The Frankfurt Book Fair was buzzing this year. We had hundreds of back-to-back meetings with foreign publishers from around the world. We pitched our authors books getting new foreign publishers interested and built on our relationship with option publishers ensuring that they continue to buy the rights to new books by our authors.
I believe it is essential for authors to get income from as many sources as possible and I want my authors books to be sold in as many different languages and as many different countries as possible. I want them to have whole libraries of foreign editions. It is so interesting seeing what country a book takes off in first. Sometimes the UK, sometimes America, sometimes Germany, sometimes they can become instant bestsellers in as far away places as Taiwan!
I have spent years making and growing relationships with foreign editors as it is key when submitting a book. They receive so many submissions from UK and US publishers and agents, and it is the relationship you have with them that ensures that they look at your books quickly. I work with them very closely so that I know their taste and I love helping to grow my authors in their markets, working together to organise author tours, publicity and promotions. When I sell an author’s work in a lot of countries, I like uniting them all and acting as the team leader. I am a firm believer in success bringing success. If one county makes an author a bestseller, they can help others to do so. This is very true when I look at Carolyn Jess-Cooke’s debut THE GUARDIAN ANGEL’S JOURNAL. Her Italian publisher, Longanesi, used a striking image of a young girl that has been adopted by almost every single one of her 20 publishers around the world, including the UK.
When we return from the book fair the follow-up begins. Emailing publishers the material we raved about, looking at offers, and negotiating new deals for our authors.
