The business of writing: Foreign export trade
The UK magazine market is vast, but there’s a bigger world out there. Simon Whaley investigates exporting to foreign markets
In the US, May is World Trade Month, when companies are encouraged to export their goods and services to new markets right around the globe. When it comes to the business of writing, we’re fortunate our native tongue is the official language in over sixty sovereign countries, and widely used in many others.
Key markets, like the USA, Australia, and South Africa, publish thousands of magazines in English, but some countries in other continents, such as Africa and Asia, use English as a second language, often printing magazines in their native language as well as English. There is, literally, a whole world of opportunities out there for writers, both for non-fiction and fiction, if we know where to look, and how to approach them.
Identifying markets
Finding potential markets may seem daunting at first, especially if your nearest magazine outlet is a couple of shelves at the local corner shop. The Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook lists many UK publications, but it also identifies over 100 markets in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA. However, a similar annually updated, but more substantial, handbook exists for American markets, called Writer’s Market. Like the UK’s Writers & Artists it’s possible to purchase a subscription to their online database version, which gives access to their most up-to-date information.
Susie Kearley, author of FreelanceWriting: Aim Higher, Earn More, found this to be a great way to get started, although it’s not the only technique for sourcing foreign markets she uses. ‘I use Writer’s Market to find US clients, and work through it from A-Z in the magazine section. I intended to register on The Australian Writer’s Marketplace website, but so far I’ve actually found Australian magazines just by searching on Google, using the following approach: “Australian magazine *insert topic*”. This brings up magazines that aren’t necessarily listed in traditional writers’ yearbooks, so it’s a useful approach when you’re writing on niche topics in any country.’