Posts Tagged ‘editors’

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Leading you around the internet

Angela James | November 3rd, 2011

Rather than write a proper post today, I’m going to lead you on a bit of a journey around the internet, to some posts and information about Carina Press that I wouldn’t otherwise get the opportunity to share here.

First, I attended Emerald City Writer’s Conference in Seattle this past weekend. It’s really a fabulous conference. If you ever get a chance to attend, as an editor, agent or author, you should. I did two sessions, one on the future of publishing and one on branding and website, and both were extremely well attended. In fact, the branding/website session ended up having people turned away because the room was stuffed full. Very flattering! You can find a few recounts on the branding session on the blogs of Jenna Bayley-Burke and Terri Odell (whose title: Branding is For More Than Cattle I’ve already asked permission to steal). On Jenna’s blog, you can also find a recap of my future of publishing workshop (as well as a picture of the blue Italian leather cowboy boots I brought back as souvenir from Australia in August!) Make sure you scroll through the last week of Jenna’s other blog posts, for more recaps from the conference.

Today I wrote a post for author Wynter Daniels’ blog. Three things I want you to think about as we move into publishing in 2012. It’s a bit of a rant, you might enjoy it.

We don’t currently have a lot of Carina Press books in print, but a new one is for sale now. You can buy Angela Henry’s romantic suspense The Paris Secret in print via Harlequin.com. It was part of the Suspense Reader subscription program, so readers who subscribe to that program received The Paris Secret as part of their November shipment.

Also, don’t forget that Audible.com adds new Carina Press titles in audio book quite frequently. This week’s new releases: Behind the Scenes, Cry Wolf and Dangerous Magic are all already available in audio. You can see a more comprehensive list of our audiobook titles here.

If you don’t follow me on Twitter, you may have missed a few topics I discussed this past week, so I’ve put them into Storify accounts. The first is some posts I did on promo items, using examples I got from the Emerald City conference. The second is a Q&A chat Kensington editor Megan Records and I did on the #askeditor hashtag yesterday. You can see the full account of that here. Last, every month I do an #editreport on Twitter, as I go through the editors’ reports to me of the submissions they’ve read. It’s a good insight into what an editor thinks as they’re reading submissions.

As always, you can follow Carina Press on Twitter and on Facebook. Today on Facebook, you’ll get a sneak peek of upcoming covers. Starting in November, we’ll also be doing a Facebook contest, and offering extended excerpts of upcoming books.

That’s it for today’s tour of the internet. Hey! If you know of something Carina Press related around the ‘net that people should check out, please leave it in the comments.

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Posted in Carina Press | 1 Comment »

Carina Press call for submissions!

Rhonda Helms | October 21st, 2011

Hi guys! Several of us freelance editors decided it was time to do another call for submissions we’re dying to get in. Of course, PLEASE note that in the end, what we really want is a good story, so even if yours doesn’t fit the descriptions below, don’t hesitate to send it to us anyway! Sometimes we don’t know what we want until we get it in our inbox. :-) You can find out more info on all the Carina freelance editors on this page.

Now, that said, let’s dish:

Rhonda Helms: I’m always open to pretty much every genre, with or without romance. Sometimes I don’t know I want something unless it hits my desk. But there are certain genres I’m eager to read more of, including: steampunk, atypical fantasy, sci-fi/futuristic, romance (any steaminess level), cross-genre urban fantasy, stories with a mythological element, historicals (especially if they feature real historical figures/events), stories set in unusual locales, gladiators (I LOVE them), thrillers with unusual twists, horror, super-funny stories, books with kick-ass heroines, and anything with a multicultural element.

Gina Bernal: Romance of any subgenre with military heroes or heroines, contemporary romance without suspense elements (including but not only small-town settings), historical romance with an adventurous bent (still searching for those elusive pirates), shapeshifter paranormals, urban fantasy with a unique twist (i.e. beyond the usual vampires and werewolves), and creepy though not necessarily gory psychological thrillers.

