publishing a book in finland by a non finn

[EP]

i just wrote something about traditional asian herbal medicine from natural fruits and berries, which i found out that finland has alot of these here.

Well, that is totally another matter than poems or fiction. Not a bad idea at all. BUT you cannot get a book published in English in that area. You would need an editor and a translator. There is also a very alive Finnish herbal medicine tradition. And that is what makes it interesting. What is same, what is different, what is new to Finns? Yes, your topic is interesting. But only if there is someting new, something that is not commonly known like cranberries for urinal problems, blueberries for eyesight, "piharatamo" for desinfecting and curing wounds...

But it would help immensely if you could get the attention of some people who are into that kind of things. For example there is a magazine called VOI HYVIN (Feel Well), published by A-lehdet. Your topic is what they are into. Check the magazine counter at the supermarket.

[Rosamunda]

i just wrote something about traditional asian herbal medicine from natural fruits and berries, which i found out that finland has alot of these here..and i am trying to put this asian herbal and traditional medicine mixture from the forest forward in this book to the finnish audience ,which i found out really have interest in it.whats your opinion about this..

Have you seen this? Probably one of the best "herbal" sites on the entire worldwideweb is Henriette's and it's Finnish/Swedish and a few other languages too.

http://www.henriettesherbal.com/

[Mölkky-Fan]

if i were in your position,i will simply dont leave a coment, if i dont have anything reasonable to contribute...my post wasnt an attack on anybody or even vulgar in nature,i only ask for information from the general public, which i dont think deserve your stupid and outrageous coment about right spellings or not...most season writers work were turned down by many publishers at first attempt,maybe different story in finland.."English teacher" ,am not a native english speaker, but i think is will do the finnish publisher more good for him to read my miss spelt english work and get the message, than writing in a language spoken by less than 500 thousand people which he may not have even heard of before..keep your silly and offensive opinion to yourself

Whoa! I was trying to help you there (I even added a sad face and not a smilie)... you really have to get an editor/ translator/ native english person to help you with your English... if you submit anything with the spelling/ grammar mistakes you made in the message, then they will not bother to read your submission, you must make it as easy for them as possible. I am afraid that life is not so easy that people will read through something which is badly written and spot a shining diamond amongst all the stones they get sent... in reality if you want a chance at your book being published then you need to have it written in fairly correct English so that people will at least get past the first page or two. Of course there are thousands/ millions of people who already write books in native English, so if you want to stand out in a good way then you should get help.

It was quite clear that you were not a native English speaker... no need to apologise, but most Finns (I guess especially literary ones) have fairly good English skills.

[Pursuivant]

I called the biggest publishing house here, Otava and also sent an email with my manuscript but they brutally rejected me because of their policy: they won't publish nothing in English, they only translate books in English. Of course it was another way to tell me, sorry, but you are not a Finn.

No, its because it didn't fit into their profile. I'd go after small publishing houses. Theres loads of books published independently these days as well. Sometimes a bigger publishing house then gets interested.

[prosenfi]

It can be hard to get a first work published in any country. Most publishing houses receive a lot of unsolicited manuscripts and don't even have enough readers to go through them all. Citing a real (or imagined) policy to fend off people isn't unheard of. In the old days (prior to the internet) forming relationships with people in the business to find out the right person to get a manuscript 'teaser' to was probably the best strategy. I'm not sure how the internet is changing this (haven't studied the business in many years). of course, once you have published a first work things are worlds easier.

As far as language, many books are written in a person's second language including critically acclaimed works by Elie Wiezel. So it isn't impossible to write the original draft in a non-native language. Once I finish my current job and move to Finland, I'll probably work on the first draft of a children's book I had an idea about first in Finnish. Then I'll write an English version and hand both over to my wife to polish the translation and make it "sound" Finnish. [Reading foreign-origin books, etc in English often they are gramatically correct, but just don't "work" in (american) English. So having a native speaker 'cross-check' a work is pretty beneficial.] For a crime novel I've been toying with, I'll continue writing that in English and may not even make a first draft translation before handing it off to my wife for a Finnish translation. And that novel I'll try to publish first in English.

(As an aside, I don't think many people do a grammar check before posting things on the internet, so I wouldn't judge someone's language ability on that basis...)

[Mölkky-Fan]

So it isn't impossible to write the original draft in a non-native language.

Absolutely, but as you say above the business is tough and to get your manuscript noticed and accepted the grammar and language should be fairly good. It is like applying for a job in Finland with a poorly written CV, it isn't impossible you would get an interview but you would have a much better chance if your spelling and grammar were fairly correct.

