Before I published WHITE MULBERRY, I only dreamed that my book would be translated into other languages. I am humbled, amazed, and overjoyed that my novel is now available in four international editions and the story inspired by my grandmother is resonating with so many readers around the world. Her tale of resilience and courage to be herself has reached a global audience, and I am deeply grateful. Who knew?
I’d love to share a few insights on how a book gets picked up by a foreign publisher, as I only had a vague idea myself. In my case, Amazon Publishing, the parent company of my imprint Lake Union, holds the right to sell my book in foreign markets per my publishing agreement. The Amazon Global Rights Team attends different trade fairs around the world, like the London and Frankfurt Book Fairs, to pitch my book along with other titles. If there’s interest by a foreign publisher, the Rights Manager consults with me and my agent, and we decide whether to enter a contract based on the terms. The foreign publishers usually have eighteen to twenty-four months to have the book translated, create a new cover or use the original one, and release it into the market.
Hungary
As you may know, the first foreign country to publish my book was Hungary. There was an auction to buy it, and it was eventually sold to Athenaeum Kiado, one of the oldest publishing houses in the country. They publish bestselling authors like Jodi Picoult! I was shocked and delighted that the Hungarian publisher believed their readers would enjoy my book, and they have! It was translated and published with a beautiful new cover. A Hungarian friend recently told me that critics and readers there appreciate the history and romance in my book, and the themes of identity, perseverance, and belonging. Here is the cover, and my reply to a social media post by my Hungarian publisher.
Slovakia
The Slovak edition from Grada Slovakia came out after Hungary. As I mentioned in my previous newsletter, it was listed as a book of the month on a Slovakian book site, and I’ve had wonderful interactions with readers on social media since. Even though the publisher used my original cover, it still looks beautiful in Slovak! My cover and my reply to a nice post from a reader are below. I try to respond to all the reader comments about my book! The translation function on my phone works great!
Korea
I always wished my mother, relatives, and friends in Korea would be able to read my book in Korean, and now they can! WHITE MULBERRY came out in Korea earlier this month and reached No. 2 on a top online bookseller list for new releases! My Korean publisher Seosamdok and book influencers have been promoting the book heavily, and it’s been exciting to see the creativity of their posts and all the traction it’s getting. The new cover is simply gorgeous.
My cousin in Korea took this picture below at Kyobo Bookstore, the largest bookstore in Korea, at their busy Gangnam branch. I love the manga character of Miyoung in this post!
Italy
The Italian edition just came out last week! Grazie to my Italian publisher Giunti Editore! The cover is elegant and evocative, and I love it. When the publisher asked for my feedback on the cover, I asked them to change the hairpiece. The original version had a flower in the woman’s hair, but in Korea it’s typical for women to wear a binyeo, or a traditional ornamental hairpin to secure their buns. They made all the changes I requested, and here it is!
Progress on RED SEAL
My proofreads have been completed! Proofreaders check for lingering typos, grammatical errors, and punctuation glitches. I was happy to read that my copy was “practically squeaky clean.” One thing the proofreader couldn’t quite figure out was whether to capitalize North and South Korea between 1945 and 1948, when the country was temporarily divided into the Soviet zone in the north, and the US in the south. My treatment had been inconsistent, so I decided to lowercase “north” and “south” after WWII in 1945 and capitalize the names after 1948 when they became permanent independent countries. Makes sense, right?
Speaking of covers, the RED SEAL cover is done! The cover designer, editor, and I refined the colors and background of the final image to make it simpler and more consistent with WHITE MULBERRY. I think we nailed it. I will share it soon!
Pensive Bodhisattva was my witness as I completed proofreads and finalized my cover! Joey was in on it too!
In The News
The Asian American Life news magazine show featuring me and WHITE MULBERRY recently aired! This is a popular series highlighting Asian American communities nationwide and profiling Asian American leaders. I was honored to be interviewed by journalist Kyung Yoon at the CUNY-TV studio in celebration of April’s national diversity month. Just in time for May Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month coming up! I provided a lot of personal slides for this show so please watch this short segment by clicking the play button below.
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Past and Future Events
I have had the privilege to attend multiple fun book clubs and events this month!
I connected with readers and local authors at the Peninsula Library Friends Foundation event titled “Books Build Bridges.” I also enjoyed conversation and Korean food with friend and local author Christine Ma-Kellams for a “Food & Fiction” presentation at the Redondo Beach Public Library. And I basked in the energy of literary lovers at the LA Times Festival of Books.
Book clubs keep me busy, and this month was no exception. The first was held at the beautiful, renovated home of Carole Stevenson in Portuguese Bend, which had been damaged in the landslides but was thankfully saved. The next one was organized by Virginia Upton of the Thursday Book Club, who invited not only my parents, but my 103-year-old friend Horace Higgins, who was in the US Navy in the Pacific at the same time WHITE MULBERRY takes place. We enjoyed a Korean feast afterward at a local Korean restaurant.
These in-person moments with readers make me smile, but so do the online ones! Here is a photo of some of my online book club friends!
It was exciting to participate in Opening Day for Korean Literature Month at the Korean Cultural Center of LA! I loved listening to Korean authors, watching a dance performance, and of course, eating Korean food!
As an ongoing part of this program, I’ll be on a panel discussing “Diversity & Diaspora” with some local Korean American authors and poets on Friday, May 22 at 6:30 pm at KCCLA. Please join me!
Here is the link to the KCCLA Korean Literature Month 2026 program.
Over fifty people attended my virtual book talk at Kauai Writers Conference Online this past weekend. Thank you to many of you who joined! If you’d like to hear a recording and the opportunity to listen to hundreds of other authors, literary agents, and publishing professionals, please sign up.
Check out all my upcoming events.
It still never ceases to amaze me when I see new posts from readers every day saying how they enjoyed my book, especially from different parts of the world. Books connect us and give us hope.
Thank you to all my readers for following me on this wild journey of publishing!
How many books in translation have you read?
Please comment below to let me know! I always love hearing from you. Thank you for following along!
What I’m Reading
Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park
I had to read this again after I met the author recently at KCCLA. It was one of the coming-of-age stories set in Korea that I wrote about for Electric Literature! You can read my article and all the books I recommended here.
Love in the Big City is the English-language debut of Sang Young Park, one of Korea’s most exciting young writers. A runaway bestseller, the novel hit the top five lists of all the major bookstores, went into twenty-six printings, and was praised for its unique literary voice and perspective. It is now poised to capture a worldwide readership.
Young is a cynical yet fun-loving Korean student who pinballs from home to class to the beds of recent Tinder matches. He and Jaehee, his female best friend and roommate, frequent nearby bars where they push away their anxieties about their love lives, families, and money with rounds of soju and ice-cold Marlboro Reds that they keep in their freezer. Yet over time, even Jaehee leaves Young to settle down, leaving him alone to care for his ailing mother and to find companionship in his relationships with a series of men, including one whose handsomeness is matched by his coldness, and another who might end up being the great love of his life.
