Am I going to write a new book? 🤔
I was asked recently if I am going to write a new edition to my book “How to be a Successful Freelance Translator”. (https://amzn.to/2WI7ITz)
I wrote the latest edition of my book in 2020, so the question is understandable.
But the answer is a resounding 🚫No🚫.
For those wondering, it is almost impossible to make a lot of money from book sales (unless you’re Stephen King, J.K. Rowling and the like).
Amazon obviously takes its fee (between 30% and 70%) for any sale I make, both for Ebooks as well as Print books. Any marketing is paid for by myself, and even if I want to order books for myself, I need to pay Amazon (or the publisher) a discounted price. Remember this the next time you ask an author to send you a free copy!
🤷♀️ So why did I write 3 editions of my book (as well as another book on setting up an agency)?
There are several reasons, but I’d say the main one is to use it as a *Business card*.
Once my book was published, I ordered several copies for myself (at my expense), and brought them along when I met with prospective clients.
I knew the fact that I could hand over a book rather than a business card made me much more memorable. I didn’t expect any of these people to actually read my book, but they would keep my book close by. And if translation ever came up, I would remain top of mind.
In fact, I even got a client because he was chatting about translations with someone I met, who then handed him my book and said “I know the author and I can put you in touch!”
So in fact, while the goal in writing the book was to help translators, the benefit I received was purely in marketing.
And, while it helped in the past, going forward I don’t see it being of much use.
Expanding my translation agency and exploring more consulting opportunities do not really tie into a book for Freelance Translators.
In some ways I feel quite bad about this. While the core concepts of my book are still very true, there are updates I’d like to add (working with AI, etc.). The fact is, I just don’t have the time and resources to write up a book that will, at best, make me a few hundred dollars over several years.
So, this third edition will be the latest edition of my book for a while.
Obviously if/when I ever come across a book that I believe is better I will be more than happy to share it here. For now, while I may be biased, I still 100% believe my book is the best choice out there for up-and-coming Freelance Translators. Unfortunately, there won’t be a new version coming up anytime soon.
📚Link to my book: 📚
https://amzn.to/2WI7ITz (Paperback)
https://amzn.to/3XUaBRE (Kindle)
