Post by TelephotoMarigold on Nov 7, 2018 11:01:49 GMT
www.carinapress.com/blog/submission-guidelines/
Carina Press is committed to inclusion and representation in our publishing program, and we want to emphasize how interested we are in seeing not just manuscripts that feature characters from a range of backgrounds and experiences, but most especially books by authors from traditionally marginalized or underrepresented groups, including (but not limited to), Black authors, authors of color, disabled authors, and LGBTQ+ authors. Our editors strive to make our list inclusive, and are working hard to build a catalog that is more representative of the romance reading public.
Calls for submissions:
What the Editors Want (Updated May 2018)
Male/Male Romantic Suspense (Ongoing Miniseries): We’re looking for male/male romantic suspense titles that are part of ongoing miniseries, where:
The same heroes travel from book to book
Each book contains a happy-for-now
Each book contains an independent suspense arc
There is an overarching suspense and romantic arc running through the miniseries
Click here for more details on this call!
The Dirty Bits from Carina Press! (Erotic Short Stories): An ongoing call for short, erotic romances across subgenres, between 10-25k. These should have tight pacing, a romance with a happily ever after, and be very erotic.
Critiques: we regularly open for submissions of short scenes, to be critiqued by Carina Press editors on our blog. Watch the blog for the next opportunity!
Want to read the previous critiques? Check them out here.
Contemporary Crack
About Us
Carina Press is Harlequin’s digital-first adult fiction imprint, publishing first in digital, with releases in audio and print as well.
Our mission is to connect readers with authors who write the stories they want to read, and the stories they want to talk about and recommend. Carina Press publishes books from talented authors in all subgenres of romance, including contemporary, paranormal, LGBTQ+, science fiction, fantasy, and more. We also publish mysteries of all flavors—from cozies to thrillers—both with and without romantic elements.
But Carina Press is interested in more than just the traditional genres. We’re also willing to go beyond the boundaries and mix it up. If the book of your heart fits into a niche that has very little shelf space in a traditional bookstore, Carina Press is eager to read and potentially publish your story.
Want to find out more about Carina Press staff, editors and authors? See this page for links to staff on social media.
Our submissions guidelines are below. If you have any questions, please first see our Submissions FAQ. If your question was not answered you can email us at submissions@www.carinapress.com. Please allow 72 business hours for a response.
Word Count
If your novella or full length manuscript is 20,000 words or longer and fits what we are looking for, as described in the above chart or in the genre descriptions below, we will consider it!
For our line The Dirty Bits from Carina Press, which are erotic romance short stories, we will look at a word count of 10k–25k.
What We’re Looking For in A Book…
Your passion, quality of writing and voice is what will make your manuscript stand out and be considered for publication.
Romance
Erotic Romance
Science Fiction and Fantasy Romance
Mystery
Previously Released Material (Including Self-Published Material)
Romance
We are seeking submissions in all subgenres of romance (with the exception of faith-based) with all levels of sensuality. We welcome everything from the very sweet to the incredibly erotic, featuring couples (or multiples) from all walks of life, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Romances should focus on the development of the relationship, as well as external and internal conflict; the heat level should be appropriate to the book and enhance the story; and the primary relationship should offer a happily ever after (HEA) or happily for now (HFN) in an emotionally satisfying manner. Trilogies and duologies wherein the first and/or second book end in cliffhangers are permitted as long as the primary romantic arc ultimately ends in an HEA or HFN.
Sorry, but one of the couple cannot die or leave the other to conclude the story if it’s to be sold as a romance!
Subgenres of romance we are seeking include, but are not limited to, LGBTQ+, paranormal, romantic suspense, romantic comedy, Western, contemporary, new adult and historical. Please see specific guidelines for erotic romance and science fiction/fantasy romance below.
Harlequin and Carina Press have learned over our many years in business that connected series are very popular with readers, as are many familiar romance tropes. Carina Press is looking for interesting twists on established popular-romance themes and tropes, such as marriage of convenience, cowboys, friends to lovers, billionaires, best friend’s sister, secret babies and more. We are interested in seeing your fresh interpretation on these tropes and themes. The only limit is your imagination!
