Non-native English speakers from abroad writing/publishing in English ?

Robots

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Hi, I live in Germany but write in English. Although it isn't my mother tongue, strangely, I feel more comfortable expressing myself in English and I also love the sound of the language.

I'm currently querying my debut novel, a genre-crossing YA adventure. Since it is written in English, I am obviously targeting agents in countries like the UK and the US, but so far (> 40 queries sent) I only got rejections. When people around me (not writers) hear that my work is written in English, they tell me I've put myself at a disadvantage. Even though I still don't regret it (love the way the story sounds in English and couldn't imagine it otherwise), I do wonder if this is a considerable hurdle to take. Especially since I'm not only not a native speaker - which might already be a turn-off for agents - but I also don't live in an English-speaking country, where I might at least have the opportunity of getting a reading or promoting my work by going to writer conferences or agent meet-ups.

So I wanted to ask: Is there anybody out there who is or used to be in this situation and might have some advice ? Or maybe even someone who successfully published their English novel as a non-native speaker from abroad ?

I'd be thrilled to get to know other English language writers on the forum for whom it isn't their mother tongue !

P.S. I'm aware there have been threads in the past that touch on the subject (and I've read them), but they are really old (2011/2012) and I'm looking for current advice/people, so I hope this new thread is alright ! :)
 

cornflake

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There are people, though I'm not one.

In general, as long as your English usage and grammar and all are correct, whether it's your first or fourth language is going to be irrelevant. Location is also generally irrelevant.

If you get no responses whatsoever to a query that you send out to a bunch of people, in general, that's probably a problem with the query. Once you have 50 substantial posts, you can put up your query for critique/help in the Query Letter Hell section in Share Your Work (password: vista). Until you can post your own, you can read the stickies, the other people's queries, and critique (one of the best ways to figure out your own).
 

Friendly Frog

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I am Belgian and Dutch is my mothertongue. I also write in English. I am currently writing for my own entertainment only, so I have little market-advice to give.

There is a certain disadvantage to writing in a second language but one can overcome it if one's English is good enough. That said, it also has advantages: the English bookmarket is much larger than the Dutch bookmarket, and also larger than the German one (I dare think).

And in this internet age, connecting with the professional writing world online, should be easier than ever.
 
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Robots

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There are people, though I'm not one.

In general, as long as your English usage and grammar and all are correct, whether it's your first or fourth language is going to be irrelevant. Location is also generally irrelevant.

If you get no responses whatsoever to a query that you send out to a bunch of people, in general, that's probably a problem with the query. Once you have 50 substantial posts, you can put up your query for critique/help in the Query Letter Hell section in Share Your Work (password: vista). Until you can post your own, you can read the stickies, the other people's queries, and critique (one of the best ways to figure out your own).

Thanks, I'll check that out !

I am Belgian and Dutch is my mothertongue. I also write in English. I am currently writing for my own entertainment only, so I have little market-advice to give.

There is a certain disadvantage to writing in a second language but one can overcome it if one's English is good enough. That said, it also has advantages: the English bookmarket is much larger than the Dutch bookmarket, and also larger than the German one (I dare think).

And in this internet age, connecting with the professional writing world online, should be easier than ever.

Ah, een Vlaming ? :)
Exactly, that's what I thought as well, althought it wasn't my reason for writing in English. A work in English can (potentially) be read by a large percentage of the world's population as opposed to a work in German....
I like to think that my English is good enough, and I carefully edited the novel several times. But you never can tell, can you ? I wish I had a native English speaker to check up on it. I always live with the worry that there might be something in the writing that gives me away and that I'm unaware of.
 

Friendly Frog

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Ah, een Vlaming ? :)
Jep, that's me! :)

I like to think that my English is good enough, and I carefully edited the novel several times. But you never can tell, can you ? I wish I had a native English speaker to check up on it. I always live with the worry that there might be something in the writing that gives me away and that I'm unaware of.
True, we non-native-english-speaking people often can have the idea that our English is good enough because we can express ourselves well enough. But story-writing is just that little bit different.

And if is not easy to find people in our immediate vicinity who know English well enough either to ask them for a beta-read.

But, aside from the forum for query-letters that cornflake mentioned, we also have this nifty Share Your Work forum where (once you have 50 posts) you can post exerpts of your work and have people, including native english speakers, critique your work.

I haven't participated myself there yet, but I have learned stuff just by reading other people's work there and giving comments myself.
 

Robots

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I saw that, yeah, maybe I'll eventually share some of my work there (although I'm by nature a bit shy and reluctant to share what I've written, it's terrifying to put your work out there for other people to read :D...)
 

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Nice to meet you!

The process to publishing in an English market is the same for non-native English speakers as English speakers. A saleable idea backed by writing that a publisher will want to produce with the expectations that people will buy to read.

It is true, though, that a publisher won’t give a non-native English speaker a break, so you’ll have to develop your English writing skills as much as you can. And yeah, there’s definitely going to be some roadblocks you’ll have to overcome, not being a native speaker.

