Leading Spanish-language publisher Planeta is launching its first English-language line this fall, hoping to prevent its A-list authors from being lured away by publishers that offer the opportunity to reach both Spanish- and English-speaking readers. "If they can go to one of the big English publishers and have it done simultaneously in Spanish, it's very appealing," said Marla Norman, Planeta's sales director.
The initial list will feature four nonfiction books, all previously published in Spanish by Planeta. Starting in 2005, Planeta, whose U.S. offices are in Miami, Fla., expects to release about 25 English-language titles a year, a mix of nonfiction and fiction. Most will be translations, though some will be original English titles that in some way reflect Latino culture, Norman said.
The move mirrors what major English-language publishers such HarperCollins, with its Rayo imprint, and Random House, which has begun assertively publishing in Spanish across its imprints, are doing to capture readers traditionally served by Planeta. The best example yet happened last week, when Knopf released Mi Vida, the Spanish-language version of Bill Clinton's memoir, My Life, giving it a record-breaking 100,000-copy printing.
Though it's partly a defensive measure, the expansion to English-language publishing is an opportunity for Planeta to play on a much larger field, with initial print runs that far exceed the four-figure printings that are typical for the publisher. For example, one of its first English-language releases, Aznar: Eight Years as Head of Stateis getting a 20,000-copy first printing. But in its original language, the memoir by Spanish prime minister Jose Maria Aznar has only 1,000 copies in print.
Other titles on the fall English-language list are also getting printings of 20,000 to 30,000 to start. Among them is Jorge Luis Borges: Autobiography-Autobiografia, a slim volume based on an article Borges wrote for the New Yorker in 1970. Also on the list is Gustavo Cisneros: The Pioneer by Pablo Bachelet, with a prologue by Carlos Fuentes. Finally, there's Gabo and Fidel: Portrait of a Friendship by Angel Estaban and Stephanie Panichelli. The book examines the controversial friendship between the dictator and one of Latin America's most honored writers.
Norman said the biggest challenge facing Planeta as it moves into English is publicity, and the publisher plans to bring in outside help to navigate the maze of English-language programs and publications. Finding and affording translators is also an issue. "Here in the states, to go from Spanish to English is very costly," Norman said.
It will be money well spent if Planeta's new venture succeeds in attracting readers, in part because scoring big sales in English can drive demand for a title in Spanish. "The dual-language versions help support each other," said Norman. "It's just becoming more and more difficult to separate the two."
