Litopia

I think you need to consider your sales. Have you made enough total profits off the book to pay for the translation? The decision should be a business one, not emotional one. That's my 2 cents

I wouldn't be paying for it, the shop would. But I know it would sell like hot cakes if it was in French. People have been asking me for it in French since 2007. But I just don't know whether handing over control to this shop will cause me grief in the long term.

Let me talk to my husband. But I think you want a contract that ensures you get a fair share of the profits. He can probably run you up that contract in French.

Rachel, I believe that there are "going" rates for translation and standard contracts for small press publishing in France. Isn't there a writers union or organization that keeps track of these things?

And of course, you can't both forfeit your rights and sell them. It's one or the other. You are free to parse out the rights to your original work in whatever way you wish and the contract you use should reflect that.

To me, from here, it seems to me as if this is an either/or.
--You either keep your freedom to sell elsewhere, and your freedom to choose the translator – but you have to pay them and hope these people are still onside to take part in the project, given that.
--Or you go with what they are suggesting and accept that they are calling the shots all the way. BUT, if so, do make sure the translator is someone first-language French, qualified and experienced*, and do get a contract re your rights as original author and sales.

[*I used to have a profitable side-line in rescuing articles, and particularly translations, in English and into English, where the client had used someone cheap and cheerful (i.e. the poorest option) and found themselves with a crock of sh*t. Happens a lot.]

This sounds not unlike the bookstore acting as a foreign language publisher of the book. You would retain your rights, but sell off a percent for this specific purpose, right? Given that without selling off that percent, the income from French language sales would be zero, isn't it a matter how much you want from the book. @AgentPete, is there a standard contract for this sort of thing, one that protects her rights but gets Rachel paid?

The contract depends on what you negotiate. It can be a percentage of every book sold and a commission on every book she sells.

Sounds like a subrights deal, @MattScho. @Rachel Caldecott can we discuss in a Huddle, do you think?