Two students—one in each of my classes—recently asked the same question. If I’m in the U.S., should I also pitch agents in the UK?

Although each of those students had a unique and convincing reason to do just that, I want to tackle this more generally here.

My advice is to pitch agents in the market where you want to be published. It has less to do with where you live, and is all about where you think your audience is and where that agent or publisher sells books.

✅ When you should try agents or publishers outside your home country:

If a foreign country offers a better market for your book and you believe it would resonate more with audiences there than in your home country, then by all means, query outside your home country.

For instance, I’ve been dabbling with a book based on some essays I’ve sold that is about women’s history in London. If I do go forward with that collection, it would appeal more to readers in the UK or readers who travel there. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t pursue publication in the U.S, but it definitely means I’d explore working with someone in the UK.

🛑 When you should NOT query agents outside your home country.

If you’ve tried agents and publishers in your country and been roundly rejected, this is not the time to extend your search abroad. If your book or query is not working at home, it’s not going to work there either….unless you meet the criteria I mentioned above and your book is a particularly good fit for that country’s readers.

Also, keep in mind that if you want to see your book on the shelves in your home country, you’ll usually need an agent and publisher there. For example, UK agents will work with UK publishers, and American agents with American publishers etc. In most cases, to get the book onto shelves in the other country, they’ll generally work with a co-agent who specializes in foreign rights.

Pro tip: If you do query abroad, be prepared to answer the question—"why are you pitching me when I’m not in your home country?” This will probably be one of the first questions an interested agent or publisher will ask.

If you’ve been rejected, rather than looking out of the country, rework your query and/or your book. The time you take preparing will help you maximize your odds of success.

Wherever you end up pitching, one of the biggest keys to your success will be putting in the work to pitch the right agents in the first place. When you know who they are, what they like, and why your book is right for them, it makes it easier to write a personalized query letter that will get their attention. I teach exactly how to do this in this post. That strategy has helped my students get dozens of agent offers and book deals, and even a multi-six-figure advance from Penguin Random House.

I wish you the absolute best. Congrats on finishing a book or book proposal! That is already a huge accomplishment.