a question

Tinkerbelll

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Hello.

I'm writing a novel about a legendary actress and I think I'm good at this job. Because I'm also a literature translator, so I know some publishers and after that some editors read my novel's a few chapters, they obssessed with me. They are sending trojans to my mails constantly, so I transferred my novel another pc without internet connection. But now I get threats from them. I'm Turkish and live in Turkey (It's a shame for my country--but publishers are very cheater) and writing my novel in Turkish. My english is very bad as you see. But I dont rely on them any more and want to publish my book a world famous publisher. But I cant write it in English. Do you know a publisher which accept it Turkish, then translate it then publish?
 

James D. Macdonald

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Alas, no.

You will either need to translate it yourself and submit it in the usual way to foreign publishers, which if you hire a translator and editor (this is one of the cases where hiring an editor prior to submission makes sense) can be quite pricey with no guarantee that the book will ever be published, or you can get it published by a Turkish publisher in Turkish and, if it sells a ton of copies in Turkish, may result in a foreign publisher buying the rights and translating it themselves.

I wouldn't be sure that it's publishers who are trying to put trojans on your computer, though. There are tons of those things floating around, usually from Russians who are trying to recruit your computer into botnets in support of various unrelated-to-literature criminal enterprises.
 

Tinkerbelll

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Thank you James. But I can't hire an editor and a translator. It's too expensive for me. Today I did a translating trying. Do you see any hope with my writing English?

"A hot summer day of the year of 1919, a steamship belong to Royal Dutch Sea Line, cruising in the cool water of Atlantic Ocean. The destination of the steamship which departed from Rotterdam, was Paramaribo Harbour at Suriname. One of the passengers of the steamship was 19 years old Ella, the daughter of Suriname Governor Baron van Heemstra. She was going to go visit her father, together with her older sister Miesje and her husband Otto.


That day there wasn't a single cloud in the sky and the blue water of the ocean shining with the sun's golden lights. Ella was leaning the railings of the deck and when staring at the wide ocean which widening in front of her, she was thinking about the future that waiting for her. Within a few months, she would marry a man who she wasn't in love and had to leaving both her family and her homeland Netherlands and going to Cava Island which her future husband was on duty as an officer. But Ella didn't want to marry. Still she was very young and must see nice days before she marry. She must show up every party, she must steal every young man's heart and play hard to get them, and finally if she had to marry in any case, she must choose the man who live a whole life together herself."
 
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James D. Macdonald

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The sample isn't smooth colloquial English, if that's your question.

Yes, writing (and publishing) in English when English isn't your native language is possible (e.g. Joseph Conrad), but it's deucedly difficult.

In practical terms, something that you can do today, may I suggest getting a firewall and some good anti-virus protection for your computer? There's decent freeware out there. Get that going first and worry about the writing afterward.
 

Tinkerbelll

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Thank you again James but my trouble with them is a bit complicated. After that they read my chapters, firstly they wanted to wed me with an author who famous in Turkey. (I think they liked my story but thought it won't sell with my unknown name). When I didn't accept this, they started to send trojans to my computer and I transferred my book another computer without internet connection. This time they started sending strangers to my home and phone calls. For example: "Hello, I'm coming from X University. Can I go in for a few minutes and have a look at your pc for an inquiry?" Or phone calls like that: "Hello Miss X. You won a satellite dish an a receiver. When you wish to we take them into your house?" And when I googled the number it turned out a different publisher's number.

Also they're fling dirt at me, speaking about me bad and lie things with other publishers (like I am an insane, bitch, liar, plagiarise and so on) Because my english is limited I can't expression myself well but everything I said is true,I'm not a paranoid and I lived through very bad days. I took action them to prosecutor but I coudn't prove anything. So I don't want to see a single Turkish publisher anymore. It's a shame for my country but everythingI lived through is true.
 

Tinkerbelll

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By the way is my writing too bad or not so bad? If they'll like the story and characters is there a possibility edit and publish it or out of question?
 

elindsen

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First do as Jim says. Get good protection for your computer.
Second, if they are truly up about your work, it sounds scary. Maybe speak to an attorney? I'm sorry I don't have the best advice for that.
And as for is the writing good enough...there are problem words as Jim pointed out, but it is not horrendous. Read some english books and see how they use verbs and say things. You're going to need to either pay or self teach yourself english to make it in the english market. Not impossible but work. It is very hard to say if it will be worth it. You could write like a master and be rejected. You could write like a five year old and be a bestseller. Write the best book you can in the best english you can. Then find a beta/alpha reader who understands english isn't your first language. Get more help from them. Don't hurry the process. Learn and let it happen in its own time.

Good luck!
 
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Maryn

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One additional recommendation is that you place a digital copy of your work as it now exists in a safe place online and another safe place physically removed from your home, job, or school.

You can use a flash drive to copy it from the computer which is not online and from that flash drive, email it to yourself and/or a friend, or store it on DropBox, then place the flash drive itself in a secure location such as an attorney's safe or a bank's safe deposit box. When you've made substantial changes, repeat--and retrieve the first flash drive so you can use it again.

Even if no one attempts to take it, it's good to have such back-ups. Computer hard drives can fail.

Maryn, glad nobody bothers her
 

Tinkerbelll

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Thank you Maryn. I use a flash drive. Also I did a facebook page but they stole my password and mail. :(