Melissa Johnson: Melissa would like to see submissions of any genre that have great worldbuilding, believable and original characters, and deep and difficult conflict.  She works with authors across the range of genres and niches that Carina publishes.  She is especially excited to see manuscripts with series potential that hint of a vast world and even bigger story in the author’s head.

Alison Janssen: I want to see more:

  • Scifi, especially space opera.
  • Gaslight and/or steampunk. (don’t we all, lol!)
  • Medieval.
  • Small town contemporary romance (or contemp. where setting plays an important part).
  • Redemption stories—any genre, really. I love, love, love themes of characters struggling to redeem themselves in the eyes of a parent, lover, community —or even their own eyes.

Denise Nielsen: It’s harder than it seems to narrow down genres I’d love to see. Just as my mind settles on one thing, another pops up. I’m still looking for solid contemporaries, steampunk and/or suspense stories or novellas, but with the gloomier weather kicking in, I find I am more in the mood for plots and characters that have a darker edge. Not so much shape shifters, but more danger and mystique, more human characters with secrets. I would love to see something gothic come my way with a hint of suspense perhaps…think smugglers, highwaymen or soldiers of fortune; think mysterious heroines and a world where not everything is as is seems.

Historicals are still something I’m keen on and anything to do with norse or medieval themes would especially capture my interest. Feel free to incorporate legend and myth to give it more of a fantasy flavour too. I also maintain that a novel set among the spies and resistance fighters of world war II would be intriguing…there is so much room for developing a strong heroine in that period. What I don’t want is a history lesson…the focus needs to be on the characters, but please do weave in authentic historical details to give depth to your story.

Take a risk with cross-genre blends, or stick to your favourite genre. But do it with strong characters who take an active role in their own plot. Give me conflict (both internal and external) and character development, and if there is a romantic element to your story, show me the fire—whether that is a slow burn or instant passion—between the heroine and hero.

Lynne Anderson: I’d particularly love to see cross-genre stories, and interracial, multicultural, and/or LGBT relationships. However, I’m always interested in reading well-written, engaging stories in all genres (truly—I enjoy them all!), of any length. What catches my attention is a distinctive writing voice, a certain flair with language, unusual premises, new and interesting takes on standard tropes, and imperfect, genuine characters with depth. I look forward to reading your submissions!

Deb Nemeth: On my wish list are high-stakes thrillers and cleverly constructed mysteries featuring a compelling detective who a series can be based on. One of my favorite genres is historical romance, especially English and Irish settings from Celtic to WW2 but also any European (medieval, Crusaders, Renaissance, buccaneers), as well as unusual settings such as Asia and Africa. I can’t get enough steampunk, so if your invented world is full of gears and gadgets, I wanna read it. I’m also actively seeking contemporary romance mss with strong conflict—something more than an I’ve-been-hurt-before hesitation to commit—and passionate characters. I’ve been longing to acquire Asian-inspired urban fantasy, space westerns, futuristic mystery/suspense and Arthurian fantasy. In all genres I’m looking for m/m and multicultural stories, and I’m open to all heat levels. I’m attracted by intense characters, both lawmakers and lawbreakers, and crisp writing.

Elizabeth Bass: What would I like to see more of? Historicals! Romances, of course, but I also would be interested in historical mysteries or thrillers. I’ve really been craving more Western historicals, Regencies, and books set in the medieval period. (Although from the Carina submissions I’ve received and acquired, I’ve discovered any historical period can be great if the writer finds the story to make it click!) Also, it would be fun to see submissions from authors who have branched out into twentieth century historicals–romances, mysteries or thrillers set during the World Wars or the years between. I’d love to see more thrillers or police procedurals with a hero/heroine detective who has series potential. Cozy mysteries, too.  I’ve been rereading Sparkle Hayter’s Robin Hudson series and I’m craving a fun cozy series with a woman detective. Finally, a great zombie/creature apocalypse thriller in my inbox would make my day.

