Breanne Randall's Blog, page 2

The odds of getting an agent?

1 in 6,000.

Here’s an excerpt from literary-agents.com on the odds:

“The best book agents can get as many as 1,500 queries per month, and they sometimes only offer to represent approximately 6 new clients per year. Some writer representatives take on more. But, for this example, let’s use that math. If a literary agent only offers to represent 6 new writers per year, that’s one every two months. Or, the odds of getting a literary agent in that scenario are 1 in 3,000.

But, let’s assume, in this example, the chances of getting a literary agent are less. Because we’re talking about one of the most powerful or famous literary agents here. In other words, 3 of the 6 authors that the most successful literary agents offer to represent each year are already published with traditional publishers. Those authors might even already have a bestseller or two—or they might have a very strong author platform.

That’s why your chances of getting a literary agent are 1 in 6,000.”

Seems…almost impossible?
But here’s the reasons why I love rejection (and you should, too).
1. With every single one, you’re improving your odds.
2. Every no means you’re getting closer to a yes.
3. And all you need is ONE YES.

Sure, sometimes it can be demoralizing - particularly when you happen to get multiple rejections right in a row. Or you’ve been querying for months or years. But you have those words in your heart for a reason - and the world needs read them. So you let yourself sit in the sorrow for a bit and then you dust yourself off and keep trying.

Think of your favorite authors. The number of rejections they got. I know so many authors who keep their rejections in a file or folder as a reminder of how far they’ve come.

Think of each rejection as a trophy. Collect them. Wear them as a badge of honor. Failure only happens when you quit.

Now dust off those typing fingers and get that query out in the world!

If you’re going the route of self-publishing, you don’t need a literary agent.

If you’re going the route of traditional publishing, you do!

I won’t get into the pros/cons of self-publishing vs. traditional here, but do want to chat a minute about WHY a literary agent is so great (and so coveted).

In publishing, there are what’s called The Big 5 Publishers:

Penguin/Random House.

Hachette Book Group.

Harper Collins.

Simon and Schuster.

Macmillan.

These publishers have what are called imprints. “An imprint of a publisher is a trade name under which it publishes a work. A single publishing company may have multiple imprints, often using the different names as brands to market works to various demographic consumer segments.” (From ScribeMedia.com)

As an author, we are unable to approach these publishers on our own. We have to have a literary agent approach the editors at the publishing houses with our work on our behalf. The literary agent acts as their own culling process so the publishers are getting the best work possible (otherwise they’d be inundated).

If you have an editorial agent, they’ll help you hone your book so it’s in the best shape before they take it on submission. It’s then their job to pitch your book to editors in the hopes that one of them will want to buy it!

If they do, they’ll then negotiate the book deal and contract on your behalf!

If more than one editor wants your book, it might go to auction, which means multiple publishers are bidding on it. (That’s the dream, am I right?!)

In my mind, a literary agent is the gateway to your success as an author. Without them, our book can’t reach the big guns!

The great part is, they’re going to negotiate the best deal for you because they want what’s best for you and your career. They get a cut, after all. A well deserved cut! They know how to negotiate contracts, all the terms and jargon, they know the editors your book would be the best fit for.

Finding the right agent is just the first step to your success, but in my opinion, it’s one of the most important ones!

Nine times out of 10 when people hear “I got an agent!” they think it means, "You got a book deal!” So in order to clarify some terms and the process…let’s chat!

Ever wondered what it’s really like to publish a book the traditional way?

Here’s the sitch broken down by steps with detail on each part (because who wants to be left hanging!).

Step 1: Write a book.

get trusted friends or beta readers (people to read your book and offer feedback on it)

PARTY and CELEBRATE because you wrote a book!!

Step 2: Query literary agents

This can be a very long process. Sometimes you’ll hear back from an agent in a few minutes, a few hours, a few months, or never. (Many agents have a “no response means no” policy.

If you hear back from them and it’s a no, it will either be a form letter (a copy and paste rejection they send to everyone) or they’ll tell you what they didn’t like about it.

