Literature — a bridge between cultures

by Ho Anh Thai

If Vietnamese literature wants to find a place overseas, writers need to start finding publishers. So what should we do to approach foreign publishers?

To answer the question, let’s first review Vietnamese books that have been translated over the past few decades.

In the early 1990s, a number of European and American publishers started becoming aware of Vietnamese literature partly thanks to foreign news agencies in Viet Nam. In addition to collections of short stories and poetry, the majority of translated books were written by 10 well-known authors.

European and American publishers only focus on authors with a reputation for producing profitable books, the so-called goose that lays the golden egg. Publishers also have an ability to seek out authors who will make them a profit. If needed, editors will travel far and wide to track down these writers and secure deals with them. Publishers and editors’ reputations grow thanks to these forays. Although there are some lucrative works to be found in existing manuscripts, publishers are usually keen to meet the writers in person. Unknown authors who submit their works are often ignored, despite their potential.

So where should authors send their manuscripts to?

Writers need an overseas literary agent: a writer, literary critic or prestigious literary professor who knows them and appreciates their work. These people act as agents and negotiate with publishers. Most Vietnamese authors of translated books in the last 30 years had their own agents, official or unofficial.

"Ways to contact publishers can sometimes take people to an unknown place," said a friend in Seattle. He is a retired lawyer and also writes during his free time. He and his friends have started a writing club. Their houses are full of books about how to write short stories and novels and get printed. 

The titles of these books remind us that literature in Europe and America tends to be technical. Any job can be formulated and has a process. People do not mystify about the profession of literature. My American friend has read dozens of such books, but the way to approach a publishing house is still a mystery. The books have taught him almost everything, but he still had to ask me how to approach a publishing house?

In the early 1990s, news about the prosperity of Vietnamese literature was found in The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, International Herald Tribune, Far Eastern Economic Review ... which led some publishers to look for Vietnamese authors. More than 10 Vietnamese authors were sought out. For the publishers that had my books printed, I used to work as a "literary representative" by introducing them to other authors. We summarised the content of each novel in 500-700 words, and how Vietnamese readers welcomed the book. In this way, more works were translated. We did the same way with Tinh Yeu Sau Chien Tranh (Love After War) by summarising the content of nearly 80 short stories. The publisher then picked 50 stories by 50 authors, hired translators and editors and eventually the book was published and selected by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the 100 best books of the year.

Having said that, most foreign publishers do not think Vietnamese literature is a gold mine. Some books have been successful in prestigious newspapers and welcomed by lecturers and graduate students who have been doing the Vietnamese studies.

Vietnamese books have been recently published by small publishers. In the United States, universities have printed from 1,000 to 2,000 copies of a number of Vietnamese books. Some non-profit publishers have printed about 5,000 copies for the first time. The books are available in the federal book system and on amazon.com. The royalties paid by this type of publisher are not high, but if the books sell out, they will be reprinted annually and the royalties will still be paid regularly to the author, even after the first edition. The number of printed books depends on a survey of purchasing capacity before publication. Usually, a publisher will not publish a book if the purchasing capacity is less than 5,000 copies.