Mallory Braus: Mallory looks for characters first. Three dimensional and relatable characters—with depth and vulnerabilities—pull her into a story faster than anything else. She’s looking for all genres, but there are a few things she’s especially keeping an eye out for:

  • I’m still hoping to find a zombie hunter romance in my inbox. Though, I will read all things zombie related.
  • Psychics – Especially if you have psychic FBI agents or members of a special government agency…
  • I’ve been keeping an eye out for quirky characters. Nerdy/dorky heroines or heroes. Funny relatives. Etc.
  • Gritty thrillers.
  • Historical Mysteries.
  • “Band of Brother” type series. Examples would be Nora Roberts’s trilogies, Suzanne Brockmann’s Troubleshooters, or J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood. Where an emphasis is on the building of multiple characters’ relationships.
  • Stories with unique worlds/setting, including, but not limited to: steampunk, post-apocalyptic, futuristic sci-fi and urban fantasy

So, if you have anything that fits the editor requests (or even just a great book in general!) to submit, visit our submissions page and follow the directions there. You can address your submission to one of the editors above, or the editorial staff in general. Thanks, and we look forward to reading your amazing stories!

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Posted in editorial, editors, submissions | 35 Comments »

Drinking the Kool-Aid

GinaBernal | September 29th, 2011

So, did you preorder a Kindle Fire tablet yet? I have to admit that, up until Wednesday morning, I had avoided drinking the Amazon Kool-Aid. My trusty Sony PRS-300 (love making collections to sort books!) and original Kobo have served my ereading needs well, and as a coupon hound I’ve enjoyed taking advantage of special sales at a variety of ebook retailers. But ever since the iPad debuted, I’ve been lusting for a tablet…I just couldn’t fathom dropping $500 on a gadget I didn’t really need. Want, want, want, yes. Need? Not so much. However, the Fire’s price tag (minus a couple gift cards) set off my shopping impulse and I surrendered.

The thing I wonder is, how—if at all—will owning a tablet change the way I read? Back when the original Kindle launched and ebooks became big news, I confess, I was a naysayer. I didn’t think a gadget could satisfyingly replicate the experience of holding a book in my hands. Then I borrowed a colleague’s first-generation Sony for the weekend… “Duh, Gina you big goober,” I probably said to myself, “it’s the stories that make you love reading not the feel of the paper.”

Now I’m a huge fan of dedicated Eink devices—though I may occasionally sniff a new paper book now and again. I love how I don’t have to choose only a couple books to bring on vacation. How I can start a new book at midnight without leaving my bed or even reaching for the nightstand. And especially how well ereaders hide my book hoarding tendencies from my significant other.

I also know how much fun it is to waste hours playing Angry Birds or streaming random PBS documentaries on my iPod. Will having a nifty new gadget with more than just books on it mean my reading time will have even more competition? Or will the color browsing and same-place access to book blogs and Amazon’s one click make book shopping that much more fun? Guess we’ll see come November!

What’s your favorite device to read on? Are you tempted by Amazon’s new Kindle offerings? How have ebooks changed your reading habits?

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Posted in editors | 15 Comments »

Now hiring: Freelance Developmental/Content Editors

Angela James | June 2nd, 2011

Yes, it’s that time again, my favorite time of year when we go looking for some fresh victims talented team members in the form of freelance developmental editors.

Now, before you get all excited and shoot off an email, please read what we’re looking for carefully. Respondents who don’t meet the requirements or who don’t include the requested material will not receive a reply.

Requirements:

* One year paid experience editing fiction. In lieu of paid experience, I will accept editorial and agent internships in which the applicant worked with fiction and provided editorial feedback.

* Understanding of the difference between editing and polishing a book/offering insight into editorial issues and rewriting or interfering with an author’s voice.

* Ability to communicate editorial revisions to an author in a professional manner.

* Genuine love of editing, reading and the craft of writing.

* Ability to self-motivate, stay on task and meet deadlines consistently.

* Ability to take direction and feedback, while also offering critique.

* Interest in working in a freelance environment with a team feel.

* Desire and ability to help an author build her career.

* Interest in working in the digital industry, being part of a growing business, and being a leader in the digital industry.

* Willingness to engage in other activities, both paid and unpaid, such as contest judging, offering critiques, guest blogging and interacting with editorial and author peers in an online environment.

