Repercussions of Papadakis' book & Cizeron's response

I've noticed a lot of booksellers on Amazon that have "used" copies really fast, sometimes even before the book is published. I think the books aren't used, and that those sellers list them as used to attract buyers looking for a bargain.
 
Last edited:
Will the book come out in English?
Ok I got an update: the issue is less around the publisher and more that it needs to be acquired by an English language editing house. It would be helpful for someone to start something that can gather the interest of having the book translated - the grassroots will help the case
...
What I know is that the publisher doesn’t think there’s enough interest outside of France (or at least French speakers) for the book, so groundswell would help
 
It sounds from the quote you're responding to like it was the journalists that couldn't separate Gabi from her identity as Guillaume's partner. Gabi was already redefining herself by moving on.
Precisely. They, journalists, seem to spend an inordinate amount of time advocating for him, rather than picking up on the overall theme of unbalanced power dynamics. The patriarchy reigns absolutely. If we've endured, how dare you complain vibes.
 
Ok I got an update: the issue is less around the publisher and more that it needs to be acquired by an English language editing house. It would be helpful for someone to start something that can gather the interest of having the book translated - the grassroots will help the case
...
What I know is that the publisher doesn’t think there’s enough interest outside of France (or at least French speakers) for the book, so groundswell would help
I feel like @PRlady could do this in her sleep
 
I feel like, if they don't think there is interest, they aren't paying attention. Look at how long this thread is!

thanks for pointing it out, it's an error in the English translations ive seen
This is why I'm waiting for an English edition. All the translations I've seen mix up she and he to quite a confusing extent. (And my French is non-existent.)
 
The main cost to the publisher would be the translation. @Former Lurve Goddess might have some insights into this, but many independent publishing houses now use print-on-demand for their titles - i.e. a copy of the book only gets printed when someone orders it. That lessens the risk of the publisher being stuck with a warehouse full of unsold books.

But good translation is costly. A book like Gabi's would need an actual person doing the translation, not just an editor running the text through Google Translate (yes, some publishers actually do this). So even with the economies of print-on-demand, a publisher would have to be convinced that there would be enough sales to at least cover the cost of a professional translation.
 
This is for Gabi. And Solene Mazingue. And Gracie Gold. And all the women who have been mistreated and have dared to go public with it.


when the witches came back
they did not come
on broomsticks
they came wearing city boots
and chipped nail polish,
with coffee stains
on their spell books
and crescent moons inked
on their thighs.
they came humming songs
their grandmothers buried
in silence,
came with mouths full of
long-forbidden words
and hearts stitched up
from centuries of burning.
they walked back
through the locked gates
of history
cloaked in forbidden names:
bruxa
hag
heretic
whore
each syllable a spell,
each breath a reckoning.
they did not ask for permission
they never had.
they came with dirt
under their nails
and galaxies in their eyes,
with children at their hips
and wolves at their heels,
with stories like knives
hidden in their hems.
and when the world
asked them to explain themselves
to be gentler
smaller
less
they laughed
sharp and honeyed
and said:
“we are the daughters
of the silence you tried to keep,
we are the harvest
of your forgetting,
we are the resurrection
of fire.
we have returned
not to haunt
but to reign”
and then
they lit their candles
drew their circles
raised their voices
and called each other
home

poem ~ © Angi Sullins from the book "Unmasking the Myths" AVAILABLEHERE: https://angisullins.com/shop-3-2/
 
Last edited:
My French is terrible. Do Kindles have the capacity to translate from French to English? Not just specific words but the entire book?
I found (USA) that I could not copy the Kindle text, even a few words, and paste it into Google Translate. On the other hand, the writing is pretty simple so far, and I'm finding it fairly easy to read with some occasional vocabulary lookups.
 
I'll add that publishers really do value the number of positive reviews published on highly-viewed & trafficked bookselling websites. If you want to help Gabi, publishing a positive review on Amazon (or whatever) is helpful and helps her sell more books.

