Author Topic: publishing abroad  (Read 3253 times)

yoringel

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publishing abroad
« on: July 09, 2011, 06:36:10 PM »
stupid question i guess but iīm not sure about this:

can you send your manuscript to a publisher in a other country or do you have to publish in your own?

fireflyz

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Re: publishing abroad
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2011, 11:56:11 PM »
Most publisher's don't accept unsolicited manuscripts.  Some do, but there can be issues with that unless you're well versed in contracts.  If you mean agents, then yes you can query an agent even if you don't live in that country.  I would just make sure to be up front with them in your query that you don't reside in their country.  I know that a debut author from Australia recently signed with Pat Rothfuss's agent.  I believe it was Jay Kristoff, but I can't remember the name offhand.  Anyway, to answer your question:  generally, yes.
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yoringel

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Re: publishing abroad
« Reply #2 on: July 10, 2011, 12:40:12 AM »
ah thank you. thatīs really good to know.
the whole principle with agencies is relatively new for me. i thought that you most often send directly your stuff to the editorial office of a publishing house. guess in uk and the usa you have more often a agency between you and the publisher.
thanks for your help ;-)

fireflyz

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Re: publishing abroad
« Reply #3 on: July 10, 2011, 01:35:23 PM »
Yes, unfortunately there's quite a bit more to it than that.  Most publishers, as I said above, won't look at unsolicited manuscripts.  So you need an agent.  There are a lot of them out there.  So you need to do your research and find out which ones represent the genre of your novel.  Then you need to make sure they are looking for new authors.  In order to submit to an agent you have to follow certain guidelines.  Agents receive anywhere from 50-500+ queries a week and can't read every persons manuscript.  Usually, you'll have to submit at least a one page query letter (think blurb on back jacket of books).  Often you'll also be asked to include a 1-5 page synopsis of the book (in present tense) and if you're lucky the first couple pages of your novel.  If they like it, you'll get a request for a partial (generally first 3 chapters or 50 pages).  If they still want more then you'll receive a request for the full manuscript.

All of this takes time.  I've found that journey from query to full request was about a month and feedback on the full was an additional month.  I'd suggest checking out writingexcuses.com for awesome podcasts concerning writing and the industry and annemini.com has one of the most comprehensive sites on all the steps involved to getting an agent.  She's a bit verbose, but definitely worth the time. 

Hope that helps!  Yes, it's daunting, but it (generally) ensures that only good writers get published.  IMHO, self publishing via ebooks threaten to undermine that.  A lot of people get frustrated when their book garners zero interest so they delude themselves into thinking that if only it were out there, waiting for someone to read, they'd be a star.  But who reads self published ebooks?  No one.  It's a long, hard road, but Stephen King wrote for years before making it, J.K. Rowling did the same, Tolkien shopped his work around for years with no interest, and even Brandon will happily tell you about the many novels he wrote before finally breaking in.  That's why rule one of writing is to write for yourself.  Because for a long time it's only going to be you and your creation.  Definitely a rewarding experience though, and I'm glad you're looking to move forward on your work.  Good luck!
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yoringel

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Re: publishing abroad
« Reply #4 on: July 10, 2011, 08:18:58 PM »
thank you so much. you helped me a lot!
in germany i think the agencies donīt have this significance, but the market is changing now. sadly we still donīt have many published good sci-fi and fantasy books (well a few but not like in uk, usa and canada). of course this can be a chance too.
cornelia funke translated her work and sent it to the UK and now is famous world wide.

i like īwriting excusesī - itīs a really helpful pod-cast and thanks for the other link.
do you think one should go to cons? another example thats new for me because we have here two big book fairs and i donīt think, that you can find there an editor.
well, iīm a newbie generally in the writing-world ;-) .

i donīt think much of e-publishing too. i want to do this job seriously and make money. and i know itīs hard  but my other future profession is freelance and mostly low budget. so iīm used to having patience .
i think too, if you donīt write/illustrate for your self, you can never be a writer/illustrator. you have to love it and you have to be a bit crazy to choose such a profession ;-) .

so thanks again for your help and good luck to you too.

Peter Ahlstrom

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Re: publishing abroad
« Reply #5 on: July 11, 2011, 07:39:10 PM »
Actually, there are a number of authors who make foreign publishing deals directly with the foreign publishers without going through any agents. Kristine Kathryn Rush and Dean Wesley Smith talk about this often. However, it is a lot of work and time you could be spending writing... Depends what is important to you.
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