Erotic Romance
Carina Press continues to acquire submissions in the erotic romance genre, and we are now acquiring short stories in addition to novellas and longer works.
M/F, M/M, F/F and ménage+ romances are welcome, as are erotic thrillers and stories that push characters’ personal boundaries or delve into the taboo. The language in these books should be frank and explicit, with the sensuality and sexuality of the story integral parts of the plot and themes. Sexual tension and explosive chemistry between the protagonists is key to building the intensity of the story and sexiness of the erotic romance. Additionally, erotic romances must have a happily ever after or happily for now, including when the romance is between two or more characters.
Erotic short stories: Quick and fun works between 10,000 and 17,000 words. Read more details about submitting erotic short stories here, and submit your short stories here.
Novellas and longer works: More complex works of 20,000 words and up. We are particularly interested in books with series potential. However, we will happily take on standalone stories as well. Submit your longer works here.
Science Fiction and Fantasy
Carina Press has closed to submissions of science fiction and fantasy that do not include romance as central to the story/plot, but we continue to be interested in acquiring manuscripts in science fiction/fantasy romance and associated subgenres, especially futuristic and urban fantasy. The associated subgenres include space opera, cyberpunk, alien romance and other similar subgenres.
Mystery
We are open to the full range of mysteries, from soft to hard, including cozies, amateur sleuths, procedurals, psychological thrillers, historical mysteries and contemporary PIs. A selection of our mysteries, thrillers and romantic suspense titles go to print via Harlequin’s Direct to Consumer Reader Service Suspense program and are also made available for sale in print on Harlequin.com.
Minimum word count for print adoption in this category is 70,000 and up, although we’ll accept submissions with lower word counts for digital only.
Previously Released Material (Including Self-Published Works)
Carina Press will consider books that have been previously released or self-published.
The author must either currently retain the rights or have a letter of reversion from the original publisher.
In addition to the previously published work, we would expect to see a new, never-before-published work submitted. If the previously published book is part of a series, we would expect to see the next (unpublished) book in the series. If the previously published book is a standalone, we would expect to see a separate (unpublished) submission. We are looking for authors who want to work with Carina Press to grow their career with new, unpublished work.
Carina Press is committed to inclusion and representation in our publishing program, and we want to emphasize how interested we are in seeing not just manuscripts that feature characters from a range of backgrounds and experiences, but most especially books by authors from traditionally marginalized or underrepresented groups, including (but not limited to), Black authors, authors of color, disabled authors, and LGBTQ+ authors. Our editors strive to make our list inclusive, and are working hard to build a catalog that is more representative of the romance reading public.
Calls for submissions:
What the Editors Want (Updated May 2018)
Male/Male Romantic Suspense (Ongoing Miniseries): We’re looking for male/male romantic suspense titles that are part of ongoing miniseries, where:
The same heroes travel from book to book
Each book contains a happy-for-now
Each book contains an independent suspense arc
There is an overarching suspense and romantic arc running through the miniseries
Click here for more details on this call!
The Dirty Bits from Carina Press! (Erotic Short Stories): An ongoing call for short, erotic romances across subgenres, between 10-25k. These should have tight pacing, a romance with a happily ever after, and be very erotic.
Critiques: we regularly open for submissions of short scenes, to be critiqued by Carina Press editors on our blog. Watch the blog for the next opportunity!
Want to read the previous critiques? Check them out here.
Contemporary Crack
About Us
Carina Press is Harlequin’s digital-first adult fiction imprint, publishing first in digital, with releases in audio and print as well.
Our mission is to connect readers with authors who write the stories they want to read, and the stories they want to talk about and recommend. Carina Press publishes books from talented authors in all subgenres of romance, including contemporary, paranormal, LGBTQ+, science fiction, fantasy, and more. We also publish mysteries of all flavors—from cozies to thrillers—both with and without romantic elements.
But Carina Press is interested in more than just the traditional genres. We’re also willing to go beyond the boundaries and mix it up. If the book of your heart fits into a niche that has very little shelf space in a traditional bookstore, Carina Press is eager to read and potentially publish your story.
Want to find out more about Carina Press staff, editors and authors? See this page for links to staff on social media.
