Guest post: Why I signed with a UK-based agent and publisher — for my American debut
Thriller writer Courtney Psak shares her unconventional road to trad publishing
That’s right, it’s a guest post! Because I don’t actually know everything, I’m excited to share from-the-trenches pieces by authors and publishing professionals. Enjoy! –Andi
The journey to publishing is not a linear experience. In fact, my journey, takes me to the UK, even though I am a US writer. Living in Florida, I guess that makes my journey diagonal?
If you are struggling to get an agent, sometimes it has nothing to do with the writing at all. Agents and editors need to be able to sell the book; while publishing is a creative industry, it’s a business first and foremost. But trying to get a sense as to what editors and agents are looking for can be tricky.
I had recently moved to Palm Beach when I finally got back into writing. I wrote a psychological thriller, set in Palm Beach, called The Aunt. It captured my struggle with moving here from the northeast and feeling like a fish out of water in a place that might as well have been a different country. I had sent my story along to several agents—232, to be exact.
Let me be clear: This wasn’t my first book. I have written at least eight that I threw out, and I’d self-published a women’s fiction novel, Thirty Days to Thirty, ten years earlier. This time around, I hired a mentor, the lovely Anna Barrett, who has worked with many accomplished writers such as Lucy Foley, Nita Prose, Lauren Ling Brown, Fiona Barton, and CJ Tudor, just to name a few. She helped me create a very strong plot with engaging characters. Not only that, but she also assisted with my query letter and synopsis. I was confident I had a good book on my hands, and still, I heard crickets.
That’s when I started to think: What am I missing? Like I had when I was looking for a mentor, I looked towards some of my favorite authors and found something they all had in common. They were UK authors.
The US market is substantially bigger, but in the UK, mystery thrillers are a dominant genre. And that was what I was writing in. So, I decided to start querying agents abroad as well. That was when I met Nicky. She was a former editor at several of the Big Five publishers and had recently partnered with a friend of hers at a talent agency. I got an offer letter later that day and thought I was on my way.
But getting an agent is only part of the battle. After that, we started to send my book out on submission. During that time, I was wrapping up another book I had been writing called The Tutor. One thing I failed to realize until we started to get feedback was that most people in the UK don’t really know much about Palm Beach. They were suggesting that submitting to US publishers would lead to a better outcome. Even though I was a US writer, writing about the US, my agent’s relationships were mainly in the UK.
At this point, my agent had my next book in hand, and I had started on another one. Fortunately, editors had been interested in the idea for The Tutor. This, while also set in Palm Beach, was more character-driven with a plot that wasn’t all that focused on the setting.
My agent and I worked together to get it polished up, and we were fortunate that Audrey, an editor for Hodder and Stoughton, took a liking to it. She was part of a digital-first department and saw a lot of potential in my writing. She asked if I had written anything else. By that point, I had finished three books in total, and we handed them all over. Audrey saw an opportunity to market and distribute them five months apart. This would help build momentum and create a solid platform for my brand.
This process has been fast-paced and exciting. But there are things to keep in mind if you are a US writer working with a UK-based publisher and agent:
You are in your own territory
The UK has their territory. They know their market, and they know what works and doesn’t work. While there are several cross-promotion campaigns, like BookBub and Kindle Unlimited, for the most part you are responsible for getting yourself the exposure you need.
In my case, I hired a publicity agent. They’ve been helping me with the outreach I wouldn’t be able to get on my own. At the same time, I still attend conferences, continue to build my brand on social media, and work hard to develop and maintain relationships with other authors. This is crucial not only for getting blurbs for your books and overall promotion, but it’s great to have a community of writers as your peers.
There will be a delay with your book
Because of UK distribution, US versions of your book are on delay. This means that while audio and digital are available in the US and UK at the same time, your paperback won’t come out until three months later. This made it hard to figure out when I would actually have a launch party for my book, since I’m not fully published where I live yet. So it was decided I would focus on the paperback as my official launch and use the reviews from audio and digital to help hype up the paperback release.
Overall, I’ve managed to find success with thinking outside the box, or in this case, outside the territory. And while I’m currently having more success with my sales in the UK, my US sales aren’t that far behind, especially since the paperback for my debut, The Tutor, doesn’t come out until November 11th.
So I have to say that overall, it’s about finding the right people to work with who will lift you up and help you become the best writer you can be, no matter what side of the pond they’re on.
Giveaway!
Courtney will send a signed copy of The Tutor to one lucky paid subscriber! (Contest open to those residing in the lower 48 states; enter by 11:59pm ET on November 17.)
Letting her into your home was your first mistake...
Rose is a dedicated wife and mother to her husband Grant and her son James. Having recently moved to a grand mansion in Florida, Rose is keen for James to fit in with his new life and hires a tutor.
Isabel is young, smart and beautiful, and not only gets along with James, but she gets results.
But when Isabel starts to get too close for comfort, Rose can’t help but think that Isabel is looking for more than just tutoring.
Can Rose uncover who exactly she has let into her house, or will this lesson be deadly?
To enter, comment #TheTutor (and, if you’d like, share any questions about working with a UK-based agent or editor below)!
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