Hi there, I was just wondering if anyone has any advice for publishing in South Africa. I've googled around and only found one agent that looks decent (ie has a professional looking website). Other than that, Penguin Publishing South Africa says they will look at unsolicited manuscripts, but rarely accept them(awesome!). Is it common practice to look for a literary agent overseas?
Yeah...the majority of the world's (reputable) agents are in London and New York (and maybe somewhere in the West coast, but I'm not too sure), and its pretty common to send your manuscript to them if you can't find local representation. But bear in mind that the competition for them is fierce like Tyra.
it depends on where you want to have your book published and where the market for it is... if you want it published in south africa, for south african bookbuyers/readers, then you'll have to deal with agents and publishers there... and an agent in london or new york won't be likely to have strong connections to south african publishing houses... if your book is written in correct, fluent, idiomatic english and aimed at the uk market, then you should seek an agent in london... if american-aimed and worded, try for one in new york... if you get nowhere with agents in either of those major publishing hubs, then try small and/or start-up agencies anywhere, as they're often easier to snag, than the big, busy ones...
