For publishers
Every book, every market
AI-powered translation into any major language, producing a complete localized ebook + audiobook package for each new market at a fraction of the industry standard. Your catalog stops being monolingual.
Markets your titles never reach
Literary translation traditionally costs $0.10–$0.25 per word — $10,000–$25,000 for a single novel into a single language — before typesetting and audio. At those rates, translation is reserved for breakout hits, and the rest of the catalog never leaves its home language.
Lex’s AI translation pipeline changes what a language launch costs. Each project delivers a complete localized package: a translated, formatted EPUB and a matching audiobook narrated in the target language, at a small fraction of the industry standard. Editorial review passes keep names, idiom, and register consistent across the book.
What a language launch includes
- →Translated EPUB — full-book translation with consistency-checked terminology, names, and register, delivered as a validated, retailer-ready file.
- →Localized audiobook — native-language AI narration produced through the same studio pipeline as our English productions.
- →Localized metadata — title, description, and keywords adapted for the target market’s stores and search.
- →Any major language — Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, and beyond — priced per language, cheaper in batches.
How partnerships are structured
As with digitization and audio: pay for the service and own all outputs (Production Services), trade production cost for a non-exclusive Lex distribution license in the new language (Production Exchange), or pay-per-read revenue share. Translation projects pair naturally with Model B — a new-language edition is a new market Lex can carry with zero cannibalization of your home-market sales.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to translate a book?
Human literary translation runs $0.10–$0.25 per word — $10,000–$25,000 for a typical novel per language, before typesetting or audio. Lex’s AI-powered pipeline delivers a complete localized ebook plus audiobook package at a small fraction of that. Contact dm@lex-books.com for per-language pricing on your titles.
Is AI translation good enough for fiction?
Raw machine translation is not; a produced pipeline can be. Lex combines model translation with editorial consistency passes (names, idiom, register, honorifics) and human spot-review. For each project we deliver a sample chapter first so you judge the quality against your own text before committing.
Which languages do you support?
All major trade languages, including Spanish, Portuguese (BR and PT), French, German, Italian, Dutch, Polish, and Japanese. Batching multiple languages for one title reduces the per-language cost since structural work is shared.
Who owns the translation?
Under Production Services, you own the translated edition outright and can distribute it anywhere. Under Production Exchange, you retain ownership and Lex receives a non-exclusive license to distribute the localized edition on its platform.
Onboarding founding partners now.
Early movers get preferred terms and platform input.
David Mainayar · Founder & CEO