Is Translating Books Profitable in Kindle Publishing?

About this video

Sean argues translating existing English books into Spanish is a profitable way to grow volume when publishing wide on ACX, Draft2Digital and IngramSpark, because repurposing a book is cheaper than commissioning a new one. He says ghostwriting costs $2 to $2.8 per 100 words, while translation is cheaper. The Spanish market is far less saturated: he shows ketogenic diet has 7000 English search results on Amazon versus 645 for the Spanish version, and only 32 Spanish titles for the audiobook version, while the Spanish version of Atkins diet has 1 result on Audible. With fewer than 25 titles in a keyword you are automatically on page 1, so even a book at BSR 300000 or 500000 making occasional sales can stay visible long-term. Sean reports Spanish books also earn on IngramSpark, showing examples close to $200 in royalty in one month and $63, with his book royalties typically $7 to $9. He recommends The Writing Summit for translation, proofreading and metadata if you do not speak Spanish, with code Sean5 for 5% off, and suggests starting with Spanish before trying German, Italian or French.

Key takeaways

• Translating an existing book is presented as cheaper than paying $2 to $2.8 per 100 words for a new ghostwritten English book
• Spanish competition is much lower, e.g. 7000 English results for ketogenic diet versus 645 Spanish results and 32 Spanish audiobook titles
• In a keyword with less than 25 titles a book is automatically on page 1, making sales more consistent long-term despite a smaller market
• Sean reports Spanish titles earning on IngramSpark, with examples close to $200 in one month and $63, at $7 to $9 royalty per book
• Start with Spanish, then experiment with German, Italian and French to increase total book volume

Episode details: published November 4, 2019 · 9:56 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Sean Dollwet’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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