Hey everyone!
Just a quick update: I have officially signed with ... Sharon Belcastro at Belcastro Agency! I'm super excited to be working with both Sharon Belcastro and Ella Marie Shupe to make The Suit War the best it can possibly be and to hopefully get a book deal for it as well!
I never thought (although I hoped) I'd be able to say this, but .... I HAVE A LITERARY AGENT! OH MY GOSH!!!
Thanks to everyone who has supported me on this journey! It's not over yet, so I will try to keep you all updated on my (second) journey towards publication.
J.B. Kantt <3
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Sunday, January 14, 2018
I RECEIVED AN OFFER OF REPRESENTATION
Hey everyone!
I know it's been almost two years (aka FOREVER) since I last posted, and I doubt anyone even reads this blog anymore ... but I have such an exciting update, that I wanted to post it up here just to feel like I've finished what I've started (even if it's not technically over until the book is published).
A few hours ago, on January 13th, 2018, I received an offer of representation from a LITERARY AGENT! While I was always hopeful that I would one day be able to say that, I honestly wasn't sure that I'd ever be able to. It's for the book that I started re-querying years ago, The Suit War, which has gone through many, many, MANY revisions since I last updated this blog (and I'm sure it will go through many more revisions before it's hopefully published). I think I'm still in shock a little bit, and it doesn't feel real!
I'm currently waiting to hear back from some other agents that have my query and/or manuscript, so I haven't officially signed with an agent yet. But to be able to say that I'm going to have a literary agent is a dream come true!
So for those of you out there who are in the query trenches, seriously, DON'T GIVE UP! I wrote the first draft of The Suit War back in 2012. The manuscript has changed from middle grade (50K words) to young adult (over 100K words) in that time, many scenes have been added and deleted, character goals and relationships have built and broken, the world has been built out many times .... I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you're passionate about your book, and you put in the hard work, you can achieve your dream.
I haven't decided whether I'll write a How I Got My Agent post on this blog (although I've dreamed about the day that I could), but I want all of you to remember that it really does only take one yes!
I can't wait to see what this new journey brings on my road to traditional publication!
J.B Kantt <3
P.S. Happy (belated) New Year, everyone!! (Sorry for not posting at all 2017 ... it was a busy, roller-coaster of a year.)
I know it's been almost two years (aka FOREVER) since I last posted, and I doubt anyone even reads this blog anymore ... but I have such an exciting update, that I wanted to post it up here just to feel like I've finished what I've started (even if it's not technically over until the book is published).
A few hours ago, on January 13th, 2018, I received an offer of representation from a LITERARY AGENT! While I was always hopeful that I would one day be able to say that, I honestly wasn't sure that I'd ever be able to. It's for the book that I started re-querying years ago, The Suit War, which has gone through many, many, MANY revisions since I last updated this blog (and I'm sure it will go through many more revisions before it's hopefully published). I think I'm still in shock a little bit, and it doesn't feel real!
I'm currently waiting to hear back from some other agents that have my query and/or manuscript, so I haven't officially signed with an agent yet. But to be able to say that I'm going to have a literary agent is a dream come true!
So for those of you out there who are in the query trenches, seriously, DON'T GIVE UP! I wrote the first draft of The Suit War back in 2012. The manuscript has changed from middle grade (50K words) to young adult (over 100K words) in that time, many scenes have been added and deleted, character goals and relationships have built and broken, the world has been built out many times .... I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you're passionate about your book, and you put in the hard work, you can achieve your dream.
I haven't decided whether I'll write a How I Got My Agent post on this blog (although I've dreamed about the day that I could), but I want all of you to remember that it really does only take one yes!
I can't wait to see what this new journey brings on my road to traditional publication!
J.B Kantt <3
P.S. Happy (belated) New Year, everyone!! (Sorry for not posting at all 2017 ... it was a busy, roller-coaster of a year.)
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
And my first giveaway winners are...
Hey, everyone!
So instead of picking just one winner ... I DECIDED TO PICK EIGHT!!!
What does that mean?
That means EVERYONE WHO ENTERED MY FIRST GIVEAWAY IS GOING TO RECEIVE A FREE EBOOK COPY OF ROSES ARE RED!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you so much to everyone who entered the giveaway! I'm so appreciative that you all want to read my book, and I wanted to show you by giving you that chance!
So Brooklyn, Sabrina, Danika, Maryam, Breanna, Rebecca, Samantha, and Jocelyn: I hope you enjoy your prize!!! My publisher should be emailing it to you soon!
Happy reading!
J.B. Kantt <3
So instead of picking just one winner ... I DECIDED TO PICK EIGHT!!!
What does that mean?
That means EVERYONE WHO ENTERED MY FIRST GIVEAWAY IS GOING TO RECEIVE A FREE EBOOK COPY OF ROSES ARE RED!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you so much to everyone who entered the giveaway! I'm so appreciative that you all want to read my book, and I wanted to show you by giving you that chance!
