Do you live outside the USA or Great Britain? Are you wondering if agents, editors and publishers in those countries will still be interested in your books?

As a Canadian author who has published eight novels in both the USA and England, including at least one UK bestseller, I’m happy to tell you that the answer is yes! You can get an American agent, you can get a British agent, you can sell your books to any publisher in either country. If your manuscript is well-written and exciting enough, the fact that you live in a different country won’t be an obstacle. And any good agent should be able to help you figure out all the necessary paperwork and tax forms to make sure you get all the money that’s coming to you from your book sales, no matter where in the world you live.

However, as an international author there are a few challenges you should be prepared for.

Challenge #1: Finding the Right Market

First, it’s a good idea to think about which international readership is most likely to appreciate your books. Is the type of story you’re writing and the way you’re telling it better suited to an American or a British audience?

For instance, I discovered when my first book Knife was published that a novel about small, winged faeries fighting for survival in the modern world could be greeted with excitement in the UK and read by tween girls, teen boys, and even adults, probably because faeries of all sizes are a long-standing part of English folklore and respected as such. There, the book was allowed to keep its original title, was marked suitable for readers aged 11 and up, and received a dark, moody cover with a fierce-looking faery that practically flew off the shelves.

But in the US, where small faeries are associated with the Disney version of Tinkerbell and tend to appear only in cute, sparkly books for little girls, a serious fantasy novel about them was a tough sell. In fact, the original hardcover of Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter sold so poorly in the US that it didn’t even get a paperback edition. Yet it was exactly the same story that sold well over 100,000 copies in the UK!

That’s a bit of an extreme example, but it does go to show that there are differences between the US and UK markets, and it’s good to know which one is most likely to appreciate your books before you start looking for agents and editors. Read both US and UK novels in your genre, look at the list of bestsellers and popular authors in each country, and that will help you get a better idea of where you’re most likely to succeed.

However, you can have the best of both worlds by seeking out an agent with good contacts in both the US and the UK. My own agent, for instance, is based in the US but works in partnership with a UK agency to sell books in both countries. Other agents may be UK-based but still keep a foot in the US market, directly or indirectly. If you look at an agent’s recent sales and read the biography or agency description on their website, that can tell you whether they have the international connections you’re looking for.

Challenge #2: Getting Promoted (or Even Published!) in Your Own Country

If you sell your books to publishers outside your country, they may or may not be equipped to promote your books and get you nominated for important awards at home. When my YA paranormal thrillers Ultraviolet and Quicksilver came out, my US publisher for those books had no office or significant experience in the Canadian market, so many influential Canadian reviewers, booksellers, teachers, librarians, and readers had no idea that I was a Canadian author or that those books were set in Canada. In fact, for some time it was difficult for Canadian bookshops and readers to buy them. So if it’s important to you to have your books available in your home country and be known as a local/national author, make sure your agent and publisher know that, and try to sign with a publisher that has an office in your home country. Otherwise, be prepared to do a lot of extra publicity work to get the word out.

Challenge #3: Having to Watch Your (Local) Language

This isn’t a problem if your books take place in the US or UK or some imaginary realm, but if your story’s set in your home country, agents or editors may ask you to change regional words, phrases and references for fear that readers outside your country won’t understand them. I had to change my very Canadian “tuque” to “knitted hat” and “Grade Seven” to “seventh grade” in Ultraviolet, and cut a reference to “bags of milk” from Quicksilver, for that reason — but now I wish I’d pushed to keep those Canadianisms, because I think US readers are smart enough to figure out (and maybe even enjoy) those cultural differences. However, I know other Canadian authors who were advised by agents or asked by editors to change their book’s setting to the US, and I’ve heard of Australian authors being encouraged to do likewise. So if your book is set in your home country, you’ll need to think about how important the location and cultural background of the story is to you, and whether you’re willing to change it or not.

Do you have questions about publishing in the US or UK as a non-resident that aren’t answered in this post? Leave them in comments and I’ll do my best to answer them!