When it became known that Amanda Gorman would be publishing a picture book, publishers in the Netherlands were eager to acquire the translation rights. Senior publisher Susanne Diependaal tells NU.nl how publisher Van Goor managed to win the prize.
Diependaal was deeply impressed by Gorman’s presentation at the inauguration of Joe Biden, where she spoke about connection in a divided country. “I have been playing for many years and have already acquired quite a bit of wisdom in life, but I can still learn from her, everyone can learn from her. She really has a message.”
Diependaal happened to know that the literary agency Schönbach represents the rights of publishing house Penguin in the United States, where Gorman’s picture book is published. So the first step was to show her interest there. “If several parties are interested – and that was of course the case in this case – there will be an auction and you will join in. I was soon told that I was in the top eight and whether I wanted to increase my bid. avoiding rounds, I immediately raised nice. “
After that there were three games left and one followed best offer-round. “Then they want not only your highest offer, but also a ‘love letter’, in which you write why you are the best candidate to publish the book. In addition, there must be a whole marketing plan. In this case, we heard on Tuesday that we We were among the last three and we had to hand in our plan by Wednesday afternoon at the latest.
Ultimately, it took until Saturday before Diependaal heard that Van Goor would get the rights. “In the morning I still hadn’t heard anything and had already given up hope that we would hear something during the weekend. But when I got home after a long walk, I had a message. Then you want to shout it from the rooftops, but with that. you have to wait until you get permission from the literary agent. But the adrenaline that is released … that is indescribable. “
‘Everyone should be able to read her message’
And what about the cost? “There is not a very large market for picture books in the Netherlands,” says Diependaal. “You can’t just ask 20 euros for that. I want to be able to put this book in the store for a maximum of 12.99.”
There is a simple calculation module for the amount that can be added to an auction. “You think about how expensive you want to make your book, what circulation you are thinking of and how high the royalties will be (the percentage that the writer receives from each book sold). In the ideal world, the amount you expect to earn back is your offer. . “
In the case of Amanda Gorman, however, you include another factor, says Diependaal. “You also take into account that you can link the name of the publisher to its book and radiate this message to the world. In this case, it is not an amount that you think you will earn back immediately on the first print run. longer term, this is a book that we hope will find many readers for many years to come. “
“Everyone should be able to read a message like that of Amanda Gorman and that’s why we publish it. I want this book to be available in libraries and at schools and available to every child in the Dutch language area.”
Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem appears in both the original and the Dutch version on September 21.
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