So Brooklyn, Sabrina, Danika, Maryam, Breanna, Rebecca, Samantha, and Jocelyn: I hope you enjoy your prize!!! My publisher should be emailing it to you soon!
Happy reading!
J.B. Kantt <3
Saturday, January 2, 2016
NEW YEAR 2016 GIVEAWAY
I'M RUNNING MY VERY FIRST GIVEAWAY!!!! :D :D :D
What better way to start the new year, right? ;)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The winner will a receive a free EBOOK copy of my debut novel, Roses Are Red!!!!!!
You can enter by visiting my author Facebook page (it's located under the Giveaway tab). The giveaway will last two weeks, after which a winner will be chosen at random. You can either enter using your Facebook or your email.
I hope ALL OF YOU enter!
J.B. Kantt <3
What better way to start the new year, right? ;)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The winner will a receive a free EBOOK copy of my debut novel, Roses Are Red!!!!!!
You can enter by visiting my author Facebook page (it's located under the Giveaway tab). The giveaway will last two weeks, after which a winner will be chosen at random. You can either enter using your Facebook or your email.
I hope ALL OF YOU enter!
J.B. Kantt <3
Monday, December 28, 2015
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year 2016!
I know I haven't been on for a while, but I just wanted to say:
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year 2016 to all of you!!!! :D :D :D
I don't know why, but I have a feeling 2016 will be my best year yet (mark my words)! ;)
So I'm hoping to have exciting news to share with all of you next year (i.e. post more next year)!
Have fun and stay safe,
J.B. Kantt <3
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year 2016 to all of you!!!! :D :D :D
I don't know why, but I have a feeling 2016 will be my best year yet (mark my words)! ;)
So I'm hoping to have exciting news to share with all of you next year (i.e. post more next year)!
Have fun and stay safe,
J.B. Kantt <3
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Wattpad Anniversary #1!
Hey, guys!
Today, October 6th, 2015, marks the one-year anniversary of when I joined wattpad. I can't believe how quickly a year has flown by!
I've had so many good times on that site! Some of the most amazing things that have happened thus far include:
If you haven't had a chance to check out Wattpad.com yet, I strongly recommend it, whether you're a writer, a reader, or both! It's such a loving, supportive place in so many ways, and I'm so glad that I joined the site!
I can't wait to see what the future brings!
J.B. Kantt <3
Today, October 6th, 2015, marks the one-year anniversary of when I joined wattpad. I can't believe how quickly a year has flown by!
I've had so many good times on that site! Some of the most amazing things that have happened thus far include:
- I've been able to make a difference with BULLIED (a book which I've talked about in previous updates)! The fact that it has reached over ONE MILLION reads and has been #1 on the Non-Fiction What's Hot List for WEEKS is still crazy to me!
- My debut novel, Roses Are Red, has gained a small but mighty fan base thanks to the wattpad following I have!
- Thanks to the positive feedback I've received on wattpad, I've gotten the courage to try re-querying a book I wrote three years ago, called The Suit War!
- I've gotten to meet some really amazing people, writers and readers alike! Thank you to everyone that has supported me and my work! I LOVE YOU ALL!
If you haven't had a chance to check out Wattpad.com yet, I strongly recommend it, whether you're a writer, a reader, or both! It's such a loving, supportive place in so many ways, and I'm so glad that I joined the site!
I can't wait to see what the future brings!
J.B. Kantt <3
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Just A Quick Update!
Hey guys!