* Willingness to attend virtual editorial team meetings.

* Desire to learn about digital book marketing, as well as other aspects of digital publishing.

* Thorough understanding of and insight into the genres you choose to edit.

If you meet these qualification requirements, are willing to work in a freelance capacity for a flat, per-project/per-assignment fee, and would like to learn more about the freelance editorial position, please send your CV and a letter of interest, detailing your qualifications and stating why you are interested in working for Carina Press in particular, as well as what genres you feel you’d be qualified to edit, to my attention at generalinquiries AT carinapress.com I will respond with some further information about the position. From there, we ask all applicants to who move forward with the process to perform an editorial evaluation on a manuscript, so please be prepared to go through this process if you apply.

Please note that reply may be sporadic, as I will be traveling quite a bit in the month of June, and will not always be able to reply promptly to letters of interest.

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Posted in Carina Press, editors | 10 Comments »

Taking It Slow

DeborahNemeth | May 20th, 2011

by Deborah Nemeth, Carina Press Freelance Developmental Editor. You can follow Deborah on Twitter @DebNemeth.

I have a great appreciation for subtlety in prose. For authors who can convey slight shifts in attitudes with understated writing. For authors who use small details to show the reader what a character is feeling rather than explaining what is going on. And I enjoy it when authors apply this technique to building sexual tension.

There’s a place in romance for the coup de foudre, but if every story opens that way, it starts to feel tired and predicable, especially for editors reading manuscript submissions. Erotic romance readers expect the hero and heroine’s emotional relationship to develop via their physical one, so instalust is entirely appropriate in a story focused on sexual attraction. But in regular romance, women’s fiction, and fiction with romantic elements, I love a slow build.

I admire the fine brushwork of a relationship arc that progresses from a second glance to flirting. It makes a refreshing change from a steady diet of the bold, broad brushstrokes of immediate, full-on hots that saturate so many stories. There’s a sameness to these reactions in every h/h encounter—the dry mouths, pounding pulses, peaking nipples and moistening privates. Instant arousal can also be hard to believe in some situations, such as when the hero has just kidnapped the heroine.

I’m putting in a plea for more stories in which, instead of lusting after the hero’s bod the instant she lays eyes on him, the heroine might be indifferent or simply be struck by something in his expression, his face, his demeanor. For more stories in which the heroine—even while frustrated with the hero’s arrogance or intransigence or misguided thinking or interference or whatever is driving the conflict between them—begins noticing some admirable qualities. His strength, competence and intelligence. The way he goes out of his way to help or defend someone in need.

Likewise, I appreciate stories in which the same goes for the hero’s reactions to the heroine, his attraction to her increasing along with his growing admiration of her qualities, so the focus is not solely the physical.

If reactions to a significant glance are sketched subtly, with more ambiguity, in understated little details that accrue, page by page and scene by scene, the author can then construct a solid foundation on which attraction can develop. This gives the relationship scope to build, so the intensity of sexual tension can steadily mount, and every encounter between your protagonists won’t feel the same.

Don’t get me wrong. I also enjoy stories in which the h/h experience strong attraction from early in the story, but sometimes it’s nice to see this desire be depicted with a light hand in the early scenes—avoiding the same old, same old physical responses—so we can get that sense of increasing attraction, in scenes of constantly growing intensity.

So if you’ve written a romance or story with romantic elements, and it’s not erotic, don’t feel that the sexual attraction always needs to go from 0-90 mph in the first encounter. Consider deferring the responses of nether regions until later in the story. Instead, give your couple’s relationship a slower arc with more subtlety in the details. And if you’ve written a romance about a captive falling in love with her captor, it will be much easier for editors and readers to believe…

What about you? Any other readers enjoy the slower build?

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Posted in Carina Press, Writing/Submissions Advice, editors | 25 Comments »

Tired Openings

DeborahNemeth | January 6th, 2011

by Deborah Nemeth, Freelance Acquisitions and Developmental Editor for Carina Press. You can follow her on Twitter @DebNemeth.

