Hi Everyone!
I am very excited to announce that I have signed a deal with Retropunk Publications to translate my series – The Steam Empire Chronicles – into Portuguese, and to publish the novels in Brazil. I am truly over-the-moon with this situation, so I figured I’d interview Guilherme Moraes, founder of Retropunk Publications.
First, could you tell us about your background/history?
I’m Guilherme Moraes, a philosopher that tends to daydream and idealize one project after another; and has found himself after founding RetroPunk.
I live in a town in southern Brazil called Curitiba, where it is very cold and that many say is more gray and rainy than London. I’m married and have a beautiful six year old daughter.
I’m an assumed nerd and my preferences are related to the expanding culture of superheroes, science fiction and fantasy movies, fantastic literature, RPGs, board games and card games.
What is Retropunk Publications?
RetroPunk Publicações is a 6 years “indie” Brazilian publisher (founded
in May 2010). At first, when I thought about the company project, I sought publish only role-playing books in order to bring and show to the Brazilian players that “there was life beyond” the classic Dungeons & Dragons and Vampire. The major project of the company was to bring to Brazil the game Savage Worlds, a generic rules system published by Pinnacle Inc and my favorite since 2004. I was able to accomplish this in 2012. From 2010 till today, the company has published (in print and digital editions) over 30 titles. Since 2014 it seeks to diversify its portfolio, producing boardgames and cardgames. In 2016 the company entered in the fantastic literature market.
Why were you interested in the Steam Empire Chronicle
s?
One of my “guidelines” of work is to publish (at least try) titles related to the core idea of the company and provide a nice experience to the reader / player. Steam Empire Chronicles (Crônicas do Império a Vapor, in Portuguese) is a synthesis of what the company seeks to produce, from RPG to cardgames and boardgames.
What is the process of translating a book like? How involved does it get?
The great problem of translating a book, in my opinion, is to find the right professional for the project. Some titles require a more specific knowledge as RPG books, where you find terms and concepts that are often at the center of several others games and systems. The rest is schedule and work management.
How is translating/distributing a book in a different language different from getting it translated on your own?
Being a small company and publish more alternative and/or unknown titles, RetroPunk has been spreading slowly across Brazil, but still feeling difficulty in reaching all possible resellers. Find a way to extend the contact with them for a more concrete distribution is the main focus today.
What plans do you have for the series, above and beyond translating the book?
Lately I’ve been thinking about how to expand the same idea to different media types and Steam Empire has all the requirements that I think it’s important in a RPG adventure or setting book: action, adventure, challenge and fun. I can also see a boardgame using the series background… So, maybe we will see a new project in the near future.
Anything else you want to tell us?
Brazil has a lot to show in terms of fantastic literature. There are many authors in Brazil, publishing their interesting books through publisher companies or independent.
Special Thanks to Guilherme, and his team, for everything. I look forward to sharing with you what happens when the translation is finally complete! Take a look at their website here (especially if you speak/read Portuguese, or use Google Chrome to translate for you!)
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