Getting your book in the library and the importance of book reviews

I am thrilled to see my book-length translation, The Book of Affects by Brazilian author Marilia Arnaud, in the new books section of my local library.

This is my first published book, and as a newbie, I didn’t know everything there was to know about getting my book in any library’s collection. I went to my local library system’s website to look for information and learned that to request that they add my book to their collection, I had to provide at least one favorible review of it, published in a professional magazine or site. Fortunately, at the time I had one review and was able to put in my request. It took several months for my request to be processed and for the books (two copies!) to be placed on the shelf.

Asking for a review

When your first book comes out, having at least one review of it published in a reputable magazine or literary site will not only help your book be added to your local library--it will be very important in the overall promotion of the book. If your book is a few months away from publication, this is a good time to think about your network of fellow translators and consider whom to ask for a review. If you aren’t part of a translators association or informal group of fellow translators, I strongly recommend that you join one and participate in their activities. All of us, literary translators, need each other's support, and in my experience, all are happy to help.

By the time my book-length translation was accepted for publication, I had been a member of the Portuguese-English Literary Translations Association and had become acquainted with many translators I hadn’t known about and with some that I knew by name but hadn’t interacted with. I had also participated in ALTA conferences and met a few translators there too, some from Portuguese, some from other languages. When it came time for me to reach out to translators and ask if they would be willing to review my book, I had no trouble identifying colleagues whom I could ask. They knew me, and my requests were received with an enthusiastic yes. The Book of Affects was reviewed by Alison Entrekin in Reading in Translation and by Michelle Mirabella in Hopscotch Translation.

My reviews came out a bit late in the game. As was the case with other aspects of the publishing process, I didn’t know what I had to plan for and how far ahead. But eventually I figured I needed reviews and went about asking colleagues. When Alison and Michelle agreed to write and submit the review, I sent them copies of my book along with digital copies of the original manuscript. I also suggested review venues to them because I already had pieces published in the two magazines and thought they would be a good fit and because I wanted to spare my colleagues the task of finding a review venue. If you don't have any venues in mind, though, I am sure your reviewers will be happy to suggest a few.

The reviews of my book came out several months after the publication date. Fortunately, there are literary magazines and websites that accept reviews of books that have been out for a few months or even a year. But you should plan to have at least one review come out at about the time of publication because it can generate a lot of interest for your book and encourage readers to buy it. And other reviews can come a few weeks or months after to keep your book fresh in your potential readers’ minds.

Just as book reviews can assist greatly in promoting your book, they can go a long way in promoting translated literature in general. We need more reviews of translated books published online and in print. And I encourage you to consider writing a review of a recently published or soon-to-be-published book in translation as well.