# TranslateBooks.com

> English-to-German human translation service built by a bestselling indie author, with end-to-end publishing support.

Source: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/translation/translatebookscom
Website: https://translatebooks.com
Category: Translation Services (https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/translation)
Pricing: paid — $1000–$6000/per-project
AI-powered: no
Editor's pick: yes
Tags: human-translation, german, genre-fiction, indie-authors, end-to-end, joseph-alexander
Last verified: 2026-06-18
Best For: Genre fiction authors entering Amazon.de for the first time; practitioner-built service with named six-figure author endorsements
Languages Supported: german
Model: per-word
Service Type: translation-agency

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.