As we are all typing in English,
We're not.
I think it is safe to say that we are all working in the English language market (USA, Canada, UK, Australia, NZ, and a few other places).
The English-speaking market is much bigger than this.
In traditional publishing these were different markets. With ebooks, they really aren't.
1) It's trade publishing, not traditional publishing; and,
2) You're wrong.
Being all English speaking countries, we don't really need any help with these if we are self-publishing ebooks.
That's right. We need no help at all with self-publishing, which is why no self-publishers ever hire editors, pay for cover design, or, you know, work with agents.
However, there aren't many people out there who are fluent enough to translate their books into other languages. That is where an agent comes in.
And yet in my relatively small circle of friends I have two who translate their own work. And agents don't undertake translations, they negotiate deals. I assume that's what you meant, but it's not what you wrote.
They are supposed to be experts and negotiating contracts and when you get approached for a foreign language sale or film or television, that is where no matter what your intentions regarding English publishing, you should get an agent.
By writing "supposed to be", you imply that they're not actually expert at all. So why do you then advise writers to get an agent at this point?
With an offer in hand, most any agent will be willing to represent you (they already know they are going to make money off the deal), so shop around and pick a good one.
No, they won't. Some agents will take on anyone with an offer in hand; good agents will think carefully about how those writers fit into their area of expertise and will still reject such writers if the fit isn't good.
Why should it be safe assume such a thing? Do you not think it's possible that people whose first language isn't English might post here in English, even though they write and publish in their native language? (/offtopic)
I'm glad you asked that, Terie, because I was thinking the same.
Because we're all talking/typing in English.
No we're not.
Every single SYW post is of a piece written in English.
No they're not.
Every book, movie, TV show, video game, whatever in non-writing threads is about a medium that is in English or is viewable/understandable to English speaking audiences.
Wrong again.
Every discussion that takes place on this board about writing and the mechanics/style of writing is done so with a focus on the English language.
Um... nope.
Unless I somehow missed the pile of threads about kanji vs. katakana, or rhyming hangul, or the difficulty of finding the right simile in Russian.
You did somehow miss them, Scott, and I find your rhetoric on the verge of insulting. I advise you to tread far more respectfully here.
I'm not saying the assumption is correct, but it's certainly a pretty safe assumption to make.
And yet it's a
wrong one!
I mean, if there was a Spanish/Arabic/Whatever language section of the board it might be different, but there isn't, so it's not. Duh.
Look again. Seriously: look again. And then come back and tell everyone what you've found.
And don't you
ever use "duh" like that again where I can see it. It's rude and dismissive and lazy, and you're lucky that I'm not giving you a time-out just for that.
