Jane Friedman Highlights GlobeScribe as a “Promising Startup for AI Translation”

Earlier this week, respected publishing industry analyst Jane Friedman featured GlobeScribe in her paid newsletter The Bottom Line. Jane has been one of the most trusted voices in publishing for years, known for her clear-eyed, thoughtful takes on industry change.

Her piece on GlobeScribe is both encouraging and realistic about the role AI can play in translation — and it reflects exactly why we built the service. We’re sharing a few short highlights here, but we strongly recommend reading the full article by subscribing to The Bottom Line here.

On why GlobeScribe stands out.

“GlobeScribe… is a new startup focused on AI translation… I trust AI publishing startups more when they come from people in the publishing trenches who understand the pain points of the industry.”

We founded GlobeScribe after years of running a successful digital-first publishing company. We saw first-hand how many books never reached international readers because translation was too expensive or slow. Our goal has never been “AI for the sake of AI” — it’s to remove barriers so authors and publishers can reach more readers in more markets.

On the challenges of AI adoption in publishing

“Publishers and authors have expressed enthusiasm… but people aren’t necessarily at a stage where they are willing to advocate for it publicly.”

That’s true across much of AI in publishing right now. Many are experimenting quietly, testing quality and workflows before making public announcements. We believe that as more people see the results, confidence will grow.

On quality and focus

Jane noted our deliberate focus on five core languages — Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazilian), and French — rather than stretching to dozens at once. This lets us fine-tune performance and achieve high quality across genres, from commercial fiction to narrative nonfiction.

She also highlighted our accessible pricing of $100 per book per language, making professional-grade translation achievable for independent authors as well as publishers.

Why we value this recognition

It means a lot when someone as widely respected as Jane sees the potential in what we’re building. As she rightly points out, AI doesn’t replace the artistry of human translation — but when used thoughtfully, it can open up whole new opportunities for authors and readers alike.

Read the full article in The Bottom Line here and consider subscribing to Jane’s newsletter for her sharp, in-depth coverage of publishing’s biggest shifts.