Charlene Edge has NOT authorized translations of her books and blog posts

The following was first published on my website's blog on 8/15/2025.

Greetings. Today I must share this IMPORTANT NEWS: 

If you come across a Spanish translation of any part of my memoir, Undertow, or of my other book, From the Porch to the Page, or any of my blog posts, I want you to know I have NOT authorized it.

You may know that I am not only the author but I am also the publisher of both of my books. I own New Wings Press, LLC which published them. As the publisher, I've not given permission for anyone to generate any translations of my work into Spanish, or into any other language. And I do not plan to do so.

Translating, which involves reproducing, an author's published work without permission from the publisher is a big NO-NO. As a reminder, here's the rule which appears in my books:

“No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system—except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Web—without permission in writing from the publisher at New Wings Press, LLC.”

Did something happen?

Yes. Recently someone sent me an email with an attached file containing his Spanish translation of Chapter One of my book, Undertow. He hoped I'd hire him to translate the whole book. The problem was that I had NOT given him permission to translate that chapter. I pointed that out to him. I reminded him of the rule above. I asked him not to give away or sell that chapter to anyone. And I asked him not to translate any more of my work. He replied in an email that he understood. What he did not say is that he'd comply with my wishes. I sure hope he does.

Granted, if that email was from a human being and not generated by AI, the person writing it may have had good intentions. He seemed to want to make my story, which reveals insider knowledge about The Way International, ™ available to Way followers who only speak Spanish. He wanted me to hire him to translate my entire book. I declined.

My publishing situation

If I did want to publish a translation of Undertow in any language, that decision would mean I'd be publishing another book, with all the costs and all the work that involves. I am not interested in doing that.

The field of U.S. copyright law is important. If you're in need of a good source on the topic, a reference book I've used is The Copyright Permission and Libel Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers. by Lloyd J. Jassin and Steven C. Schechter.

By the way, the people who hire translators to translate books are the publishers of the books, not the authors of the books. For self-publishers like me, the same person fills both positions.

Thanks for reading!

Your writer on the wing,

Charlene

 

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