James Blatch – AI Translations for Authors

James Blatch’s AI Translations for Authors is a four-module video course for indie fiction writers translating novels into French, German, Spanish and Italian. It combines a structured AI workflow with more than 60 starter prompts and Global Style Sheet templates.

The course materials include videos, documents and PDFs, covering translation choices from the first chapter through market-specific titles and blurbs.

Translation skills for indie authors

• Master the Global Style Sheet that keeps tone, names, and character voice consistent across chapters
• Develop chapter-by-chapter translation prompts from a library of 60+ starter templates
• Learn the AI-Human Hybrid and Gold Standard workflows Blatch built for indie fiction
• Apply accuracy and line-edit passes that catch pronoun shifts and idiom drift native readers spot
• Build market-fit titles and blurbs for French, German, Spanish, and Italian Kindle audiences
• Implement the ScribeShadow workflow to process a full novel without losing narrative control

Video training and translation materials

The training brings together four video modules, a prompt library and templates for organizing the details that guide a translation. It also introduces three levels of workflow and the use of ScribeShadow for longer manuscripts.

The four course modules

• Introduction: Explore the role of foreign markets for indie backlists in 2026, rights and copyright, and the choice of European storefronts to approach first.
• Getting Started: Examine LLM engine choices, the central translation loop, market-specific dialogue punctuation and the French narrative voice problem that can arise with naive prompts.
• The Workflow: Build a Global Style Sheet, work chapter by chapter, use the ScribeShadow flow, and carry out accuracy passes, line editing and consistency checks across a novel.
• Your Title and Cover: Consider how titles, blurbs and covers can be adapted for French, German, Spanish and Italian readers rather than presented as literal English translations.

Three translation workflow tiers

The course sets out three approaches for different levels of effort and budget: Out of the Box, AI-Human Hybrid and Gold Standard. The hybrid approach incorporates a native proofer, while Gold Standard uses the full workflow.

Who the course is for

The material is designed for indie fiction writers with an English-language backlist and publishers interested in European Kindle markets. It is also relevant to authors already using tools such as ChatGPT or Claude who want a structured approach to quality control, particularly where character voice and dialogue matter.

About James Blatch

James Blatch is a former BBC Defence Reporter whose work covered Operation Desert Fox and the 1999 Kosovo Conflict, and a former BBFC Film Examiner. He co-founded The Self Publishing Formula with Mark Dawson, co-hosts The Self Publishing Show podcast and organizes Self Publishing Show Live.

A published thriller author, Blatch developed the course over six months after native readers identified errors in his first AI translations.

Frequently asked questions

What does AI Translations for Authors cover?

The course covers four modules on foreign markets, translation setup, a chapter-by-chapter workflow, and titles and covers. It also includes more than 60 starter prompts and Global Style Sheet templates.

Who is the course designed for?

It is aimed at indie fiction authors and self-publishers with English-language novels who want to enter French, German, Spanish or Italian markets.

Which translation workflows are taught?

The course presents Out of the Box, AI-Human Hybrid with a native proofer, and the full-stack Gold Standard approach.

What materials are included?

The materials include four video modules, a library of more than 60 starter prompts and Global Style Sheet templates. File types include videos, documents and PDFs.

How long does the course take?

The four modules can be studied over a focused weekend. Applying the Gold Standard workflow to a novel takes time according to the manuscript’s length.