Licensed to Read: Selling Polish Literature Abroad Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

lubimy_czytac_en_01613618_0002.jpg, default, Poznan Book Fair at MTP Poznań, photo: Łukasz Gdak/East News, Licensed to Read: Selling Polish Literature Abroad Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

#language & literature

Selling Polish literature to foreign publishers is a complex process that requires market intuition, determination, awareness of trends, and above all, patience. While there are occasional small and large successes, it is still difficult to speak of a ‘trend’ or ‘fashion’ for literature from these parts. To make that happen, there would need to be a bestseller that captivates an international audience. For now, however, it’s primarily the painstaking work of publishers, agents, translators and cultural institutions.

Speed dating at book fairs

During the London Book Fair, its venue Olympia is buzzing with the hum of conversation. The largest publishing houses have reserved vast spaces with dozens of tables for meetings – bookshelves surround the area, advertising screens display promos of the hottest titles, and billboards feature the faces of fantasy saga heroes as well as rock stars with forthcoming biographies. Small publishers meanwhile are allocated booths just about big enough for a table and chair. Regardless of their stand’s appearance, they all share one goal: to sell licenses for foreign editions of their books. Over 1,000 publishers, and 30,000 people connected to the publishing industry.

Among the booths of individual publishers, you can also find stands dedicated to countries – French, Slovakian, you name it – even Taiwanese. On the upper floor, with a splendid view of the entire hall, is the Polish stand, as organised by the Book Institute. Baskets full of apples sit on a counter nestled amongst shelves packed with the most interesting offerings from dozens of Polish publishers. There are conversations in progress at some of the tables – Polish publishers invite foreign publishers, agents and translators for meetings here. They have just a few minutes to present their offer and spark a publisher’s interest.

Over the course of 3 or 4 days, Marta Górska, who’s in charge of foreign rights for the Foksal Publishing Group, ends up having around fifty conversations here. In addition, she’s having meetings beyond the fair – during cocktails, dinners and evening banquets. There is only one goal: talk about books, inspire curiosity and convince people that it’s worth getting interested in Polish literature. ‘It’s hard work, the effects of which you sometimes only see after years have passed. Selling a Polish book abroad isn’t easy,’ admits Górska. She knows what she’s talking about and has had several successes on her part – thanks to her efforts, authors like Zyta Rudzka, Alicja Sinicka and Jakub Szamałek have all appeared in foreign markets.

Thorny issues around language

A major barrier to publishing Polish books abroad is… the language. Unlike with books in English, German or French, foreign publishers making decisions have to rely on reviewers, translators’ recommendations and sample translations prepared in advance. And these samples don’t always capture the spirit of the book or the author’s craftsmanship. Plus, translation itself is simply expensive.

This is where the Book Institute steps in, actively supporting Polish literature abroad. Aware that translation from Polish can be a hurdle, they run a programme for foreign publishers so that they can apply for funding to get books translated. Based on their data, it’s clear there is no shortage of interest in publishing Polish literature – over 300 applications were submitted this year. The books receiving grants will be published over the next two years. Since the programme began in 1999, more than 3,400 Polish titles have been published in over 50 foreign languages, including Tamil, Bengali, Amharic and Arabic. In 2024, the programme supported the publishing of 179 books, up from 155 in 2023. And the number of applications continues to increase.

The Book Institute supports translations in two ways: by working with publishers, and by supporting translators themselves. They offer grants for translators and also organise a global congress where over 200 translators of Polish literature from around the world come together to talk shop.

A book needs to have that ‘something’

So what does a book actually need to sell abroad? Anna Rakoczy from the Marginesy publishing house, whose catalogue includes bestsellers like Chłopki (Peasant Women) and crime novels by Wojciech Chmielarz, believes the formula is theoretically simple: a book must have ‘something’ that makes it stand out, grabs attention, but at the same time, that ‘something’ cannot be too local, too Polish or incomprehensible to a foreign reader. ‘You need to find the golden mean between universality and uniqueness,’ says Rakoczy with a smile.

The cover of Chłopki by Joanna Kuciel-Frydryszak, photo: Marginesy

What do you do to get a promising title noticed by a foreign publisher? Firstly, you have to reach the right person at the target company. Once it’s clear who to address, a tedious process begins of regularly sending updates about new titles and reminders about existing ones. Sales representatives create special newsletters highlighting the books, but these emails rarely get a response. It’s hardly surprising as editors receive dozens of similar messages every day.

Recently, one of these publishers responded quite unexpectedly to my email. Over the past few months, I’d sent him several messages with our offers – he only reacted when I recommended a book by Simona Kossak. He wrote back saying the cover was beautiful. So at least now I know my emails are reaching him!

Rakoczy goes on to explain that sometimes an offer from a publisher comes a full year after they were sent a manuscript – as was the case with the Lithuanian rights to Służące do Wszystkiego (Servants for Everything) by Joanna Kuciel-Frydryszak. The publisher had been silent the whole time, then simply submitted an offer. ‘You never know – someone might decide to publish a book I told them about years earlier,’ adds Rakoczy.

Many messages, however, go unanswered. It’s easier to talk about titles in person at book fairs, where one-on-one meetings make it easier to establish a connection. These conversations usually last 15 to 20 minutes – a type of professional ‘speed dating’. But how do you present catalogues with dozens of books in such a short time? Rakoczy explains:

Sometimes a publisher knows exactly what they’re looking for and arrives with a specific request, like: high literary fiction, a young debut author, under 300 pages. Or a mass-market thriller. Then I either have what they need or I don’t. Sometimes someone comes with a particular title in mind that they heard about somewhere or spotted in the catalogue. There are also some who say: tell me about the one book you think’s best. And I have to decide within a split second. Because that moment can determine whether a book by one of our authors gets published abroad.