Our submissions guidelines are below. If you have any questions, please first see our Submissions FAQ. If your question was not answered you can email us at submissions@www.carinapress.com. Please allow 72 business hours for a response.
Word Count
If your novella or full length manuscript is 20,000 words or longer and fits what we are looking for, as described in the above chart or in the genre descriptions below, we will consider it!
For our line The Dirty Bits from Carina Press, which are erotic romance short stories, we will look at a word count of 10k–25k.
What We’re Looking For in A Book…
Your passion, quality of writing and voice is what will make your manuscript stand out and be considered for publication.
Romance
Erotic Romance
Science Fiction and Fantasy Romance
Mystery
Previously Released Material (Including Self-Published Material)
Romance
We are seeking submissions in all subgenres of romance (with the exception of faith-based) with all levels of sensuality. We welcome everything from the very sweet to the incredibly erotic, featuring couples (or multiples) from all walks of life, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Romances should focus on the development of the relationship, as well as external and internal conflict; the heat level should be appropriate to the book and enhance the story; and the primary relationship should offer a happily ever after (HEA) or happily for now (HFN) in an emotionally satisfying manner. Trilogies and duologies wherein the first and/or second book end in cliffhangers are permitted as long as the primary romantic arc ultimately ends in an HEA or HFN.
Sorry, but one of the couple cannot die or leave the other to conclude the story if it’s to be sold as a romance!
Subgenres of romance we are seeking include, but are not limited to, LGBTQ+, paranormal, romantic suspense, romantic comedy, Western, contemporary, new adult and historical. Please see specific guidelines for erotic romance and science fiction/fantasy romance below.
Harlequin and Carina Press have learned over our many years in business that connected series are very popular with readers, as are many familiar romance tropes. Carina Press is looking for interesting twists on established popular-romance themes and tropes, such as marriage of convenience, cowboys, friends to lovers, billionaires, best friend’s sister, secret babies and more. We are interested in seeing your fresh interpretation on these tropes and themes. The only limit is your imagination!
Erotic Romance
Carina Press continues to acquire submissions in the erotic romance genre, and we are now acquiring short stories in addition to novellas and longer works.
M/F, M/M, F/F and ménage+ romances are welcome, as are erotic thrillers and stories that push characters’ personal boundaries or delve into the taboo. The language in these books should be frank and explicit, with the sensuality and sexuality of the story integral parts of the plot and themes. Sexual tension and explosive chemistry between the protagonists is key to building the intensity of the story and sexiness of the erotic romance. Additionally, erotic romances must have a happily ever after or happily for now, including when the romance is between two or more characters.
Erotic short stories: Quick and fun works between 10,000 and 17,000 words. Read more details about submitting erotic short stories here, and submit your short stories here.
Novellas and longer works: More complex works of 20,000 words and up. We are particularly interested in books with series potential. However, we will happily take on standalone stories as well. Submit your longer works here.
Science Fiction and Fantasy
Carina Press has closed to submissions of science fiction and fantasy that do not include romance as central to the story/plot, but we continue to be interested in acquiring manuscripts in science fiction/fantasy romance and associated subgenres, especially futuristic and urban fantasy. The associated subgenres include space opera, cyberpunk, alien romance and other similar subgenres.
Mystery
We are open to the full range of mysteries, from soft to hard, including cozies, amateur sleuths, procedurals, psychological thrillers, historical mysteries and contemporary PIs. A selection of our mysteries, thrillers and romantic suspense titles go to print via Harlequin’s Direct to Consumer Reader Service Suspense program and are also made available for sale in print on Harlequin.com.
Minimum word count for print adoption in this category is 70,000 and up, although we’ll accept submissions with lower word counts for digital only.
Previously Released Material (Including Self-Published Works)
Carina Press will consider books that have been previously released or self-published.
The author must either currently retain the rights or have a letter of reversion from the original publisher.
In addition to the previously published work, we would expect to see a new, never-before-published work submitted. If the previously published book is part of a series, we would expect to see the next (unpublished) book in the series. If the previously published book is a standalone, we would expect to see a separate (unpublished) submission. We are looking for authors who want to work with Carina Press to grow their career with new, unpublished work.