I just wanted to post a quick update since it's been a long time since I've done so (sorry about that!). It's very possible that no one is even reading my blog posts anymore since I post so infrequently, but oh well! :P
The agent who requested a Revise and Resubmit from me ultimately passed on The Suit War. However, she did say that my manuscript was really close, to not give up on it, and that she would be willing to take another look at TSW again down the road if I end up making major revisions in the future. While it was a bummer to receive yet another no, especially when I felt so close to a yes, it was nice of her to still keep the door open for a possible R&R in the future. :\
Since the R&R rejection, I've received three full manuscript requests, one of which has already been rejected. But I'm still hopeful that things will turn out positive in the end. :)
My pride and joy of the summer, however, has been my book on wattpad entitled BULLIED. I talked about this book back in my WWW#55 post, but it's really taken off since then. BULLIED currently has over 827,000 reads on wattpad, and has been #1 on the Non-Fiction What's Hot List for weeks. The best thing that has happened though is the messages and comments I've received from various people that have read and/or submitted their story to be in BULLIED. Quite a few people have said that BULLIED has literally saved their lives; just reading the various submissions have helped them realize that other people have it worse than them, things really can get better, and sharing/talking about their situations/experiences can make a world of difference in terms of getting advice, getting help/support, or just getting it off their chest. So yeah, I'm really proud of BULLIED because it's actually making a difference, as I hoped it would. <3
Today (well technically yesterday ... since it's after 2AM already) was my first day of classes for my second year of the postbac premed program I'm doing. I'm going to be putting all of my focus into my schoolwork and volunteer work until next May (i.e. when I've completed the program), but I'll still do my best to keep you all updated on the agent front if anything exciting happens. :D
J.B. Kantt <3
I just wanted to post a quick update since it's been a long time since I've done so (sorry about that!). It's very possible that no one is even reading my blog posts anymore since I post so infrequently, but oh well! :P
The agent who requested a Revise and Resubmit from me ultimately passed on The Suit War. However, she did say that my manuscript was really close, to not give up on it, and that she would be willing to take another look at TSW again down the road if I end up making major revisions in the future. While it was a bummer to receive yet another no, especially when I felt so close to a yes, it was nice of her to still keep the door open for a possible R&R in the future. :\
Since the R&R rejection, I've received three full manuscript requests, one of which has already been rejected. But I'm still hopeful that things will turn out positive in the end. :)
My pride and joy of the summer, however, has been my book on wattpad entitled BULLIED. I talked about this book back in my WWW#55 post, but it's really taken off since then. BULLIED currently has over 827,000 reads on wattpad, and has been #1 on the Non-Fiction What's Hot List for weeks. The best thing that has happened though is the messages and comments I've received from various people that have read and/or submitted their story to be in BULLIED. Quite a few people have said that BULLIED has literally saved their lives; just reading the various submissions have helped them realize that other people have it worse than them, things really can get better, and sharing/talking about their situations/experiences can make a world of difference in terms of getting advice, getting help/support, or just getting it off their chest. So yeah, I'm really proud of BULLIED because it's actually making a difference, as I hoped it would. <3
Today (well technically yesterday ... since it's after 2AM already) was my first day of classes for my second year of the postbac premed program I'm doing. I'm going to be putting all of my focus into my schoolwork and volunteer work until next May (i.e. when I've completed the program), but I'll still do my best to keep you all updated on the agent front if anything exciting happens. :D
J.B. Kantt <3
Friday, July 31, 2015
Overdue Update! (My first R&R)
Hey, everyone!
I know it's been a while since I've posted on here (I'm so sorry about that). Between school, work, and writing, I really have been super busy these past few months! But I just wanted to jump on here to give you all a quick update (if anyone is even still reading my posts). :)
Anyway, so far I haven't gotten that many reviews for Roses Are Red (I believe I've gotten about 10 reviews total when I add them up on Amazon and Goodreads), but overall all of the reviews I've gotten have been pretty positive! :)
I decided on a whim to start querying my novel The Suit War, an upper middle grade fantasy, again. I wrote it back in 2012 and only queried about 20 or so agents before I gave up and moved on to writing my next book. Back in October 2014, I decided to post TSW up on wattpad.com, just to see what others thought of it and to try and build a fan base for my other books. Since it was so well-received, I've decided to try finding an agent for it again.
So far I've received multiple rejections, two full requests, and one revise and resubmit. I just received the R&R this afternoon, which is super exciting because the particular agent seemed to really think my manuscript had promise if I just made the changes she suggested. Thus, I've already started making the changes (which all make complete sense to me), and I hope she likes them once I resubmit my manuscript her.
I also have another old novel that I've started putting my attention back into: BOB, a young adult contemporary novel. I have made a list of edits I want to do to that book, so once I'm completely done revising TSW, my plan is to get into sprucing up BOB.
Welp, I think that's all I have for updates for now. Thank you all for listening!
J.B. Kantt <3
I know it's been a while since I've posted on here (I'm so sorry about that). Between school, work, and writing, I really have been super busy these past few months! But I just wanted to jump on here to give you all a quick update (if anyone is even still reading my posts). :)
Anyway, so far I haven't gotten that many reviews for Roses Are Red (I believe I've gotten about 10 reviews total when I add them up on Amazon and Goodreads), but overall all of the reviews I've gotten have been pretty positive! :)
I decided on a whim to start querying my novel The Suit War, an upper middle grade fantasy, again. I wrote it back in 2012 and only queried about 20 or so agents before I gave up and moved on to writing my next book. Back in October 2014, I decided to post TSW up on wattpad.com, just to see what others thought of it and to try and build a fan base for my other books. Since it was so well-received, I've decided to try finding an agent for it again.
So far I've received multiple rejections, two full requests, and one revise and resubmit. I just received the R&R this afternoon, which is super exciting because the particular agent seemed to really think my manuscript had promise if I just made the changes she suggested. Thus, I've already started making the changes (which all make complete sense to me), and I hope she likes them once I resubmit my manuscript her.
I also have another old novel that I've started putting my attention back into: BOB, a young adult contemporary novel. I have made a list of edits I want to do to that book, so once I'm completely done revising TSW, my plan is to get into sprucing up BOB.
Welp, I think that's all I have for updates for now. Thank you all for listening!
J.B. Kantt <3
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