Publishers have dozens of meetings like this during fairs and receive information on dozens more titles. Will a Polish book stand out? Marta Górska says we have to face facts:

As Poles, we often wonder why it’s so hard to sell Polish literature abroad. But what about us – do we eagerly read Serbian or Lithuanian books? How many titles like that do we publish in our own market? For Western publishers, we’re about as interesting as Lithuania or the Balkans are to Polish readers.

Engaged translators, promising numbers & screen adaptations

Translators often prove invaluable allies in getting Polish titles into the hands of foreign publishers, as they are often highly engaged with the material. Able to read the entirety of the original text, they occasionally fall so in love with a book that they just want to infect publishers in their local market with that same fascination. That was the case when it came to selling the rights to Zyta Rudzka’s novel Ten Się Śmieje, Kto Ma Zęby (Only Those with Teeth Can Smile) in the Netherlands. Translator Charlotte Pothuizen became captivated by Rudzka’s work back in 2022. She went from publisher to publisher, talked about the book, and even prepared a Dutch translation at her own expense. Eventually, one publisher said yes.

So what helps spark interest in a book from Poland? In the case of literary fiction, awards such as the Nike Literary Award can be helpful. But they are never guarantees.

A second factor, especially important for popular literature, is sales. Numbers speak for themselves – if a book has sold several hundred thousand copies in Poland, there’s a chance a foreign publisher will take a serious look. That’s what happened with Wojciech Chmielarz’s crime novels, which have sold over a million copies in Poland. A French publisher bought the rights to one of his titles – not only because of the compelling plot, but also, perhaps above all, because of the strong sales figures and the fact that the novel had been adapted for Polish TV. ‘But even that doesn’t happen on its own. It’s not like foreign publishers are constantly watching the Polish market and picking up on the bestsellers. You still have to bring that information to them,’ notes Rakoczy.

One might expect that Chłopki, which has sold over half a million copies in Poland, would sell like hotcakes to foreign publishers. And indeed, the rights have been sold in Spain, France and Slovakia. ‘The Polish sales really helped the book,’ says Rakoczy. ‘But I also hear the argument that it’s “too Polish”. And yet, in so many ways, it’s a profoundly universal story – about exploitation, social inequality, the right to education. You can take it out of the Polish context and place it into any another.’ This is exactly how Spanish and Slovakian publishers interpreted it, coming from countries with similar rural histories and experiences.

Interestingly, the Slovakian publisher releasing Chłopki also bought the rights to Służące do Wszystkiego by the same author, but plans to publish that title in the Czech Republic instead. ‘The premieres are scheduled to happen in parallel, but each country first gets the book that’s closer to its own experiences. The publisher wants to pave the way for the author with the story that readers in each country are more likely to identify with,’ explains Rakoczy.

Every deal like that is a major success, in part because once other foreign publishers see that someone else has taken an interest, they’re more likely to do the same. ‘Ideally, the translation rights are first sold into English, French or German – that makes it a lot easier to reach other publishers,’ says Marta Górska.

The first Polish book published in Princeton & other successes

The cover of Adam Leszczyński's The People's History of Poland, photo: W.A.B. publishing house

Sometimes, however, whether a publisher decides to take on a book depends on surprisingly mundane factors – such as its length. A shorter book stands a better chance simply because it’s cheaper to publish. But even that rule has exceptions, such as when the rights to Adam Leszczyński’s The People’s History of Poland, a book of over 600 pages, was sold to the prestigious Princeton University Press. That success was due to a joint effort: both from the author, who has strong connections in academic circles, and its highly-engaged translator. ‘It’s a big deal as it’s the first time any Polish author has ever been published by that press,’ enthuses Górska.

Also hugely important are relationships with publishers. The Book Institute supports these by organising an annual study visit in Kraków for foreign publishers. Purchasing editors meet with Polish publishers and authors – an opportunity to discover new titles, build deeper relationships, and make new connections. And in this business, connections are crucial. ‘It’s often a matter of rapport and trust,’ says Marta Górska, recalling the sale of the rights to Opór (Resistance) by Paweł Pieniążek – a book about the war in Ukraine – to a publisher in Taiwan.

Okładka książki "Opór. Ukraińcy wobec rosyjskiej inwazji" Pawła Pieniążka, fot. Wydawnictwo W.A.B. — Cover of Opór by Paweł Pieniążek, photo: W.A.B. publishing house

Thanks to the Book Institute, I travelled to a book fair in Taiwan. One evening at dinner, I met a publisher who specialises in non-fiction. We had such a good conversation that she asked if I had anything interesting to recommend. I told her about Pieniążek’s moving book, and she was immediately intrigued. Of course, no one spends money just because they like you, but relationships and trust in us as publishers are invaluable.

One thing is certain: selling rights is a marathon. You don’t always reach the finish line, the results rarely come immediately, and success can’t be guaranteed. But thanks to all this quiet and persistent work, Polish literature is slowly but steadily carving out a space for itself on the global publishing map.

Originally written in Polish by Sylwia Kawalerowicz, May 2025, translated by Adam Żuławski, May 2025.

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