Is it possible to get a literary agent from another country?
It’s a question a lot of writers ask, and it’s a terribly important one if you happen to be from a country other than the United States.
So, when a Write It Sideways reader recently asked me for tips on querying literary agents across borders, I did a little research into the subject.
Former literary agent Nathan Bransford (now a published author, himself) wrote the following about clients from different countries. He says:
I’m often asked by people living in the UK and Australia if they could have a US agent as their primary agent — yes, you can. But it’s very important to think about your work and where its natural market lies.
There are some books that are universal (Harry Potter, for one big one), but the US, UK and Australian markets are all very different, and the readers have different sensibilities. A book that is successful in the United States might not be successful in the UK, and vice versa.
So take an honest look at your work, because even though the US market is the biggest, you may be best served finding a publisher for it in your home market. And for that you’d need a home agent.
I’m originally from Canada, but there are only a handful of literary agents in the entire country. I’ve been living in Australia for more than four years, and there aren’t many agents around here, either.
When it comes time to query my novel, I’m hoping to query within Canada and the U.S.
If you’re from a country in which there’s not a huge choice of agents, you’ll probably be tempted to pitch those from the U.S., too.
But are you wondering about what market is best for your book?
Author Mike Wells says:
Suppose you grew up in the USA and now live in Australia. If the book is set in Australia and has an Australian hero, probably it’s best that you have an Australian agent, because the largest reader base (as a percentage of reader population) will very likely be there.
If the book does well, your agent can work through co-agents and sell rights in the USA, Canada, the UK, and all other English-speaking countries, and then perhaps sell translation rights to other non-English language markets.
However, if your book is set in the USA and has an American hero, it may be better for you to have a USA-based agent, as the reader base will probably be greater there…but you would have to consider that helping promote the book from Australia would be difficult.
When it comes to querying across borders, common sense would say:
- Decide which country’s market best suits your book. If you’re not sure, ask your beta readers. Don’t worry about spellings or lingo that differ between your country and the agents’ country (favorite/favourite, etc.). If you’re required to make changes, it won’t be until after an agent actually makes you an offer of representation.
- Research agents within your desired market… and determine if they accept queries from outside the country. You can assume they do unless their submission guidelines state otherwise. For example, The Bukowski Agency in Canada clearly says, “The Bukowski Agency is currently accepting non-fiction submissions from prospective authors who are resident in Canada.” Obviously, if you’re not a Canadian resident, you wouldn’t query this particular agency.
- Query by email. If an agent doesn’t use email for querying, it’s unlikely they’d be interested in taking on clients from other countries. Querying overseas via snail mail would be a terribly frustrating and slow process, not to mention expensive.
If an agent falls in love with your manuscript and he or she feels there’s a place for it within their market, it probably won’t matter where you live. Pretty much everything that needs to be done can be done electronically.
Wondering about the logistics of promoting yourself overseas through book tours or other events?
Nathan Bransford says, “If you are lucky enough to even have a book tour let alone in another country, well, that’s one of those bridges that you cross when you get there.”
Have you ever queried a book outside of your country? What was the outcome? Any words of advice for others in the same boat?
I’m from Canada, but my YA Paranormal Romance, WIND, is set in Boston. I chose Boston because my maternal grandmother’s people landed there after fleeing the “Potato Famine” in Ireland, and I wanted to honor her memory.
I queried a handful of agents in the US (I have two “fulls” out at the moment), thinking WIND would mainly appeal to American readers, given the setting. Also, truth be told, I was apprehensive that I would be critisized by Canadian agents for choosing an American setting.
But, strangely enough, I recently connected with an amazing Canadian agent through a writing seminar in Toronto. She said she loved the “feel” of my writing, and didn’t even mention the American connection. She promptly asked for a full, and I’m agonizingly waiting – LOL!
I’d love to be repped by either an American, or Canadian agent. I’m hoping my coming of age story is without borders!
Thank you for the orignal and informative post!
Thanks for sharing your querying experience, Cynthia. Hope you find an agent to represent you very soon!
I love reading your posts, Suzannah. Being a young writer who hasn’t dabbled much outside of passing short stories to family and friends, I feel like I gain so much knowledge by reading what you and your readers who comment have to say.
This is definitely going to be bookmarked so when I query my first book, I’ll know what path to take.
Thanks, Ashley! Readers’ comments definitely add a lot of experiential knowledge to every article I write. We have a great group of readers around here.
What a timely post. I am current at that point of querying my non-fiction to agents. I have been wondering about approaching US agents as I am Canadian living in Canada. My business book should have North American appeal though.
Thanks for the post.
You can only try, I suppose. Nonfiction should be fairly easy to pitch across borders, I would think. Best of luck!
I’m almost at completion of a non-fiction book related to a personal account with autism. Ive spent 10 years living in the USA and recently moved back ‘home’ to Australia.
I know autism is a much greater epidemic in the US than Australia, (partly due to population), but I assumed cross-border dealings with authors and agents would be a no-go. After reading this article, I think Ill give it a try before I pitch to local agents. Thanks so much for such a clear and concise explanation.
I am a young author living in Nigeria (Africa) but my Time-travel suspence novel is set in California. I have only just begun querying agents in the US but then, like you pointed out Suzannah, I fear they might think I live too far away to be able to promote my book. Do I really stand a chance?
I guess, as a literary agent, my concern would be that since you live in Nigeria, you might not be that familiar with California as a setting. However, you just say you’re ‘living in Nigeria,’ which could mean you’re a native Nigerian who has never been to the US, or it could mean you’re a US citizen (or a citizen of any other country) living in Nigeria. If you’ve spent substantial time in California, I’d mention that in your query letter. The great thing about querying is that there’s no harm in trying,. Good luck!
Hello Suzannah, I just found this blog and absolutely love it! I am a US Citizen, but will be moving to Australia for a year! (for now) to work abroad and also because I have a boyfriend there. I am currently in the process of finishing up my first book. What would you recommend that I do in finding agents?
Hi Devin,
Thanks for stopping by, and I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog! If you’re a US citizen and your book is set in the US, you should query US agents. You’ll only be gone one year, and the querying process can be very slow. Even if an agent requests your manuscript, she/he will probably take a couple of months to read it, if not more. Even if you decided to stay in Australia permanently, an Australian agent probably wouldn’t be interested in a US-based book. Good luck!
Hi Suzannah,I’m glad I stumbled upon your post.
My question is rather silly.
I have written a manuscript that;s based in Botswana (Africa),and the number of publishers in my country and South Africa is limited.A literary agent is not required.Botswana publishers mostly publish educational books.There are only three main South African publishers and I haven’t been succesful with any for the simple reason that not only am I not a citizen of South Africa,but I don’t live there.I live in Australia.I have self-published two books so far and I want to try the mainstream way of publishing this time.Now,as already rightly stated above,there are only a limited number of literary agents in Australia,and none I have identified so far are willing to represent manuscripts that are set in Africa,the reasoning being that they African fiction doesn’t sell well in Australia.All along I wasn’t sure if I could query overseas literary agents.And,by the way,would anyone have any idea if there are any literary agents located in the USA,Canada or UK who may be interested in African fiction?
Hey,
My situation is kind of weird. I’m a Canadian citizen, born and raised here but I wrote a book based in india. Since there are less agents and publishers here I was thinking about the US. Do you think I should find a agent and publisher in US because there are loads here compared to Canada? I can’t go to India to publish it as it may not even be as popular. Would the US still publish it even though it is based in India?