QueryTracker Community
Queries and Agents => Literary Agents => Topic started by: Aiala on May 08, 2009, 05:14:10 PM
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Since I've just about reached the end of my rope (and patience) with the American agenting/publishing scene, I am starting to consider the possibility of overseas (English) agencies. With that in mind, I'm wondering whether there might be any QT folks who have experiences/observations/anecdotes in that regard?
Patrick has quite a few English agents listed over on the main site, but I'm not sure if those are meant solely for the use of our Brit cousins. Any feedback would be very much appreciated. :)
~A~
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Veeeery Interesting.... I can't wait to hear, too. Great question, A :up:.
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Me three...I've been having the same thoughts myself...
~V
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:zip: Some might just be interested in English writers but I know some will take US authors. What the heck does it hurt and query them and see? Are they going to send you to Viet Nam? newday11
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You have nothing to lose so pitch them. I pitched a few Brits because my co-author lives in London. I received some nice personal rejections.
But I'd think those agents prefer British writers. I know in Canada (where I live) many Canadian agents prefer Canadian writers. The agents sell to a lot of Canadian publishers. If a Canadian publisher is going to take a chance on a first-time writer with no fan-base (the majority of people on Query tracker), they'll likely go with Canadian.
I actually just heard from a Canadian publisher on Thursday and she basically wants my book to be as Canadian as possible. Here's the e-mail: "I’m so sorry to take forever to get back to you. Great to see the website back up and running. A couple of questions: Will the compiling be done by you and Benj or just you? (I can more easily get people on board to do this book if it’s done by a Canadian, so I’m just checking)."
Also in Canada, some publishers can get government funding from art councils. To be eligible for the cash, the author has to be Canadian. I don't know if the same is true in Britain or not.
So it's not impossible to land a British agent but any non-British person has a strike against them when pitching a British agent.
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So it's not impossible to land a British agent but any non-British person has a strike against them when pitching a British agent.
Well, that's undoubtedly true. Nonetheless, in researching British agencies I've come across several who seem willing to accept non-Brit submissions, so I'll likely give them a try.
Besides, when it comes to blinkered parochialism, who can hold a candle to our own Yankee agents? ;D
~A~
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I've started submitting to UK agents. Although the actual process is essentially similar, the whole flavour feels different to me. For one thing, I'm knocked out by how educated many of these Brit agents are; seems like every second one has earned some sort of advanced literature degree from Oxford or Cambridge! (That's enough to make my little English major heart go all a-flutter.) Omigosh, can you imagine a U.S. agent actually using the word "whilst" on their site?? Not in a million years, LOL.
And their names are so wonderful! The gents are "Edwin", "Malcolm", "Toby", whilst(!) the ladies have names such as "Lettie", "Felicity", "Louisa" and "Broo"... (is my Anglophilia showing? :emb2:)
A higher percentage of the agents don't accept e-mail submissions, although some will accomodate overseas authors by prior arrangement (I've already gotten two partial requests this way.)
So all-in-all, I must say I'm enjoying this query process immensely. Now that's a refreshing change! :)
~A~
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Glad that you are having some luck! :clap: I've given it a little thought before, but I'm back to revising so I'm not querying for a while... Good luck to ya! Keep us posted! :)
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queried about half dozen.... got two partials
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Received a pass on a partial. :(
Nonetheless, having an Englishman tell me "I enjoyed your writing" does ease the pain a little bit... <sniffle>
~A~
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Here's a little tip for anyone who might be thinking of submitting Over There:
Quite a number of the English agencies state that they don't accept e-mailed queries/submissions. Well, not wishing to spend a fortune on shipping and figuring I've nothing to lose, I wrote to several of these agents politely asking if an exception might be made for an overseas submission, and in every case they've granted me permission right away (including a gent who strikes me as a Dream Agent.)
As Sir Edmund Hillary wrote: "Nothing Venture, Nothing Win"! :)
~A~
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Ah interesting... Especially for me living in London and querying american agencies--And I wouldn't be too intimidated by the English -- I live in fear of "innit" making it into the dictionary...
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;D Yeah, I love the word whilst! Don't know agents right off hand but right now I am dealing with (don't know outcome) an English publisher:
Charlotte Ford <charlotte.ford@ospreypublishing.com>
Charlotte Ford
Editorial Assistant
Osprey Publishing
Midland House
West Way
Oxford
OX2 0PH
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You know what, I think I might try some British agents since I'm over here for the next couple of months. :-)
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I live in fear of "innit" making it into the dictionary...
Bad, but nearly so hideous as "whassup", "dawg", and "a'ight". (I've given up on "hopefully".) >:(
~A~
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I'm curious. Are there Scottish agents? (That sounds like a silly question. There must be.)