Publishing Proposals

We welcome publishers and agents who want to present Polish books to foreign publishers and agents.

In this programme, the Book Institute finances up to fifteen pages of a publishing presentation in a foreign language. A minimum of 2/3 of the whole must be a translation of a book into a foreign language. Additional book materials (summaries, readers’ reports, reviews, authors’ biographies etc.) can not account for more than 1/3.

How to apply?

The application is made directly by the publisher or agent, filling in the form and sending it to: proposale@instytutksiazki.pl. If the application is approved, the Book Institute signs a contract for the prepared proposal with the publisher/agent.

Costs are refunded on the basis of:

• the prepared proposal;
• a contract signed on both sides, and a statement signed by the publisher/agent for consent to the copyrights and processing personal data;
• an invoice correctly issued by the publisher/agency;
• proof of payment of the fee to the translator’s account.

A minimum of 75% of the net amount received from the Book Institute for the prepared proposal must go to the translator’s fee. The translator must have a basic CV in literary translations (a minimum of one translation published in book form or three fragments published in culture-related magazines).

Applications are to be sent in by the 15th of every month, and the competition closes not later than the final day of the month in which the submission is made.

A condition for participating in the programme is that the publisher/agency provides the Book Institute permission to use the proposal in its statutory aims or declare such consent from the holders.

The publisher/agent is obliged to inform the Institute of the rights to the book in the proposal being sold. Within three months of the proposal being made, the Institute may ask for information about the actions taken by the agent/publisher concerning the proposal. No action being taken or lack of information will result in exclusion from participation in all the Institute’s programmes for the following two years.

In the course of a year, one publishing house/agency can receive financing for a maximum of ten proposals.

Additional rules:

• the agency/publisher must have been operating for at least a year and actively represent at least three Polish writers;
• sample translations must be the first translations of books into a given language, never before published;
• the book the presentation concerns should be literature, essays or works of Polish humanities past and present (with particular consideration given to books on the history of Poland, its culture and literature), children’s and young adult literature, or graphic novels/comics.

Preferences:

• potential of the given foreign language;
• books of high literary merit.