Hello, I was wondering whether I could break into the US market with my novels. I am working on two of them right now. One is set in India. The other is set in the US. My question is regarding the latter: Will the US audience/readers be open to an Indian author writing about life in America? Do i have to write with a pseudonym? would that be weird? I am doing the research on life in America and all and I am fairly confident that i can pull it off. but, do you think my novel will be accepted by an agent in the US? What are the odds against me? What are your suggestions for me? Thanks in advance.
Just because you have an Indian name doesn't automatically mean you aren't American. I mean, I understand you are telling us that you aren't, but there are lots of Americans who don't have "American-sounding" names. Unless you advertise specifically that you are Indian, I don't think it matters much -- a lot of readers don't pay much attention to the background of the authors. Of course, some do -- I always want to know, but I don't discount anyone for it. I'm usually more curios insofar as how it affects their knowledge of the subject about which they have written. Of course, if you want to use a pen name, that's fine, too. A lot of authors do it and there's nothing "weird" about it. If your story is well-written and interesting, and agent will accept it. I don't see any reason why your odds would be any worse than those of any other unpublished author.
You may have heard of Jhumpa Lahiri. She's an Indian who lives in the US and writes about Indian immigrants (she also won the Pulitzer Prize). So there's definitely a market for that here. Of course, getting published depends on your writing skills and how marketable your novel is.
I think reading V.S. Naipaul would give you an idea of what and what isn't possible (he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2001).
yes, i am familiar with Lahiri's work. but, she writes about indians , right? my question is: as an indian(or a foreigner) would i get acceptance if i write about the people of US , i.e, say, about a small town in america;the life there, the people etc.
Do you want to write about someone who is specifically not Indian? Simply being Indian is not a disqualification from anything. It's just that if you are looking to write from the perspective and in a setting that is not like any you have actually experienced, that is very difficult. Not that it can't be done, it's just that it requires a lot of research to make sure you've got the details right. If you are able to do this, it doesn't make any difference that you're Indian. What matters is the work itself. It's very difficult for anyone to write from the perspective of someone who is a different ethnicity and lives in a completely different place than he or she has ever lived. This is not to say it is impossible or has never been done. It is possible and it has been done. It just takes a lot of work and skill to get it right.
Yes, she does. Sorry, I assumed that was what you were talking about. I can only second what Liz said. It's going to be difficult writing about an American town and American people without the experience. However, it's certainly possible, though it'll take a lot of research on your part. Good luck.
I think you'll find that you can't appeal to everyone with your writing, but at the same time, multicultural environments like the US are intrinsically tolerant of foreigners and what you are proposing in itself is not a problem at all. I hope you write a great book, it sound interesting. Good luck
It's no different from any one of us who choose to set our stories in a foreign country. What you're doing isn't new. White people are not the only ones with the privilege to create stories in other people's countries In other words, write it. Just make sure you research well and if possible, talk to lots of Americans and perhaps even visit the place.
if you want your work checked for authenticity, you can post brief excerpts on this site, once you've fulfilled the site requirements... if you prefer not to post them publicly, i mentor many writers in and from your part of the world and would be glad to help you along the path to publication... love and hugs, maia maia3maia@hotmail.com
''if you want your work checked for authenticity, you can post brief excerpts on this site, once you've fulfilled the site requirements... if you prefer not to post them publicly, i mentor many writers in and from your part of the world and would be glad to help you along the path to publication..'' Much obliged.
