AmazonCrossing submissions site goes multilingual

Amazon’s literary translation imprint AmazonCrossing has expanded its submissions website to cater for 13 new languages. It was previously available only in English.

The website enables publishers and readers to submit book proposals from any language for translation into English. The updated site allows visitors to navigate the site and submit book proposals in any of the following languages: Arabic, Bengali, German, English, Spanish, French, Hindi, Italian, Dutch, Japanese, Punjabi, Polish, Portuguese, and Russian.

Since forming in 2010, the invitation-only programme has published more than 300 books in translation from 36 countries in 21 languages, with the submissions website launching in 2015. The e-retailer's imprint accepts book proposals for translation into English across categories including fantasy, historical fiction, literary fiction, memoir, thriller and young adult fiction.

Mikyla Bruder, publisher of Amazon Publishing, said: “We have received excellent submissions through the website and today’s announcement empowers those who do not speak English to get in touch with us more easily, and we are excited to meet this expanded network of passionate readers.

She added: “Our editors find books for translation from a variety of sources, and the new localized submissions website opens the door for suggestions from a variety of countries and languages, including those traditionally underrepresented in translation.”

Translator Sawad Hussain described AmazonCrossing as a “trailblazer” and said that until now, “many Arabic authors and readers haven’t been able to participate in a submissions process based in English”. She said: “Localizing the website into Arabic as well as other languages marginalized in the English publishing world, is both a helpful practical change and an important statement on inclusivity.”

For more information, visit translation.amazon.com/submissions.