Worldwide English-Speaking Markets

OK, since you invited me over!

I haven't tried to do it, but I would imagine that it is extremely difficult to get your work accepted by the UK if you are in the US. The first question would be 'why aren't you published in your own country?' and the inference would be 'if you're not good enough to make it over there then we don't want to know'.

I have an agent now (on the strength of the YA novel that was recently sold). She had trouble selling it here in the UK and after about 15 rejections she told me she was going to send it to some US publishers. She warned me that this was a very unorthodox move and that she was only suggesting it because she used to work in NYC and had some publishing contacts there. She also thought that the US market might be more receptive to the subject matter of the novel (self-harm). We had several rejections, and then struck it lucky with an excellent publisher in the UK. My agent was delighted because she said it now carried much more weight over in the US and she was hopeful of a deal there (for that reason, we did not sell the UK publisher the rights to the US or Canada, although they did get Australia and English-speaking Europe).

To date, we still don't have a deal with a US publisher, and that's even with a strong deal here.

I would think that you would need to sign with an agent in your own country and then ask them if they can submit it to the UK/Canada/Australia. But I really wouldn't hold out much hope. It seems to me (in my very limited experience) that the 'norm' is that books are only sold to other countries after they have been published in the home country. It would be very very unusual to do it the other way round.

However, the resource over here for listings of agents and publishers is the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook, published every year by A&C Black. You'd probably be able to get hold of it through Amazon in the US - be aware that last year they split the Yearbook and there is now one for Adults and one for Children's publishing - you can see the kids' one here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0713677112/?tag=absolutewrite-21

By the way, my agent refused to sell the rights to Canada to my publisher because she said it would impact negatively on any deal with the US.

Hope that's been helpful in some way. My advice is to 'make it' in your own country before trying to sell to other countries!

RainbowDragon said:

Thanks! I would think, then, that those living in countries outside the major English-speaking markets might have a bit of an advantage, being able to submit to US, Canada, UK and/or Australia without any stigma attached for "not making it in" (or not being patient with) their own country. The disadvantage of course would be the ever-skyrocketing postal costs. Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. . .

Click to expand...

Despite the Internet, it's not particularly easy buying foreign stamps. Royal Mail, for instance, sells stamps on the Internet, but not in the denominations that someone in Canada (me, for instance!) needs for a SASE. Fortunately, you only have to find the stamps once and then you can recycle them. Postal services are becoming increasingly lax in cancelling stamps. Most of my SASEs make it back with the stamps as pristine as if they'd just left the stamp machine. So with the waste management mantra "reduce, reuse, recycle" carolling through my brain, I stomp on my conscience and do just that.

Ye-es, maybe. I don't know enough about non-English areas to know what their markets are like. But I guess if you were an ex-pat living in, say, Budapest, you could submit to the UK or US publishers...

You wouldn't have any particular advantage over the people living in that country though, and in fact it might be a disadvantage to communications.

I don't know. Are you in a non-English-speaking country and planning to submit to one?

English-speaking markets

I live in South Africa, where there is not just a dearth of good novels for young adults, but also a dearth of readers! I've just completed a novel employing magical elements in a contemporary South African setting, and (if by some miracle it is published) would be considered a best-seller if it sold anywhere over a couple of thousand copies.
That said, the opportunities for self-publishing/self-distributing are pretty good, and there are huge gaps in the market (particularly pertaining to the realities of contemporary life). I remain convinced there is a large readership out here, held back only by the cost of books and the inaccessibility of libraries. English is the lingua franca here and the largest chunk of the publishing industry is devoted to it, so if you want to try your luck...
I've already decided that if I should be published I would sell only the English-language rights and attempt to have extremely cheap editions printed in a number of other South African languages.
Regarding the SASE's, I simply state in my covering letter that, given the vagaries of the postal system, I would appreciate it if all return correspondence regarding my ms is conducted via email (unless you want your ms back, that is).