I am a native English speaker, but I teach writing to non-native English speakers. They simply have to work harder if they’re interested in publishing, but that comes with the decision to try and break into a market which is not in your native language.
 

winstonishuman

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Hi there.
I'm not a native English speaker, I'm from Greece, and I'm currently finishing rewriting/revising my very first novel in English. The problem with the language, I believe, exists, however careful we are editing or correcting mistakes. It's difficult to speak or write like a native when you're not one. But I've read many, many agents' interviews and listened to podcasts where they say that accepting work from writers from non English speaking countries is not a problem as long as the work is grammatically sound and provides a good story with carefully crafted characters. Just like what they'd expect from all projects, really. If your work has all the above qualities and at some places the sentences need some restructuring, then, with the agent's help, this can be overcome.
However, if your query hasn't been successful, I'd suggest a different plan. How about making your weak spot, your strong point? Have you thought adding the #ownvoices element in your story? Being a German who writes in English might be a unique perspective on many angles in your book. This is what separates you from the other authors of YA out there and imo it's something you should consider.
I wish you the best of luck.
 

Robots

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Hi there.
I'm not a native English speaker, I'm from Greece, and I'm currently finishing rewriting/revising my very first novel in English. The problem with the language, I believe, exists, however careful we are editing or correcting mistakes. It's difficult to speak or write like a native when you're not one. But I've read many, many agents' interviews and listened to podcasts where they say that accepting work from writers from non English speaking countries is not a problem as long as the work is grammatically sound and provides a good story with carefully crafted characters. Just like what they'd expect from all projects, really. If your work has all the above qualities and at some places the sentences need some restructuring, then, with the agent's help, this can be overcome.
However, if your query hasn't been successful, I'd suggest a different plan. How about making your weak spot, your strong point? Have you thought adding the #ownvoices element in your story? Being a German who writes in English might be a unique perspective on many angles in your book. This is what separates you from the other authors of YA out there and imo it's something you should consider.
I wish you the best of luck.

Welcome to the forum and nice to meet another non-native English writer ! :)

Your idea is great, but unfortunately my work is bordering Science Fiction/Fantasy and doesn't deal with cultural identities at all, so I don't see how me being of another nationality could enhance the story.
If this was contemporary I'd absolutely agree with you that one could tie the identity into the story somehow.
 

Robots

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Nice to meet you!

The process to publishing in an English market is the same for non-native English speakers as English speakers. A saleable idea backed by writing that a publisher will want to produce with the expectations that people will buy to read.

It is true, though, that a publisher won’t give a non-native English speaker a break, so you’ll have to develop your English writing skills as much as you can. And yeah, there’s definitely going to be some roadblocks you’ll have to overcome, not being a native speaker.

I am a native English speaker, but I teach writing to non-native English speakers. They simply have to work harder if they’re interested in publishing, but that comes with the decision to try and break into a market which is not in your native language.

Nice to meet you too. Interesting that you teach writing to non-native speakers ! When you talk about roadblocks and having to work harder, do you mean the issue of language skills or other, 'invisible' hurdles ?
 

winstonishuman

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Welcome to the forum and nice to meet another non-native English writer ! :)

Your idea is great, but unfortunately my work is bordering Science Fiction/Fantasy and doesn't deal with cultural identities at all, so I don't see how me being of another nationality could enhance the story.
If this was contemporary I'd absolutely agree with you that one could tie the identity into the story somehow.

Hi again. I accidentally came across a YA author who's Brazilian, wrote her book in English and is about to be published. I'm sending you a message (as soon as I find out how) with a snippet of a twitter comment she made. I hope it's helpful. YA authors are generally very kind from what I've seen and maybe she could offer some advice, or at least, encouragement.
 

Mr. Rig

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I am Belgian and Dutch is my mothertongue.

Oh, I will go there tomorrow :)

Hi, I'm from Spain, and my english level is... like Nicholas Cage's interpretative level. I'm trying to do my best and learn all that I can, but I usually write and speak in my mother tongue, so it's difficult.

I'm translating a novel written by me in my mother tongue, and I expect to do it well.

I'm not afraid ;)
 

Robots

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Thanks winstonishuman and hello Mr. Rig !

By the way, in case other people are interested, here are some non-native English speakers who (if I have researched correctly) seem to have written and published in English:

- Corinne Duyvis (a member on this forum !)
- Aliette de Bodard
- C.E. Bernard
 

Mike_DJ

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Hi Robots,

great you're sharing this information. I'm in a similar situation, German native speaker and writing an English non-fiction book. I work for an US company and speak/write English basically the whole day. Also 80% of my off-work communication is in English. Nevertheless I had my manuscript edited by a professional service before even querying agents - and that was definitively the right thing to do. I got the manuscript back with thousands of edits and learned how bad my English really is. I thought grammar and usage was OK - which it basically was - but it just doesn’t sound native, not at all.

Hence I think it's a challenge to publish an English book without an extensive professional edit. I suggest to go the editor route, especially as their costs are pretty reasonable for the work they put in and the benefits you get from it.
 