When reviewing a manuscript submitted for publication, editors are looking for many things, just as readers do when browsing for a new book. Voice is important, and so is compelling action in the first scene. Whether I’m in a bookstore opening a novel or at my desk opening a manuscript submission, a tired opening may sway me to pass on to the next one.

A tired opening is one editors have seen so often, it makes us suspect the rest of the story will be predictable. As with any writing “rule” or “advice,” there are always exceptions, but it might be helpful for authors to be aware of some of the ones we’ve seen done to death.

Some slow openings suggest a lack of experience. Brand new authors often begin their novels with the life story of the protagonist, filling us in on his or her birth, childhood and education. Sometimes we get his complete ancestry, with maybe a geography lesson thrown in too. Are there published novels that open this way? Yes, but not many new authors are landing contracts for commercial fiction manuscripts that contain this type of first scene.

Less experienced authors often open their stories (and maybe every chapter) with the hero/heroine waking up. This is an opening I’m really sick of, even though I’ve seen it work well when given a twist. I’m drawn to stories that open in action, with something interesting happening, and I don’t want to see the heroine getting dressed and driving to work. Closely related to this is the dream/nightmare opening. I’m not fond of dream sequences in general, so I have to force myself to keep reading if you hit me with one in the first paragraph.

“It was a dark and stormy night” has been done before. Description can work but only if compellingly presented to convey mood, tension and character.

In romantic suspense and mysteries we often get a prologue in the villain’s viewpoint as he’s murdering someone, so it’s refreshing when we see something different.

In romances and women’s fiction, I’m tired of the BFF telling the heroine or hero she/he needs to get laid. And the heroine catching her husband/lover in bed with another woman (or man). A few others include the heroine getting a makeover to win the hero’s heart and the jaded Regency hero making love to his mistress before dumping her.

We won’t always pass on a ms that contains one of these openings, but they may give the project a handicap that will take an awesome voice to overcome, and there’s a chance the author will be asked to revise the first scene during edits.

What should an author do instead? Begin your ms when the story does. Open with action and/or tension, showing your hero or heroine passionately pursuing a goal, worrying about a problem, or thrown into a sticky situation. Don’t overload us with the characters’ pasts, but show us their present and future—where they’re trying to go, what they’re trying to accomplish or avoid.

Here are a few Carina Press novel openings that hook me. On the first page of Storm Warning by Toni Anderson, a Columbian drug lord asks an undercover DEA agent what should be done with the DEA agent spying on him. In the next scene, we meet the heroine as she sees the ghost of her father, then pulls a dead body out of the surf. Kim Knox’s Gambit opens as truth crawlers burrow into the heroine’s flesh prior to an interrogation. As Silver Bound by Ella Drake opens, a woman is fleeing her crime lord husband. The hero of Amy Atwell’s Lying Eyes is hunting for missing jewels. If your story doesn’t contain a lot of suspense/SF action, you can still hook us at the outset with other kinds of tension and interesting situations. In the first scene of Inez Kelley’s contemporary romance Sweet as Sin, the hero is returning lingerie that blew off the heroine’s clothesline.

Readers, how about you? Are there opening scenes that you’ve seen too often? What are some of your favorite openings?

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Posted in Writing/Submissions Advice, editorial, editors, submissions | 17 Comments »

How do acquisitions work?

Angela James | October 14th, 2010

Every so often we have someone ask, via interview, at conferences, or during conversation how our acquisitions process works at Carina Press. I’ve often wished I had a handy link that I could just say “go here for all your answers” because it’s not a short answer. So now I’m going to create one and give you some insight into our process, which will also help you get a sense of timeline as well.

To start, all submissions run through our submissions@carinapress.com email address. Even when a submission is sent directly to a freelance editor from a returning or referred author, the submission is forwarded to me at that address so we can track it in our system, and have a record of all submissions.

Once a submission comes in, it’s entered into the system. Generally, submissions get assigned to an editor for reading within 2-3 weeks of hitting the inbox.

