Question on marketablility of location.

[Kayden]

Quick question Ladies & Gents - need some opinions.

I'm currently working on a UF novel, and I'm a little uncertain in regards to where I'm planning on setting the story.
I live in Melbourne, Australia and the question I'm wrestling with is whether to set the story locally or on whether to place it in a U.S city.
From what research I've been able to manage, when it comes to UF books, almost all are based in the U.S, with an occasional story taking place in the UK.
I've only managed to find 1 widely published series set in Aus, so I want to gather opinions on whether a series set here is likely to be marketable, or whether I should set it in the U.S.

Any ideas much appreciated

[Sebastian]

I have 1 friend who thinks there are too many stories set in the US, standing out from the crowd is usually a good idea... assuming the story's good in and of itself.

I'm not a writer myself, but unless it's set in an imaginary world or a well-researched past I'd set it locally - since that way I'll make fewer mistakes about local conditions/culture etc. Unless you're familiar with a US city (1-2 years of living there recently) I'd recommend Melbourne.

And since most stories get rejected by publishers anyway, maybe worry more about writing it in the first place, and less about selling it. 

[Shecky]

While I disagree about the "too many set in the U.S." (what's wrong with the U.S. that stories "shouldn't" be set there?), setting it in a novel location can be a bonus. The only drawback is that if you're aiming at a N.A. audience as well, you may need to spend a lot of time describing things that locals would immediately understand and visualize. Up to you; it CAN be done and done well.

[Leonsagara]

I wouldn't worry too much about the marketability of the setting.  IMO, the setting probably won't matter nearly as much for marketability as having an imaginative, well-written story.  As long as you can somewhat accurately describe the city, it should be fine from my perspective.

[Starbeam]

Quick question Ladies & Gents - need some opinions.

I'm currently working on a UF novel, and I'm a little uncertain in regards to where I'm planning on setting the story.
I live in Melbourne, Australia and the question I'm wrestling with is whether to set the story locally or on whether to place it in a U.S city.
From what research I've been able to manage, when it comes to UF books, almost all are based in the U.S, with an occasional story taking place in the UK.
I've only managed to find 1 widely published series set in Aus, so I want to gather opinions on whether a series set here is likely to be marketable, or whether I should set it in the U.S.

Any ideas much appreciated

Most of the UF novels tend to be set in the US because that's where the authors are.  You write what you know.  It's easier to set something in a place easy to research, or where you've lived.  Setting it somewhere you've only visited or haven't been to means a lots more research, not just about the city/area, but also culture, language, and anything like that.  Not impossible to do, but a bit more difficult, and there's always more of a chance of getting something wrong.

One thing from Shecky's comment, you might need to spend more time with description and such for the American audience, but not all books do that.  And even Americans don't really write the books with more description even with the possibility that there might not be a foreign audience that doesn't know the quirks and all about Americans.

[Noey]

As a reader, I'd be more interested in something set in Australia just because it is different. It's far from a drawback. I actually think it'd help set your story apart, which is crucial. I love stuff that shows me things that I wouldn't know otherwise. Definitely in your city, and take the research advice given seriously, all the better to show it to its best advantage.

[Shecky]

In truth, location doesn't really matter much except in two aspects: 1) how accurately it's portrayed in the eyes of the locals and 2) how well the location's background is tied into what's happening throughout (that is, if it DOES have an impact on the story and/or on the characters). Chicago, in the case of TDF, has a relatively small role... except where Jim describes its history and impact on the story (e.g., Undertown, weather, concealed-carry laws, the Shedd's role in the meet-up/dust-up, etc.).

[Kayden]

My thanks to all of you.

Leaving the story as is will probably save me a month or so of research and re-writing.
For some reason, locating it outside the U.S has been a worry nagging away at me, and rather frequently driving me into useless bouts of meaningless distraction.

I'm also rather thrilled at your opinions, as it allows me to inject some local color into certain story aspects - though I've caught myself a few times including phrasing and underlying general assumptions that don't exist elsewhere.

My thanks again for each of your thoughts, and if you have any others - please fire away 

[Shecky]

Hey, sometimes NOT explaining local stuff is even better, as long as there's something in the text that allows the reader to figure it out. All else being equal, anything that involves the reader more is a good thing. Note that I said "involves" and not "makes the reader work more" - there's a good bit of difference.