(As an aside, I don't think many people do a grammar check before posting things on the internet, so I wouldn't judge someone's language ability on that basis...)

I agree with the fact that people are not doing grammar checks etc and I have had many spelling and grammar mistakes in my mails even though I am native English speaking, but of course you can judge someone's language ability (to some degree) if the short text has so many obvious mistakes . There is no way that someone with a fairly high level of English would have so many mistakes in a short message as the OP did.

By the way I am not trying to put down the OP, as my Finnish is terrible and I respect everyone who can speak a second language well or not so well, but I would never try and send in a book in Finnish without getting it checked/ rewritten/ proof read.

[raamv]

the OP has the audacity to reject constructive criticism despite the fact that people are tying to help here...
Kinda turns helpers into rejectors....
Stupid is as stupid does..

[AldenG]

I think what you really need is not an editor but a co-author who is a native speaker and strong writer of English.

That person could also handle approaches and contacts with prospective publishers.

[maxxfi]

If nothing else, you can try some print-on-demand
and self-printing service like:
http://www.lulu.com/
So nobody will bug you with spelling mistakes or other,
and it will be just up to your 'innovativity'.

(Good luck, good night)

[onkko]

Trying to blame this on some kind of xenophobia or taking it personally is just stupid and overestimating your own importance.

Well thats what multiculturalists teach nowadays, its always racism or xenophobia if you dont get what you want. That of course is only for "actual immigrants". Politician said that there is no actual immigrant in goverment when there is swede and polish/finn (who is jude and married with tatar and no one can write his name ).
That can be explained somehow by like when i talked to my friend who was really excited about her "first" trip to foreign country. Her trips to sweden, norway and estonia didnt count because they arent foreign
England is definetly foreign country and still they whine that there arent any "actual immigrants" in tv... Neil Hardwick?
Then they whine about no blacks on tv. Lola Odusoga, Jani Toivola? (they are mulattos tho) Then they say but no middle east one! ... Arman Alizad? Cant remember any east asian one but they dont whine anyway.
Total !"#¤% and wanting to be a victim without trying..

[skandagupta]

@op - have your ouvre published in Malta, english speaking country that it is.

[Pursuivant]

Cant remember any east asian one

Funi Bui from Talent?

[Petey]

You could try http://www.johnnykniga.fi/kniga/index.jsp

Hi EP,

Thanks for that neat publisher link! I've only recently found this forum and I've been enjoying reading some of the messages of the mad characters around here.

This topic caught my eye because I'm actually writing a novella about my family's trip to Finland when I was a kid. My grandparents were Finnish and immigrated to Canada in the early 1900s. Unfortunately, my grandmother became mentally ill and wanted to go back to Finland! So, she was shipped back to live in a mental hospital in Vaasa. So, the story is about us going to get her. Also, there's a German U-boat involved. hehe

My mother speaks Finnish (it's fading fast!) and I've just recently started to learn the language. Of course I know already a number of words, but I already speak French and passable German, so the sounds and the grammar cases in Finnish are all well within my reach.

Näkemiin!

Petey

PS: I think that the person who started this thread should have been clear from the outset of his language skills and what he was trying to do. It's best for him to write his book, get it translated into Finnish, and then shop it around if that is all possible in Suomi.

[tizlit]

maryanneloop wrote:
I called the biggest publishing house here, Otava and also sent an email with my manuscript but they brutally rejected me because of their policy: they won't publish nothing in English, they only translate books in English.
Did you mean : they will not publish anything ... ?

Keep in mind most famous writers have been turned down several times, and eventually succeeded in smaller publishing houses, as was suggested in this forum earlier on. And socalled "self-help" books, such as how to learn to knit, gardening, to achieve a better life, etc. alongwith travel books seem to enjoy good success. At least in the past.

I also have a nearly-finished manuscript (in Finnish) in my drawer, but have decided to make it as a picture book in the end (picture tells more than thousand words), much more interesting. A huge picture slapped on each page, with a couple of words scribbled below, and bingo, you have a book ready.
WHy indeed publish something in a foreign language in Finland ? The Finns like to read in Finnish.
Wish you good luck!

[maryanneloop]

for EP: thanks so much for the website! it's really useful.

And for everyone out there who's writing and who wants to publish in English in Finland, just don't let anyone tell you you cannot and it's impossible. You don't know this yet until you try.
I love Finnish language that's why I'll have a second part of my book in Finnish, and I think this is the best way to go.
But now it depends on the publishing house.
And, of course it's easier to try the UK publishing market, which i'll consider it.

Good luck to everyone