If they want to read more, they’ll usually request a partial (x number of pages or x number of chapters). Again, it could take anywhere from a few days to six or eight months to hear back from them, or you may never hear back. This is a BIG DEAL!!! Celebrate!! Pop the bubbly.

If you do hear back, it will either be a rejection (usually with a brief note on why they didn’t connect), or you’ll get a full request! You send them your complete manuscript and then wait some more. (Because waiting is FUN RIGHT?!) And again, you guys, this is a big deal!!! Tell everyone! Celebrate!! (I cried the first time I got a request!)

Then, THREE THINGS CAN HAPPEN.

You get rejected

You get an R&R (a “revise and resubmit.” This means they like your book but they have issues with it and want to see if you have what it takes to resolve them before they work with you. They’ll give you detailed feedback on what needs to be edited, and if you align with their vision, you get to work. This is good because the agent is invested in your work and if you can fix the issues, they’re highly likely to offer you representation.)

You get an offer of representation! Usually they ask to set up a phone call and during that they’ll make the offer. This is a HUGE deal!! The best book agents can get as many as 1,500 queries per month (18,000 per year), and they sometimes only offer to represent approximately 6 new clients per year. With those statistics, you realize how precious and rare it is to get that offer!

Step 3:

You do NOT accept the offer right away. Traditionally you have ten days (to two weeks if you’re stretching it) to decide. This is when you email all the other agents who have your book and tell them you received an offer of rep and the deadline for when you have to let the offering agent know your decision. This gives them time to read your book and decide if THEY want to offer, too.

For any offering agents you can set up phone calls to talk about editorial vision, editors/publishers they have in mind for your book, etc. Once you decide who the best fit for you is, you tell the offering agent you accept and then let the other agents know your decision.

Step 4:

Sign the author agreement and then EDIT. Usually, you’ll work with your agent to get your book in the best possible shape before it goes on submission.

Step 5:

Go on submission! Remember the query process? Now it’s your agents turn to reach out to editors at publishing houses (or small presses) with your book and why they want it. This is why it’s huge to have a good agent who has connections to editors who are looking for the type of book you’ve written.

If the editor likes it, they’ll make an offer. (I’ll do another post on this and what an advance looks like, etc.). If more than one editor likes it, your book will go to “auction,” which is exactly what it sounds like! Multiple publishing houses making competitive bids trying to get your book and work with you.

Step 6:

EDIT SOME MORE. You’ll work with the acquiring editor until your book is shiny and you basically have it memorized. Grammatical edits, line edits, pacing and thematic edits, all of it. And don’t forget marketing campaigns, cover design, and ARC’s (advanced reader copies they send out to book bloggers and the like to get feedback on it). Once ALL OF THIS is done, your book will be……PUBLISHED?!

There. That didn’t take too long, did it? And how much of your soul do you have left? Kidding, kidding. It’s a long and arduous process. The chances are slim. But they’re there! Believe in your book, yourself, and the fact that you have something to say - continue to hone your craft. YOU GOT THIS!

Now - forward this to all your family and friends so they can know what kind of hell you’re going through. 😂

Vanilla Jasmine Tea with Black Pepper and Cinnamon

If you don’t like spice, you won’t like this. It’s a spicy floral tea that will give you the clarity to see what’s missing in your life while helping draw those things to you through good fortune. But remember that good fortune will only get you so far, and for the rest you’ll have to rely on your own wit and wisdom.

Ingredients:

Jasmine tea

1 vanilla bean pod

1 drop cinnamon oil*

1 drop black pepper oil*

Directions:

Scrape vanilla bean pod into pot of boiling water, strain, and use to brew the tea. Drop in cinnamon bark oil and black pepper oil. (Suggestion: even one drop of these oils can be quite potent. I recommend dipping a toothpick in the oil and then swirling the toothpick in the tea).

Enjoy! (To increase clarity and focus, diffuse 4 drops clary sage and 4 drops frankincense while drinking tea.)

Optional: Add a drizzle of honey and/or milk

*Please do not ingest store bought oils as they are not FDA approved. Young Living vitality oils are FDA approved to ingest. If you don’t have these oils you can substitute for a dash of cinnamon and a dash of black pepper or peppercorns to steep with the tea.

