The view from across the sea

Lynne Patrick

Something I’ve never been able to get my head around is why a book is popular in one country and not another. Especially when the two countries speak approximately the same language, so it can’t be down to the translator’s art.

The thought started going round my mind again this week, when I found a new edition of an early title by an American author I enjoy; it was originally published nearly twenty years ago, but only in the USA, carrying the strong implication that the publisher didn’t think it would succeed this side of the ocean. Fortunately this particular author’s early work will only enhance the reputation built by her more recent titles, though this isn’t always the case. Sometimes bringing out the backlist to bask in the reflected glory proves to be not a good idea.

It reminded me of an author I met whose book had been sold to a German publisher long before a British one saw the light. And one train of thought led to another, as they do, and I began to make lists in my head. Brit authors in the US, for instance: why do Val McDermid and Mark Billingham do well, but Minette Walters, who is a surefire bestseller over here, doesn’t seem to press the right buttons over there. I don’t think it’s down to location; all three place their narratives very firmly in a part of the UK which is recognizable if you’re familiar with it, and sufficiently well realized to seem genuine if you’re not. As does one of my top five American authors, Julia Spencer-Fleming. I’m planning to visit Clare Ferguson’s part of the US later this year, and I don’t doubt I’ll know it when I see it.

And to balance up the previous paragraph a little, I know of at least three people who will share my total incomprehension at why Julia hasn’t been snapped up by one of the big publishing houses this side of the Atlantic. Then again, it gives me a reason, if I needed one, to visit the USA as often as possible.

Sometimes an author, like a prophet, is almost a stranger in his own land. Well, maybe not quite a stranger, but one of my top ten authors Stephen Booth still dines out on the story of the time he was at an American book festival with Ian Rankin and found himself surrounded by fans while Rankin, who he openly admits is far more famous over here, was almost ignored.

Sometimes it’s not authors: it’s specific books. When I was publishing, our US sales were mostly steady, occasionally disappointing, and a few times far better than in the UK. In one case we had to reprint when the book had only been out over there for a couple of weeks; the memory still makes me smile. In two cases, titles which were well into a series suddenly captured the American imagination, when the previous ones had done merely OK. Just in case they’re reading this, I won’t embarrass the authors by naming names, but I expect they know who they are. If I’d been able to figure out the difference between the OK and the better sellers, it’s possible both I and those authors would be a lot richer than we are.

Is it all in the lap of the gods? Or is there some secret formula I’ve been missing all these years?

And will eBooks mean that national boundaries will shortly be irrelevant anyway?