The Implications of Amazon KDP’s Policy Changes on Non-English Translations
In recent months, Amazon KDP has made a number of changes to its policies regarding non-English translations. These changes have the potential to have a significant impact on self-published authors who are looking to reach a global audience.
One of the most significant changes is that Amazon KDP is now requiring all non-English translations to be professionally edited. This means that authors who are not fluent in the target language will need to hire a professional editor to ensure that their translations are of high quality.
Another change is that Amazon KDP is now limiting the number of non-English translations that an author can publish. Previously, authors could publish as many non-English translations as they wanted, but now they are limited to 10 per language. This change is likely intended to prevent authors from flooding the market with low-quality translations.
Finally, Amazon KDP is now charging a higher royalty rate for non-English translations. Previously, the royalty rate for non-English translations was the same as the royalty rate for English-language books, but now it is 50% lower. This change is likely intended to compensate for the increased costs associated with professionally editing non-English translations.
These changes are likely to have a number of implications for self-published authors who are looking to reach a global audience. First, the requirement for professional editing will make it more expensive for authors to publish non-English translations. This could discourage some authors from pursuing non-English translations, or it could lead them to choose less expensive editing options that may not produce as high-quality results.
Second, the limit on the number of non-English translations that an author can publish could also discourage some authors from pursuing non-English translations. This is especially true for authors who are writing in languages that are not as popular as English. With a limit of 10 non-English translations per language, it will be difficult for authors to reach a large audience in multiple languages.
Finally, the increase in the royalty rate for non-English translations could make it less profitable for authors to publish non-English translations. This is because the higher royalty rate is offset by the increased costs associated with professionally editing non-English translations. As a result, authors may find that they are making less money on their non-English translations than they would on their English-language books.
Overall, these changes are likely to have a negative impact on self-published authors who are looking to reach a global audience. However, it is important to note that these changes are still relatively new, and it is possible that Amazon KDP will make further changes in the future. As the self-publishing industry continues to grow, it is likely that Amazon KDP will continue to evolve its policies in order to best serve its authors.
