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Meridian Press International Publishing logoMeridian PressInternational Publishing

About us

An agency organised around the book, not the transaction.

Meridian Press exists to move well-made books into languages and markets their authors cannot reach alone, carefully, contractually and with the author's voice intact.

Our story

Founded by editors who kept meeting the same problem.

Authors with proven books in one language were repeatedly told that international editions were "complicated". Rarely was the complication explained. More often it hid an absence of process: no territory strategy, no translator vetting, no reporting.

Meridian Press was built as the opposite. Every engagement starts with reading, continues with a written scope, and ends with statements that reconcile to the contract.

Today the company runs as four connected desks, editorial, rights, audio and distribution, with one shared schedule per title, so a decision made in translation is visible to the colleague preparing metadata months later.

Mission & vision

What we are for, and where we are going.

Our mission

To give serious authors and publishing houses a dependable route into other languages and markets, with written scopes, named leads and reporting that reconciles to the contract.

Our vision

An international publishing market where a book's reach is decided by its quality and its readers, not by whether its author could navigate a rights process alone.

What guides us

Six commitments that shape every project.

These are operating rules rather than marketing statements. If we cannot honour one on a project, we say so before you sign.

01

The author's voice is the brief

Translation and localization decisions are documented and returned to the author for approval.

02

Written scope, always

No work begins on a verbal understanding. Variations are agreed in writing.

03

Named accountability

Each stage has a lead you can email directly, not a shared inbox.

04

Honest declines

If a market or format is unlikely to work, we tell you rather than sell you.

05

Auditable reporting

Royalty and sales statements reconcile line by line to channel reports.

06

Privacy by default

Manuscripts are treated as confidential material and shared only with named contributors.

Why authors choose us

Six reasons partners stay with the desk.

Authors and houses tell us the same things keep them here: clarity about rights, people who answer, and numbers that can be checked.

You keep your rights

We licence what you agree to licence, for a defined term and territory, with reversion dates tracked.

Vetted contributors only

Translators, narrators and proofreaders are appointed after reviewed sample work, never assigned blind.

Confidential by default

Manuscripts circulate only to named contributors under written confidentiality terms.

Flexible partnership models

Fee-based, co-publishing or revenue-share, chosen for the title rather than for our margin.

Genuine territory reach

Eight regional desks with market-by-market submission plans, not a single generic mailing list.

One schedule, visible to you

Every stage has a date, an owner and a deliverable you can see in the client portal.

By the numbers

A picture of the desk today.

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Titles in our published catalog

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Author services offered

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Named specialists on the masthead

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World regions we license into

Our global publishing network

Eight regional desks, one rights register.

Select a territory to see the markets it covers. Availability is always confirmed in writing before a submission goes out.

Territories

Eight regional desks

Hover, focus or tap a marker to see the markets covered by each desk. Territory availability is confirmed in writing before any submission.

Portrait of Alex Preston, Managing Director, Publisher & International Acquisitions

Leadership message

“Most authors do not need to be sold anything. They need someone to read the book properly, say plainly what it can do in another market, and then do that work on a schedule.”

“So we wrote the agency around that: read first, scope in writing, name the person responsible for every stage, and report numbers you can check against the contract. If a market is wrong for a title, you will hear it from us before you spend anything.”

Alex Preston

Managing Director, Publisher & International Acquisitions

Meet our team

The people who will be on your project.

Each desk lead is a direct contact, not a shared inbox. Full biographies, languages and expertise are on the team page.

Read full biographies

How we are structured

Four desks, one editorial standard.

Editorial, rights, audio and distribution work as one team on a shared schedule, so a decision in translation is visible to the people preparing metadata.

Editorial

Assessment, translation briefs, editing, proofreading and style governance.

Rights

Territory strategy, submissions, licence negotiation and the reversion calendar.

Audio

Casting, direction, engineering, quality control and audio delivery.

Distribution

Channel setup, metadata, print and digital supply, royalty reporting.

Two-reader rule

No manuscript leaves the desk on one person's opinion. Every deliverable is reviewed by a second qualified reader.

Per-title style sheets

Terminology, register and naming decisions are recorded so every language edition stays consistent.

Retailer-spec checks

Files are validated against print, EPUB and audio platform requirements before submission, not after rejection.

Our publishing philosophy

What a first year with us usually looks like.

We publish slowly on purpose. A book that arrives late in good condition outlasts one that arrives early in poor condition.

    Months 1-2

    Assessment and strategy

    Manuscript read, rights position confirmed, target markets prioritised with reasons.

    Months 2-6

    Production

    Translation and editorial, or audiobook production, delivered in reviewed stages.

    Months 4-9

    Licensing and channels

    Submissions to publishers by territory, or direct distribution setup where that serves you better.

    Months 9-12

    Reporting and next steps

    First royalty statements, performance review, and a recommendation for the following year.

Common questions

About the agency.

Are you a publisher or an agency?

Both, depending on the agreement. We act as an agency when licensing your rights to third-party publishers, and as a publishing partner under co-publishing or revenue-share agreements.

Where are you based?

Meridian Press International Publishing is a United States based publishing company. We work remotely with authors, translators and publishers internationally, and our full company and contract details are provided in writing before any engagement begins.

Do you work with publishing houses as well as authors?

Yes. Houses engage us for translation, audio production and territory licensing on titles already in their catalogue.

What do you not do?

We do not run paid review campaigns, buy awards, guarantee sales figures, or take on projects where we cannot name a qualified lead.

Still unsure whether we are the right partner? Write to contact@meridianpressinternationalpublishing.com or read our full FAQ.

Next step

Ask us anything before you commit

Questions about rights, costs or timelines are welcome at any stage. A written answer costs you nothing.

Start a conversationSee our process