How to have your book published in another language

A common question with a somewhat frustrating answer

I’m asked about this a lot. When I was in China last month, the question came up several times. And American and other English-language authors find the idea of being published in Chinese exciting (1.3 billion potential readers!).

After I returned home, to yet another email asking about this, I decided to write a response that will probably seem prosaic. But publishing is a practical business, often, and the business of publishing depends on contracts rather than exciting ideas. This was first written for non-English writers, but the analysis and process are relevent no matter where your target market is, and I hope it will be helpful.

PS: I have added a vital point in the comments, as well as in the main text. People tend to come to me when they already have a published book, but today an acquaintance was telling me about his discussions with a publisher about his book proposal, and I realized that global rights is something best discussed before signing a contract.