Carina Press is Harlequin’s digital-first adult fiction imprint, publishing first in digital, and then depending on the numbers, releasing audio and print versions as well. Unlike most of Harlequin’s imprints they don’t just focus on romance, although they are open to all subgenres of romance, including contemporary, erotic, paranormal and urban fantasy, and science fiction. They also publish mysteries of all flavors—from cozies to thrillers, with and without romantic elements. While they greatly encourage LGBTQ+ representation and relationships across the genres and imprints, Carina Adores is specifically their LGBTQ+-focused trope-driven contemporary romance line.
The same authors often write for them over and over again, which is generally a good sign. They are also open to publishing series. They accept manuscript submissions between 50,000 and 125,000 words in length. Work for Carina Adores must be over 75,000 words in length. They ask that you submit the query letter, synopsis (up to 1,600 words), and full manuscript, through their Submittable portal. Series proposals should also include a short outline.
What stands out about this imprint is they are open to previously released self-published submissions under certain circumstances, the specifics of which are quoted below:
In very select cases, Carina will consider books that have been previously released or self-published by authors with a well-established publishing background. We define “previously published” as a title that was available for purchase or as a free download on an e-retailer site, or on Kindle Unlimited. Works published through public platform sharing sites like Wattpad DO NOT count as previously published.
For previously published work, the author must either currently retain the rights or have a letter of reversion from the original publisher. If you are submitting a previously published manuscript, please submit it via the “Previously Published” category in Submittable.
To learn more about submitting to Carina, please go here.
Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2022 Guide to Manuscript Publishers.