Publish in America even though I'm Finnish?

[treicina]

Okay, so I'm from Finland but I prefer writing in English and would love to get published in America. Why? Well, Finland is a country of 5 million people. I've never heard of a famous fantasy author originating in Finland. Actually, I don't think we have that many famous writers at all. Try naming all Finnish authors you can, and you'll see the list isn't very long (if you manage to name even one you deserve a prize).
Maybe I'm petty but if I ever get published, I want my books to be read by people - that's why I want to get published after all, so that people could experience the worlds I've created and receive joy from them like I do. Finnish books don't generally get translated, so my writing would only reach 5 million people at the most (and considering all 5 million of those won't be buying the book, we'll have it narrowed down to maybe a hundred or so?)

Does anyone here have experience of getting published abroad so that they can give me tips? Is it possible in the first place? I know I have a few points against me on this matter. Firstly, I'm foreign so my English grammar might not be the best, but at least that can be improved over time.
Secondly, I'm only 16. Yeah, I know I'm really young and I have years and years of experience still waiting for me, yada, yada. I don't know if my writing skills are sufficient to get published at this point, even though my parents think I can write and my friends like my writing (but you know that the opinion of people close to you can't be trusted. If you've all watched American Idol, you probably know those parents who keep saying that their kids are the best singers ever even though the kid can't hit a single pure note). I'd still like to try, and if I fail then I fail and keep trying until I succeed.
Thirdly, the book is about 130,000 words long. It's a fantasy novel and I've heard that fantasy publishers might approve slightly longer novels, but is 130k still too much for a first novel?

Sorry that the post stretched a bit longer than intended.

 

[Pyan]

First of all, welcome to the Chrons, treicina - always nice to meet people from other countries who are interested in SF and Fantasy. I hope you'll like our site...

Why don't you pop over to the Introductions forum, where others can welcome you, and you can tell us about what interests you?

I'm afraid to say you're nearly right about Finnish writers - the only one that springs to mind is Elias Lönnrot, author of The Kalevala - and that's because it's believed that JRR Tolkien used it as a source for parts of The Silmarillion §. Hopefully, you'll become another Finn whose name becomes well known...

I can't answer any of your questions on publishing, I'm afraid, as I don't pretend to be an expert in that subject - but there are several members here who are, and I'm sure you'll get answers to some of your queries, at least.

§ Kalevala - Tolkien Gateway

 

[Pyan]

Just browsing the "New Posts" and found this, that may interest you:

http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/527665-the-quantum-thief-by-hannu-rajaniemi.html

 

[The Judge]

Hello and Welcome to the Chronicles, treicina.

First of all, your English is very good -- if you hadn't said it wasn't your first language I don't think anyone would have guessed. So from this brief example, I don't think you have a great deal to fear on the question of language use, but as you rightly say, if there were any small issues, these will come good with time if you consistently read, write and talk in English. And of course it isn't shallow to want to have your book before the greatest number of readers.

The fact that you're only 16 may well be a problem, simply because at that age you don't have all the life experiences which can help a writer create fully realised situations and plausible characters. But the good news is, it's a problem you'll grow out of!! (But please, whatever you do, don't wish your life away -- wanting to be older so your books might be published. Take life as it comes and enjoy it for what it gives you as it gives you.)

If your 130,000 words are all good ones, it isn't too long, so don't let that worry you in itself. However, I imagine this is still only a first draft and it will take several more drafts before it is in a fully finished state (though this is probably not something you can see for yourself at this stage as you are too close to it). Moreover, the chances of your first novel being the one that brings publishing success whatever your age are very, very slim. So, having written this one, put it to one side for several months and start writing your next one. When that is finished, get out the first one again and I can promise you that you'll see things which need to be changed.

Meantime, carry on here with us in Chrons. That will help you with your English, and if you spend a lot of time in the Aspiring Writers section you'll pick up a lot of tips on writing. And in due course you can put a section of your work up on critiques if you want, and get feedback on how it reads which will be of real help to you.

 

[Ian Whates]

I'm afraid to say you're nearly right about Finnish writers - the only one that springs to mind is Elias Lönnrot, author of The Kalevala - and that's because it's believed that JRR Tolkien used it as a source for parts of The Silmarillion §.

Not forgetting Tove Jannson, Pyan, who, in addition to giving us the enchanting Moomin books, also left us with more mature delights such as The Summer Book and The Winter Book, much admired by the likes of Neil Gaiman and Phillip Pullman.

I do take your point, though -- we're hardly overwhelmed with a plethora of Finnish authors.

 

[mygoditsraining]

Even though you prefer to write in English and envisage an international audience for your work, I wouldn't immediately discount the idea of getting published in Finland or (for that matter) one of your Scandinavian neighbours.

There are some very good publishing houses in Europe (off the top of my head - Ordfront; they are Swedish but you catch my drift - progressive, independent and fiercely committed to their authors, which is a commendable blend of traits in a publisher) and it doesn't actually matter who publishes your work first. It's not uncommon for an author published in one country/territory to get picked up by another imprint for publication in other countries - in fact there are whole imprints dedicated to doing just that!

So, my advice is to try every avenue open to you. It might seem like a convoluted route to take, but then again pretty much every writer on the planet has struggled on the road to publication. It's not the road less travelled, not by any means.

 

[treicina]

All right, thank you all for the great advice!

 

[ValerieJLong]

First, I'd say "why not".

The biggest issue about your age is that you might not be able to enter legal contracts. You'd need your parents to help with that - if they support you, no problem.

I couldn't tell from your first post that you're young, neither that you're not English, but then who am I to judge?

I'm German, and I've signed with a Canadian publisher, no deal. Sooner or later you'll stumble over taxation issues, but unless you try to earn your living from writing alone, that's not a showstopper.

To publish in English language, in my opinion you should have a native English editor, and those are easier to find with an English publisher.

All that said, I think it doesn't matter if you find an American, Canadian or British company - they all sell on Amazon

Cheers
Valerie

 

[treicina]

Thank you very much Valerie for replying! If a German writer can get a contract in Canada, then I guess there's still hope for me.
I never even thought about British or Canadian publishers, but now that you mention it, why should I be narrowminded and only focus on America? Britain might be easier for me considering it's in Europe and I live in Europe.
Parental support shouldn't be an issue for me, neither the taxation.

 

[Anne Lyle]

Britain might be closer, but it's a much smaller market. The big houses seem to have been rather cautious about taking on new writers of late, and I could be wrong but there seem to be far fewer small presses over here than in the States (a couple of my writer friends are published with US small presses). I would just send stuff out to suitable agents in any English-speaking countries, and see who bites. However those sort of issues will probably come later, unless you are a raging genius

Do you write short stories? That can be a good place to cut your teeth - there seems to be a thriving online/ebook short fiction market in SF&F. No money in it to speak of (I earned a grand total of $30 AU for my recent sale!), but a good start nonetheless!