Hello!
I am beginning the process of pitching to agents in the UK. However! I recently moved to Germany. I see that some agent entries in the Writers and Artists Yearbook specifically mention that they are willing to represent writers from overseas - does this mean the ones that DON'T mention it would not be open to dealing with me? I am a UK national, FYI.
Cheers,
Kate
I've also been wondering about this as I'm at the same stage in the process and also live in Germany. All the comments you have received up to now seem encouraging. Perhaps we shouldn't worry too much about it. Just go ahead. I hope most UK agents are not so anglocentric as to believe that good writing in English stops at Dover and that technical problems of its promotion can't be overcome. And those that do, aren't the ones we would want anyway.
Robin
I am Ugandan and have just completed my first book. Whoever I have talked to says it would be difficult to get anyone interested in African writers. I would like to believe that someone some agent somewhere may give me a chance. How do I get to catch the eye of such an agent?
Sam Bwaya
I can think of a number of friends (not writers, admittedly) who work elsewhere in Europe but return to the UK on the majority of weekends to be with family.
Most writers (I assume) have other commitments to their time when they are starting out (dependent children, working full time) so would also have some rearranging of diaries before being able to drop everything for a book signing - until those royalty cheques come rolling in (potentially never even for multiply-published authors), the author would have to use annual leave time for publicity events whether they live in the UK or in Germany.
If you lived in the Highlands of Scotland, would the agent also exclude you on the basis that you're too far from London? It's probably quicker for you to fly/take the train from Germany than from the Hebrides.
Maybe you need to add a sentence to your cover letter:
'Although I have a work address in (Berlin, wherever) I frequently return to (wherever). I would therefore be available for any publicity purposes in the UK.'