carve Quebec out as a separate territory.

5. World English (when you sell from a non-English original)

If your book was originally written in Hebrew, Polish, Japanese, etc., and you are selling English translation rights, "world English" is a single grant that lumps US, UK, ANZ, India, and the open market together. You can almost always split:

US + Canada (English) + open market
UK + Commonwealth (excluding Canada) + EU + India
ANZ as separate carve-out
India as separate carve-out (large market, local publishers)

Exclusive vs. non-exclusive

Most translation rights are granted exclusively - one publisher per language per territory. That is normal and correct. What is not normal is granting exclusivity beyond the territory the publisher can actually serve. If the publisher only distributes in Italy, the exclusivity should stop at Italy. Italian-language readers in San Marino, Switzerland (Ticino), and the Italian diaspora in the US should not be locked away from a future deal that could have served them.

The "open market" trap

Some contracts include an "open market" clause - territories where multiple publishers can sell competing editions. Sounds fair. In practice it means a UK publisher's edition can flood Australian airports while you have a separate, ostensibly exclusive ANZ deal that is now competing against itself. Two clean options:

Define the open market explicitly and list the countries.
Eliminate it - every country belongs to exactly one publisher.

Format-territory crossover

Ebooks and audio do not respect borders the way print does. A "Spain-only" ebook will be available on Amazon in Mexico unless the contract specifies geo-restriction. Strong contracts say:

"Publisher shall apply territorial restrictions to all digital editions consistent with the granted Territory, including geo-blocking on retail platforms (Amazon, Kobo, Apple Books, Google Play) and on the Publisher's own digital storefront."

Without this, your "Mexico-only" Spanish edition gets sold in Spain, killing your Spain deal.

What good territory language looks like

"The Publisher is granted exclusive rights to translate, publish, and sell the Work in the Spanish language in the following Territory: Spain, Andorra, and Gibraltar. All other Spanish-language territories, including but not limited to Mexico, all of Central and South America, the Caribbean, the United States, and the Philippines, are expressly reserved by the Author. Digital editions shall be geo-restricted accordingly."

How to negotiate it without losing the deal

Most foreign publishers accept territorial carve-outs if you raise them before signing. The script:

"We can keep everything else as proposed. Could we limit the territory to [list] and reserve [list] for separate deals?"

Publishers who refuse a clean territorial split almost always do so because they were planning to sublicense the other territories themselves and pocket the difference. That should make you more, not less, willing to push.

The honest summary

Territory and language language gets read once and lived with for a decade. The default draft from any foreign publisher will always overreach because there is no penalty for asking. A 60-second carve-out turns one Spanish deal into three, one Portuguese deal into two, one French deal into two, and one "world English" deal into three or four. The negotiating ask is small. The cumulative revenue difference over the life of the contract is not.

Want translation deals where the territory splits are negotiated for you, market by market? Submit your book.

Territory and Language Mistakes That Cost Indie Authors Translation Deals