Want to feel like a kitchen witch?
Try your hand at a little DIY?
Stock up on easy, practical, and perfect little gifts?
You’re going to LOVE this!

Alright first you’re going to start with a melt and pour soap base. I get mine from Amazon.
Honey Melt and Pour Soap Base
Glycerin Melt and Pour Soap Base
Shea Butter Melt and Pour Soap Base (This is the one I use)
Goat’s Milk Melt and Pour Soap Base

Next you’re going to choose what you want IN your soap!
Some ideas (linking to the ones I’ve used with success)
- Oatmeal (nourishing and calming to the skin)
- Coffee (great for exfoliation)
- Dried flowers (exfoliation, pretty, and different flowers have different symbolism and uses)
- Dried herbs (exfoliation, pretty, and different herbs have different symbolism and uses)
- Mica powder for shimmer
- Vitamin E oil (extra nourishment for the skin)
- Activated charcoal powder (detoxifying for the skin and makes the soap black and so pretty like the soap from Practical Magic)

Remember - this is all about the soap YOU want to make! Mix and match and play around with what you like.

Next you’re going to choose your essential oils fragrance. I’m going to be totally honest and tell you that almost ALL essential oils in the stores have fillers and additives in them, which means they’re not pure and usually have toxins and chemicals in them (why there’s warning on the packages when there really shouldn’t be). They’re also not first press only, so imagine running your coffee maker through 6 times without changing the coffee grounds - that’s what you’re getting with multiple presses of essential oils.

The reason this is a problem is you’re putting those toxins and chemicals on your largest organ (your skin) where they’re absorbing into your body and disrupting your hormones and causing problems. Even if the package says 100% pure - the FDA requires only 5% of an ingredient to be in a product for it to be labeled “pure.”

I use Young Living because I’ve done extensive research on their Seed to Seal Guarantee and have actually seen what goes in the bottles - first press oils only and nothing else. You can see more here.

Some combos I love:

- Grapefruit + Bergamot (calming and relaxing)

- Citrus Fresh and Peppermint (refreshing and brightening)

- Lemon and Rosemary (cleansing and energizing)

- Lavender and Orange (calming and purifying)

You can use a bread tin like this if you have one handy, or you can grab a soap mold like this. I’ve used both to great effect! (By the way none of these Amazon links are affiliate links, I’m not making any money here just trying to help 😂.)

Now for the easy part!

Melt one pound of soap base of your choice in a saucepan on the stove.
If you want your ingredients (flowers, oatmeal, etc) mixed through out, add them once the soap is melted.

Take the soap off the burner and add a squirt or two of vitamin e oil if you’re using it. This is also the time to stir in the mica or charcoal powder if you’re using it.

Keep stirring soap for about a minute and a half or two while it cools a bit, then add 20-40 drops essential oil (depending on how strong you want the smell), divided however you like for what oils you’re using.

Pour into soap mold or bread tin - if you want your ingredients on the top of the soap only, now is when you press them into the top of the soap before its gets hard. You can press flowers into the top, coffee, or herbs, your choice!

Let it cool overnight, pop out, and slice to your desired thickness! Wrap with some Kraft paper and twine, and you're good to go!

Additional reading:

Some of my favorite herbs. flowers, oils and they’re uses (you can use the dried counterparts of in the form of essential oil to receive more benefits)

chamomile - anxiety and relaxation
jasmine - relaxation and aphrodisiac
rose - soothing for skin and redness, contains antioxidants, enhances mood)
frankincense - glowing skin, grounding
thyme - anti-inflammatory
lemon - antioxidant and skin brightening
lavender - anti-inflammatory, calming, nourishing
valerian - sleep aid
sage - healing and anti-inflammatory

Well, mostly naked...

Four layered vanilla sponge soaked in simple syrup with vanilla cream cheese frosting and topped with frosted blueberries and grapes. COUNT ME IN.

Basically, the cream cheese frosting is the star of the show here. Although the sponge is pretty, dreamy, too. Recipe adapted from 27th and Olive's Blueberry Lemon Cake.

