Can You Publish a Book if You Live in Another Country?
Q. Can I publish a book in the US even if I don’t live there? I am an American living in Argentina, I don’t know for how much longer. I’ve…
Q. Can I publish a book in the US even if I don't live there? I am an American living in Argentina, I don't know for how much longer. I've been writing a book for a while but I don't want to get my hopes up of publishing it if I can't do it from here.
- Lindsay
A. I'm going to guess you mean a novel, Lindsay, so let's address that first. You could go ahead with the normal process of submitting to agents and editors, but the key is that you would indeed be back in the country right around when the book gets published so you could go ahead with the normal promotional duties. If you can't guarantee you can do that, then the deal would likely be off. You don't necessarily need to meet an agent face to face, though many writers like to. You'll probably need to meet your editor at least once. And you'll need to download Skype so you can be in contact easily.
If it's a nonfiction book, then you become the all-important center of marketing and platform, and it is unlikely you will have book-selling capabilities living so far away. Living in Argentina will likely scare everyone away.
Chuck Sambuchino is a former editor with the Writer's Digest writing community and author of several books, including How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack and Create Your Writer Platform.
