This is a question which plagues me for quite some time.
I really enjoy writing. I do it because I love it. And basically, that's fine. Now, one day, I would really like to get published in the English market. Britain, U.S.A, Canada...
But there's a little problem. I am not from the U.S. and neither from the UK.
I am from Bosnia. My question is:
Would editors even LOOK at my manuscript if they would see that it comes from someone so far, far away? I could try to write for the Balkan market but numerous people told me that my writing in Serbo/Croat isn't as nearly good as in English.
I wouldn't shy away from the expenses of sending my manuscript per mail (I checked a few publishers, none of them accept e-mail submissions) but I am just a teensy weensy bit concerned that publishers may not be interested in someone who is so far away.
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
I don't think it'd stop anybody, or at any rate it shouldn't stop anybody...provided you take care to arrange to get a response...and with some markets, forget about them returning it even if you've enclosed International Reply Coupons.
Posted by babooher (Member # 8617) on :
My best paid story was published in a British mag. I got paid in pounds. I live in the middle of the US. If you can post here, there is no reason you can't submit anywhere in the world. You might want a PayPal accound or something similar to accept payments.
Posted by Foste (Member # 8892) on :
That's quite a relief.
Thank you guys.
Posted by Kitti (Member # 7277) on :
Especially for publications that do online submissions, your location shouldn't make a difference. From your email alone, no one should be able to tell where you're subbing from. And so long as you are fluent in the language you're subbing in, no one should care.
IRC are a hassle - that's the worst part of submitting to something that's overseas (from anyone's respective location). If you happen to have friends living in the country you're trying to submit to, you could check to see if they mind being a point of contact for you.
Posted by extrinsic (Member # 8019) on :
It seems to me that there are business opportunities for venturous entrepreneurs in starting an online service in the States for receiving digital manuscripts from overseas, printing them out, and submitting them on behalf of clients.
I sketched out a prototype business plan. Don't think I have the necessary resources for something like this at this time. It might be a short-run opportunity, though. When the majority of markets go digital submission, that'll be that.
Posted by MartinV (Member # 5512) on :
Wow. I though I was the only one from the Balkans.
Same issue here, Foste. I'm from Slovenia (tiny book market, even tinier sci-fi book market) but I'm writing completely in English and will actually be ready to publish a text by New Year. I'm definitely going for the American/UK markets.
[This message has been edited by MartinV (edited December 07, 2009).]
Posted by JamieFord (Member # 3112) on :
Fellow bootcamper Aliette De Bodard lives in Paris and has been getting published in English, in the US, on regular basis. She even sold her first trilogy.
