“The Secrets of Writing When You're Not in New York! --An Expert's How to Write a Book Step-by-Step Guide”
Worried about how ;you'll fare if you don'td live in a capital of publishing? Have no fear. Here are the straight goods on what you should know if you live far from the agent's office!
by Steve Manning
If you've been wondering about your location, if you think the country in which you live, or the city, or the region, will affect your chances of being a published author there are quite a few things you should know. Your location could actually be an asset. And if you work it right, your location could be a great selling point for your book. So if you know if any place on this planet other than New York or Los Angeles you could be in for quite a surprise.
I can't tell you how often I get emails and phone calls from wonderful writers in Australia, the UK, Canada, New Zealand, South America, Asia, and many countries in Europe, all wondering if where they live diminishes of their chances of becoming a published author.
I tell them all that nothing could be further from the truth. It doesn't matter whether you're from Boise, Boston, Brisbane, Brighton, British Columbia, or Bangladesh, your chances of being recognized and scooped up as a wonderful author are equally good. Sometimes I joke with my writers and tell them agents and publishers know of only three locations, New York, Los Angeles, and everywhere else.
But the truth is, with very few exceptions, start with what you've got, start with where you are, and start with what you want to achieve. The publishing world, and your prospects, will take care of the rest.
Now that does not mean you should follow the mousetrap rule: build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door. That has never worked and it won't work in the publishing world. Quality alone is good, but it isn't everything you need.
We live in a world of emails, faxes, telephones and overnight couriers. The person in New York has just as much chance and opportunity of publishing as the person in New Delhi. Granted' if you live far from the publishing pulse, you're not as likely to meet your agent or your publisher face to face. But there are many, many successful authors who forgo those banalities and never feel chest pains as a result.
Time for a little unabashed, self promotion: If you haven’t asked for my Free CD, “How to Write a Book On Anything in 14 Days Guaranteed!” then you’re just plain nuts! It’s free, no charge, but you can bet this $100 CD will be carrying that price tag very shortly. How do you get it? Just email me at Free CD, Please, or CD_please@writeabooknow.com and make sure you include your name, your mailing address and your telephone number in the email. Now, back to the article…
Probably the main question on your mind is a simple one involving location and preference. If you live in Chicago, will an agent be more likely to want to represent you than if your address was Melbourne, Montreal, or Manchester? It's simply not an issue.
What you should be much more concerned about is the proximity of your agent to their publishing clients. You want to ask them how frequently they meet with publishers face to face. Because the more frequently they meet with editors and publishers for business meetings the more familiar they are with the publishers' needs. And the more seriously they are taken by editors and publishers.
Every time I encounter an agent who lives off the beaten path, almost the first thing out of their mouths is how frequently they get two New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles. And also what kind of a working relationship they have with publishers in other countries.
For the author, location is much more important between agent and publisher than between author and agent.
The next question is pretty obvious. Are there times when you should be looking for an agent located in your own country or area rather than New York? The answer is absolutely. Particularity if your book focuses on an element specific to the country or area in which you write. If you are writing a book about the history of the armed forces in your country, or the economy of the Gulf states, a local agent might be a better route to go. I say it might be, only because quite a few agents in one country have actually developed extensive contacts with publishers in other countries.
So don't think that living in one country means you're passing up opportunities in another. Your agent will make sure that isn't so.
You should also realize that a good agent will be trying very hard to sell the publication rights of your book to other publishers around the world, regardless of where they start.
No matter where you live on this big blue marble, tens of thousands of people are waiting to see your book. Stop thinking about the small details and start making your book a reality.
While we're on the topic of strategies, and if you haven't already done so, feel free to
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Time for a little unabashed, self promotion: If you haven’t asked for my Free CD, “How to Write a Book On Anything in 14 Days Guaranteed!” then you’re just plain nuts! It’s free, no charge, but you can bet this $100 CD will be carrying that price tag very shortly. How do you get it? Just email me at Free CD, Please, or CD_please@writeabooknow.com and make sure you include your name, your mailing address and your telephone number in the email.
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