Ingredients

Cake:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature 

1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

4 Tablespoon vanilla extract (or, you know, more, it's up to you)

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk (I make my own with one cup milk and 1 tablespoon lemon juice)

Frosting:

8 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

3 and 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 - 2 Tablespoons heavy cream or half and half

3-4 teaspoons vanilla extract

pinch salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Grease and lightly flour two 8 circular cake pans. Set aside.

FOR THE CAKE:

Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high until creamy (approximately 1 minute). Add granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium-high speed until creamed, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until everything is combined, about 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed (get all the way down to the bottom). Set aside.

In a large sized bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed for 5 seconds, then add the buttermilk.

Batter will be quite thick but don't over mix at any point. Over mixing will give you a tough, dense textured crumb. Spoon batter evenly into the prepared cake pans. Bake the three layers for about 21-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before using a super sharp knife (technical term) to cut each cake in half. If you want to keep the cake extra moist, you can mix one part sugar in one part warm water and drip it (I used a pipette) over the cake and let it absorb all the way before frosting.

FOR THE FROSTING:

Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until no lumps remain, about 3 full minutes*. Add confectioners' sugar, 1 Tablespoon cream, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add 1 more Tablespoon of cream to thin out, if desired.

Assemble and frost! Place one layer on your cake stand (or cutting board because I don't have a cake stand). Evenly cover the top with cream cheese frosting. Top with 2nd layer, more frosting, then, you know, continue on. Top the final layer with frosting. I used a cake server to slather frosting on the sides and fill in the holes then used the same to scrape off the sides to give it a slightly naked cake look. Feel free to sugar whatever fresh fruit you have on hand (you can also put compote in between the layers if you like fruit in your cake) and put it on top with some fresh flowers!

CONSUME.

*If you're impatient like me and everything isn't room temperature, pop it in the microwave in ten second bursts otherwise it'll be a bit lumpy. A little lump is okay because it should smooth out when you add the confectioners sugar.

I was in Cambodia with my family at the most magical hotel that looked like it was plucked from the pages of a fantasy novel. We were having breakfast by the pool, drinking cappuccinos, when I checked my email.

A full request from one of my favorite agents.

I didn’t have my computer on me so I emailed her the document from my phone. She wrote back with confirmation that she’d received the file.

And then I waited. Because I don’t know if you know this, but part of the publishing process is the waiting game.

Sometimes you’ll query an agent and hear back in ten minutes. Other times you’ll hear back in six months or longer. And that’s just for the first phase. They request a partial or full of your manuscript, you send it to them, and then you wait. It all depends on how many queries they receive, how many other things the agent has on their plate, etc. etc.

So - I waited. We got back from our Southeast Asia trip and were home for a couple months then headed to the Cayman Islands. It was there I got the email that said - “I’d love to work with you on this but I have a lot of thoughts for revision.” She wanted to hop on a phone call and discuss editorial thoughts to make sure our visions aligned. I was ecstatic. BUT. I was almost 100% positive it wasn’t going to be an offer of representation.

I got back home and set up a call with her, absolutely expecting to be offered and R&R (revise and resubmit). So we’re chatting about our visions for the book and I agree with every single thing she’s saying and LOVE the direction she has for it. And i’m just waiting. Waiting for her to say, “Okay well work one those things then send it back to me when you’re done.”

But then she says, “I’d love to offer you representation.”

And I was absolutely speechless. I started silently bawling. I’d been working toward this for SEVEN YEARS at this point. Because my goal was always to get a literary agent. That was the dream. That, to me, meant I could conquer whatever came next because an agent believed in me enough to sign me.

Even though I’d made up my mind to accept, I did the traditional 10 days and let the other agents know who had a partial or full. I had two intriguing talks with other agents but ultimately, our editorial visions did not align. And so with GREAT EXCITEMENT AND GRATITUDE, I signed with Natalie Lakosil of Bradford Literary Agency!!

I’ll never forget that feeling of signing the agency agreement. Even now, over a year later, and I’m still overwhelmed with gratitude that she saw the vision, believed in it and in me, and that we get to go on this journey together!