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Hi Robots,

I'm also not an non-native English and as Mike said there is a difference between using everyday English to literary means. I though and tried writing in my mother tongue and then translate the work, but I have since given up and taken to writing in English. It was hard at first until I got my bearings..well it's still hard now since I often have to silence my monster of a inner critic. My language has a more fluid way of expressing things, every language has its own way of expressing things/ideas. Think of it as paint on a canvas, different paint brands and different canvas brands oh and a brushes too. Some who write in their mother tongue and get enough traction amongst readers, get to have a native speaker translating their work or ..on occasion help that translator with the translation. Ideas in one language have the tendency of getting lost or becoming something entirely else in another language, especially if the translation is done in poor quality.
 

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Hello.
Same here. I speak 4 languages, and English is actually the last one I've learned, but I only write my novels in it. My mother tongues are Polish and Kashubian. The third language I've learned as a child is German (from RTL II and PRO7 ;)).
To me every language is like music. The more I listen, the move I learn.
I have to also admit I read A LOT. Mostly American-English novels and press.
My manuscripts were also edited by a professional and I have to admit the money was well spent. Especially since I sometimes confuse English sayings with the American ones.
 
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Ztwist

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I don't have a special insight into the publishing world but I'd say, like others have already, that what counts is the story, not the author's country of origin. I am sure your German identity does add an exotic flavor to the writing even if you aren't aware of it, and it could be a selling point. Americans have so many complicated immigration backgrounds and family histories that they aren't scrutinizing where you are from. (shockingly, sometimes, they don't even care.) Paying for professional editing is definitely the way to go especially if you haven't been able to recruit native-English beta readers. I would get some feedback before sending your manuscript out again. As an example of what might be a language issue, I'd like to point out your use of "hurdle." In English, we overcome hurdles, we leap them, we don't take them. Do you "take hurdles" in German? If you have one idiomatic glitch once per book it is fine, once per page and it is a problem.
 

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So far i’ve personally only attempted to write short stories and articles in english. But I agree with Mike_DJ that you better go to an editor if you write a full novel in a second language.

I always think about my aunt: she moved to England when she was 20 to marry a British guy. About 35 years later, I speak to her 30 year old son (Born and raised in England) who tells me that he can still hear that his mother is not a native English speaker. This is after 35 years of living there. So I guess that just always shines through.
 

aryheron

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I am a American non-native English speaker. English SHOULD have been my native language, but given that I grew up abroad my native language is another one. I used to write all my books in Spanish first and later I would translate them myself. It was a nightmare.

I think now I have gotten much better at it, and I actually write my new manuscripts from the beginning in English. No more translations! Let's see how it goes.
 

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Hey, English isn't really my native but I'm pretty confident in speaking it. I'm currently working on a sci-fi book and I want to publish it simultaneously both in my native language (Russian) and English... I'm currently writing a 2nd draft in Russian and I'm planning to translate it into English when it's ready in Russian. Do you think it's a good idea? I'm confused whether my simple English skills will make my text worse or actually better haha
 
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Noel Barra

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Hi guys,

Interesting thread! I am also a non native English speaker planning to write (and hopefully some day publish) in English. I have written a couple of novels in my native language (French) but have decided to switch to English in order to reach a larger audience. I am well aware that I don’t have the same range of vocabulary in English as in French, but I don’t think that’s an issue. I tend to use fancy words in French, for example for descriptions, that the reader doesn’t necessarily care for, and I won’t be able to do the same in English :) so I’ll have to focus on what matters: the story and the characters. At least that’s my hope.
 
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Robots

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Thanks for the new replies to this thread ! It's heartening to see so many people in a similar position. And sorry for the late reply from me... I was in hospital for a long time and stopped visiting the forum.

Yes, I agree now that ultimately I'll have to go the way of paying a professional native editor to look at the text. It's the only way of ensuring the text doesn't contain phrases that could appear off-putting to an agent.
Next time I'll send out queries (which will be in the distant future...working on another project right now and this book needs a major overhaul), I'll also refrain from mentioning my identity. I want my text to be judged for itself and not for its origin. I got that advice from some people.

@Ztwist - thanks for pointing out the issue with the hurdle. In German, it is also 'overcome', so I'm not sure where that wording is coming from. This is why I really should go with professional editing.
@Mike_DJ did your book get published ?
@gabi.pit - lol at those channels :D
 

Robots

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Cool, thanks for the link ! So many people...
 

PiaSophia

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Hi! I live in The Netherlands and the language I write in primarily is Dutch, but once I've written my stories in Dutch I translate them to English, and sometimes I like the English versions so much that I try to write the next thing in English all in itself.
I also sometimes feel I am better at expressing myself in English, although some things might not be grammarly 100% correct or I sometimes don't know the right word for a very particular thing I'm trying to say... y'know. But that's what a good editor is for :)

I'm always inspired by Elif Shafak, whose native tongue is Turkish but writes in English. She once told she got backlash for not writing in her native tongue, to which she responded that her minds works in all kind of different ways in English and that she likes the way it does. Before I read that, I used to be insecure about my writing in English. After I read that, I wasn't. You do you, and you'll see that things will work out as long as you're doing things you're most comfortable doing. If that's writing in English, that's writing in English!
 
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