TranslateBooks.com

TranslateBooks.com was built by Joseph Alexander, a bestselling indie author with 600,000+ sales, after experiencing the German market firsthand. The service pairs English-speaking authors with human translators who specialize in genre fiction and understand self-publishing workflows — from manuscript to Amazon.de product page.

What You Get#

• Manuscript translation: Human translators matched to your genre — thriller, romance, historical fiction, and other popular categories
• Supplementary copy: Cover text, blurbs, and Amazon product descriptions translated alongside the manuscript
• Optional publishing support: Paperback print layout (£150), eBook formatting (£100), cover adaptation (£100), Amazon HTML product page (£50)
• IP retention: Authors retain 100% intellectual property and royalties — no licensing agreements or revenue splits

Who It's For#

• Genre fiction authors: Translators with genre experience handle idioms and voice naturally rather than literally — critical for thriller pacing and romance tone
• German market newcomers: Joseph Alexander's team manages the full workflow for first-time translations, reducing the project management burden on authors
• Established indie authors: Craig Martelle, JD Kirk, Clare Flynn, Nora Phoenix, and Pip Reid are among the named clients featured on the site; David Penny's translated titles reached the Amazon.de Historical Thriller top 100 and stayed there for over a year

Pricing: £0.075 per word (approximately £4,500 / ~$5,700 USD for a 60,000-word manuscript). Pricing is quoted in British pounds — the GBP/USD exchange rate affects the final USD cost. Add-on services billed separately.

Strengths#

• Practitioner-built service: Alexander created TranslateBooks.com from his own self-publishing experience in Germany — not a translation agency retrofitting a product for authors
• Single-market depth: Specializing exclusively in English-to-German means translator vetting and quality standards are calibrated for that pair specifically
• Named author endorsements: Multiple six-figure indie authors have publicly referenced positive experiences, providing more reliable social proof than anonymous testimonials
• Genre matching: Unlike general agencies, translators are matched by genre — a romance author doesn't get a business translator

Limitations#

• English to German only: Authors targeting French, Spanish, or other markets need a separate service
• GBP pricing: US-based authors face exchange rate variability — costs fluctuate with the pound. Budget in GBP to avoid surprises
• No AI option: Human-only translation means higher cost and longer timelines than AI alternatives. Authors prioritizing speed or cost over quality should look elsewhere
• Add-ons are extra: Publishing support services (layout, formatting, cover) are optional and billed separately — the base rate covers translation only

Alternatives#

For AI-assisted German translation at lower cost, ScribeShadow supports German as one of its highest-quality output languages. For boutique human translation with editing and proofreading bundled, YourBookInGerman is a comparable English-to-German option.