At the fall regionals, Ingram is extending its “Be Worldly. Read Lit in Translation” campaign for literature in translation, which it launched at BookExpo. “This is a moment for translated literature to get special attention, with the National Book Award adding an award for translations this year, and it is a category we stand out in,” says Jennifer Swihart, Ingram Publisher Services’s v-p of marketing.
Over the past two years, Ingram has added several notable clients that publish books in translation (including Europa Editions, Dopplehouse Press, and Fitzcarraldo Editions) to its established roster of publishers that specialize in translation—among them Dalkey Archive, House of Anansi Press, Open Letter, and Two Lines Press.
At the events, Ingram will sponsor displays of translated literature in its rep booths with signage stating, “Read the World with Ingram Publishers.” Ingram will also offer giveaway book club guides and branded magnets, as well as raffle “travel packs” of books in translation.
That indie booksellers have begun embracing literature in translation in a bigger way is indicated by a brochure that Europa produced with 71 blurbs from booksellers around the country about the importance of reading translated works. “We are striving to establish our store as a place for expanding horizons, learning about different cultures and lifestyles and ‘getting uncomfortable’ by questioning traditional ways of thinking,” wrote Susan Reckers from Orinda Books in Orinda, Calif. “I see Europa books, as well as other international publishers, as allies in this quest.”
The Ingram/Consortium displays will be built around a selection of 22 titles. Swihart says that Ingram is working on expanding in the future, to 100–200 titles—primarily selections published in the past two to three years. “There are so many books worthy of attention, it is difficult to narrow down the list to even that many,” she says.