Goodreads is influential too. Reviews there can create a lot of buzz, and the Goodreads ratings are often linked on bookseller sites.
 
But good translation is costly. A book like Gabi's would need an actual person doing the translation, not just an editor running the text through Google Translate (yes, some publishers actually do this). So even with the economies of print-on-demand, a publisher would have to be convinced that there would be enough sales to at least cover the cost of a professional translation.
It seems like she could do it herself, given how good her English is. Assuming she has time and interest.

Anyway, just bought tickets to her show for me and Mr Mac and will wait with bated breath for an English version.
 
Goodreads reviews are a good thing, but they are not as helpful.

It is harder for people to post reviews on Amazon, but authors/booksellers really do need reviews posted there. (I assume because this helps with the formulas that Amazon uses for advertising books to its massive reader base, but I don't really know).
 
The main cost to the publisher would be the translation. @Former Lurve Goddess might have some insights into this, but many independent publishing houses now use print-on-demand for their titles - i.e. a copy of the book only gets printed when someone orders it. That lessens the risk of the publisher being stuck with a warehouse full of unsold books.

But good translation is costly. A book like Gabi's would need an actual person doing the translation, not just an editor running the text through Google Translate (yes, some publishers actually do this). So even with the economies of print-on-demand, a publisher would have to be convinced that there would be enough sales to at least cover the cost of a professional translation.
Presuming that the publisher holds the translation rights (ie Gabi and an agent haven't kept them), they may wish to produce the publish the translated version themselves or they potentially could sell the translation rights to another publisher who might be interested in publishing an English version (if the latter happened, this would also take longer). And yes, the main cost would be the professional translator (Harlequin France has been making some noise about possibly using AI translations in the future and let's just say that's super controversial and it better not happen), but a translation also requires a new layout and design so the production costs wouldn't be significantly less than for the original book. French tends to be longer than English so the English version would likely be many pages shorter and/or require a different sized font. And while Gabi has excellent English, the publisher would most likely want professional translator and then have Gabi verify the translation. The publisher might also might need to do a secondary editor/copyedit to make sure the translation reads and flows well. And yes, these days a lot of publishers print very small print runs and/or do print on demand. But there's all kinds of work that goes into bringing out a new book, even if it's a translation of an existing work, so yes the publisher would definitely need to be convinced that there's enough of a market for an English translation to make it worth their while. And there would be the timing factor too - there's always the possibility that a book by a 2022 OGM who didn't compete in 2026 would be of less interest to readers 6-9 months from now.
 
I used to work for a small press in a larger organization that published non-fiction trade books. I developed a P&L model for cost/book/promotion or source (direct, bookstore, newsstand) over time, and I had to assign a price/copy based on when it was sold, keeping an "inventory" of costs assigned to specific sales.

Our print runs, except for the buying guides were small. The cost/book for the first edition was 3-4 times the cost of subsequent editions, where it was maybe a small set-up cost, materials, and profit margin, even as the cost of paper and labor rose over those years. The first edition included all of the copy-editing, book design and the other costs that @Former Lurve Goddess mentioned. And these weren't even extremely high, just distributed over a relatively small number of copies, plus there were no translation costs.
 

One of the things that has really shocked me is the theme of IAM coaches mocking & trashing other teams and encouraging their skaters to do the same. (Also mentioned in the thread @clairecloutier posted). I thought that when IAM really started getting more successful in 2014/15/16, there was a lot of messaging about the importance of a healthy training environment. Did things change as the centre got bigger, or was it always just a front?

I found it very difficult to enjoy watching Euros this week. So much around this sport is toxic and there is evidently no appetite at all from the governing body to tackle it.

I agree. The worst thing about IAM is their total front about inclusivity and acceptance, when in reality, they're just as bad or worse as every other major coaching centre. It is 100% all marketing and zero substance. At least Eteri doesn't pretend to be nurturing and is outwardly corrupt.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top
Do Not Sell My Personal Information