Querying UK Agents from the US

RainbowDragon · Jul 21, 2009

Anything wrong with this idea?

Also, what kind of stamps do you use on the SASE? I understand most UK agents still insist on paper subs over e-mail.

aruna · Jul 22, 2009

Nothing wrong with it -- I have submitted to US agents from the UK and even for a while had a US agent. However, I only submitted books which I thought were relevant to the US market.
You can get those International Reply Coupons in the US, I guess!

What I did was get a friend in the US to send me US stamps for international postage. IN fact, I still have a few of thise stamps.

waylander · Jul 22, 2009

The most important question to consider is whether the work you are querying is suitable for the UK market.
If it is then go ahead. Many UK agents will reply by e-mail for overseas submitters. Otherwise you'll need someone over here to buy UK stamps for the SASE. PM me if you want some.
IRCs are a pain in the ### as someone from the agency has to go and stand in line at the post office.

Mumut · Jul 22, 2009

You can get international coupons - some agents might accept them. But ask the agents by email. Each one will have different needs for submissions. I first contact publishers which communicate by email - I have never bothered with an agent.

Raspberry · Jul 22, 2009

There are other things to consider. British editors are said to be reluctant to offer a contract to US authors who are not yet published in US.

One of the problem is payment of royalties. In fact that's a huge problem. It's not that easy for them to pay an US citizen, and you will be taxed high with foreign income. There are tax forms to be filled out for the UK publisher and for you the US citizen.

Your book has to be edited to suit British English. All this add to extra cost in addition to the risk to publish a newcomer.

Of course, all the above can be overcome, but it raises the bar for a newcomer tremendously. If you are a citizen of Europe or Commonwealth countries things are easier for both ends.

aruna · Jul 22, 2009

Raspberry said:
There are other things to consider. British editors are said to be reluctant to offer a contract to US authors who are not yet published in US.

One of the problem is payment of royalties. In fact that's a huge problem. It's not that easy for them to pay an US citizen, and you will be taxed high with foreign income. There are tax forms to be filled out for the UK publisher and for you the US citizen.
.

The OP is looking for an agent, not a publisher in the first instance. Therefore, the pubisher will pay advances and royalties to the agent, not to the author, just as if it were a UK author. The matter of royalty payments is no worse than when a UK author sells to the US, or when a US author sells a US published book to the UK... international agents deal with this on a regular basis. I too have to fill in tax forms from a couple of countries... it's par for the course! The agent will deal with all of these matters; it's part of his/her job. My agent simply sends me the tax forms, I fill them out, send them back, and that's all there is to it.

That said, it's probably easier and makes more sense to get a US agent if that's where you live.

Raspberry · Jul 22, 2009

aruna said:
The OP is looking for an agent, not a publisher in the first instance. Therefore, the pubisher will pay advances and royalties to the agent, not to the author, just as if it were a UK author. The matter of royalty payments is no worse than when a UK author sells to the US, or when a US author sells a US published book to the UK... international agents deal with this on a regular basis. I too have to fill in tax forms from a couple of countries... it's par for the course! The agent will deal with all of these matters; it's part of his/her job. My agent simply sends me the tax forms, I fill them out, send them back, and that's all there is to it.

That said, it's probably easier and makes more sense to get a US agent if that's where you live.

Yeap, it was an agent from whom I heard it first. I dug further and had it comfirmed. It doesn't matter who's having to do it, but its'a good excuse to leave the door shut.

RainbowDragon · Jul 22, 2009

Thanks -- well, the US door doesn't seem all that open at the moment either so I thought it would be a fun distraction to see what happens across the pond. . .I like to think my book would be well received there, having been influenced by a great many British authors.

I don't suspect it can hurt chances of international sales to a publisher if one does get pubbed in the US first after all, or vice versa to sell back to the US if it gets pubbed in the UK first. Unless perhaps an agent shops it unsuccessfully somewhere. But so long as you're not approaching edtiors (yet), no markets are sullied, yes? Anyone know?

I think it always comes down to "Does an agent love it enough (and think (s)he can sell it)" and if the bar is raised to deal with extra tax headaches, so be it. I'd settle for a rejection that says "I love this but I can't do math."

RainbowDragon · Jul 22, 2009

Raspberry said:
Your book has to be edited to suit British English. All this add to extra cost in addition to the risk to publish a newcomer.

Is this process the same when a published US title is sold overseas? Who handles this "translation"? Does the writer get final approval, since we do sort of speak the same language after all?

Maybe this is a new topic?

aruna · Jul 22, 2009

RainbowDragon said:
Is this process the same when a published US title is sold overseas? Who handles this "translation"? Does the writer get final approval, since we do sort of speak the same language after all?

Maybe this is a new topic?

When I had a US agent for a British English book the subject never came up; I don't think it's that huge a deal for a publisher as it happens all the timw when books cross the pond, wherever they are first published.

RainbowDragon · Jul 22, 2009

Aruna,

So were the US and UK versions identical or did someone somewhere change things around? Or is it just a matter of changing colour to color?

aruna · Jul 22, 2009

RainbowDragon said:
Aruna,

So were the US and UK versions identical or did someone somewhere change things around? Or is it just a matter of changing colour to color?

It never found a publisher, so I don't know what would have happened.
I submitted the ms with Brit English, and US would have taken it on "as is", if they had wanted it.
I suppose it is just simply a matter of substituting spellings, and publishers do it on a regular basis when they buy mss from across the pond. It's their job, not the author's.

Raspberry · Jul 23, 2009

RainbowDragon said:
Is this process the same when a published US title is sold overseas? Who handles this "translation"? Does the writer get final approval, since we do sort of speak the same language after all?

Maybe this is a new topic?

The publisher takes care of it, and there's more than just a spelling issue. I mean, you can do it, mark your word document and set language to UK and voilà, all not BE will be underlined in red.

The devil is in the detail, some words or expressions are simply too American. I'm running into that a lot, I'm writing BE and my friend, a British English teacher and editor slaps my wrist often enough.

Gemnyc · Jul 24, 2009

I'm English living in NYC with 1 year left on my work visa. Any ideas as to whether I should query with UK or US agents?

My MS is written in English - and by that I mean 'jumper' instead of 'sweater' etc BUT I have used a US Microsoft Office suite.

I really hadn't thought about it until I came across this post.

Raspberry · Jul 24, 2009

You can query both, but I would focus on the country, which might have the most interest in your book. Otherwise, I'd query UK.

Your MS ist written in British English, by the way. American English is English, too, and there is no reason to believe one or the other would be superior.

Querying UK Agents from the US

RainbowDragon

Perpetuous Revisasaurus

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

waylander

Who's going for a beer?

Mumut

Well begun is half done...

Raspberry

Germlish Speaker

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

Raspberry

Germlish Speaker

RainbowDragon

Perpetuous Revisasaurus

RainbowDragon

Perpetuous Revisasaurus

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

RainbowDragon

Perpetuous Revisasaurus

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

Raspberry

Germlish Speaker

Gemnyc

reading 24/7

Raspberry

Germlish Speaker