This is such an insightful look into a part of the industry that's... well, pretty mysterious, isn't it?
Phoebe, thank you for this. What really struck me was Rosie's comment about what makes a book a "pass"βwhen the "central themes and issues are too British or American" for translation.
It's a powerful reminder that the stories that really travel are often the ones that feel universal, even if their setting is specific and "non-domestic."
It's the entire hope behind my own novella, "What Was Here." It's not an American or British storyβit's about a child in a Gaza camp. But his experience, I think, is universal: he's a kid trying to survive an unbearable reality by inventing his own rigid bureaucracy, a 'Ministry,' to log every loss.
It's a heavy, experimental read (about an hour), but since you're both so deep in the world of finding "special" books, I thought it might resonate.
This is such an insightful look into a part of the industry that's... well, pretty mysterious, isn't it?
Phoebe, thank you for this. What really struck me was Rosie's comment about what makes a book a "pass"βwhen the "central themes and issues are too British or American" for translation.
It's a powerful reminder that the stories that really travel are often the ones that feel universal, even if their setting is specific and "non-domestic."
It's the entire hope behind my own novella, "What Was Here." It's not an American or British storyβit's about a child in a Gaza camp. But his experience, I think, is universal: he's a kid trying to survive an unbearable reality by inventing his own rigid bureaucracy, a 'Ministry,' to log every loss.
It's a heavy, experimental read (about an hour), but since you're both so deep in the world of finding "special" books, I thought it might resonate.
You can read it for free here: https://silentwitnessin.substack.com/p/what-was-here?r=6r3orq
Thanks so much for reading and for sharing, good luck with your writing too!
Wow! Didnβt even know this was a thing as Katie said. Glad to have all the inside information on this newsletter. Thanks for sharing. π€©π₯°ππ»
Lots of people don't know about scouting, I think! Glad it was useful to you!
Fascinating! I'd had no idea this was a job! Wish I'd been told about all of these branches of literary careers when I was at uni!
I know SAME!
This was fascinating, thank you both!
Thank you Lucy!