Submissions are assigned based on a preference basis. This means I keep a spreadsheet (a very thorough spreadsheet) of editor genre preferences. They’ve indicated if  a genre is preferred, something they’ll read or something they don’t want to see. This allows me to match up editors and manuscripts, so no editor is reading a genre they don’t enjoy, and they are often reading genres they love. Additionally, I check in with the editors every few months to see if they want to make updates or changes, or if they’d like to see more or less of a genre. Also, I should mention that editors are paid for each step of the process, so we’re not asking for free labor from our freelancers and they have incentive to meet the deadlines (and incentive to read, read, read your submissions. It’s a win all around!)

When editors indicate they’re ready to read submissions, I send them out in batches of ten. Editors then have a week to respond with a preliminary report (of a few sentences to a paragraph for each book) based on a read of no more than 3 chapters (and often much less, as they get good at weeding through submissions). Do they recommend rejection, a full read or a look by another editor. Sometimes it’s a genre they enjoy, but a particular book is not for them but seems to have potential. For instance, we had a recent submission of dark urban fantasy that the original editor found a little too violent, but recognized as good writing, so she suggested a second editor have a look. That ended in an acquisition!

Once the editors have returned their prelim reports, they have two weeks to return reports on any manuscripts kept for full reads. Based on those reads, they recommend either acquisition, rejection or revise and resubmit (we’ll talk about revise and resubmits in a later post).

Manuscripts recommended for rejection get filed by me for response, unless the editor has worked with the author in the past, then they may send the response. Those recommended for R&R will get responses from the editor. And those recommended for acquisition get moved to a special folder and put on the agenda for our weekly acquisitions team meeting.

At the weekly meeting, I present the editor’s recommendation report and an acquisitions team member (comprised of people from marketing, production, promotion, sales, community and editorial) volunteers to read it. From that time, the team member reports within 2 weeks at a team meeting what their recommendation is. If the team member didn’t like it, it’s given to a second team member to read. Two people must say yes (the editor being one and a team member being the second) before a manuscript is acquired, but a manuscript isn’t rejected or sent for R&R without at least two acquisitions team members looking at it first, to give it a fair chance.

If you’re counting along at home, this means that once the manuscript reaches the acquisitions team, it can take up to 4-5 weeks (depending on when the report is received, especially if it’s received the day after the weekly meeting) for it to go through this step of the process. Acquisitions team members also report on the manuscript, and offer feedback.

After we’ve agreed to make an acquisition, I assign it to my list of calls/emails to make. I generally make these every 2 weeks, unless there’s an urgent deadline on a manuscript. If an author is in the US or Canada, I make the offer call. If an author is outside US/Canada, I send an offer email. And from there, a new process begins!

So, if you’ve been counting along, you can see how we come to need 12-16 weeks for some submissions. The process can be prolonged in several places: if the original editor recommends it be seen by a second editor, if the acquisition team needs more time or a second reader, if anyone in the process (the editor or me) needs more time in the process. The reports I’ve mentioned along the way, those are what I use to evaluate and send rejection letters. Sometimes the editor has included critical advice I think it will benefit the author to see. Sometimes the reports’ language is meant for my eyes only. We’ve discussed rejections in detail here and here.

And now you know the secret, behind-the-scenes acquisition/submissions process. Did it answer questions or raise more?

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Posted in Behind the Scenes, editorial, editors, submissions | 20 Comments »

September submissions update

Angela James | October 1st, 2010

I spent the past three days going through submission reports from our freelance editors and sending out the dreaded rejection letters to just under 200 authors. While this definitely isn’t my favorite part of the job, I do get a sense of…accomplishment from knowing that we’re not leaving these authors waiting and wondering. This time around, I took advantage of the wealth of insight and knowledge in the editors’ reports to tweet 20 common things we see in manuscripts and reasons we reject them (via my personal Twitter account). Though I did do a blog post about this a few months back, I got some requests to put the information I tweeted into a blog post, since it was a bit different and expanded, and I’ll try to do that within the next week.

In the meantime, I have some info to share

*As of today, everyone who submitted on or before August 9th has received a response from us. We’ve been saying our response time is 14 to 16 weeks and, for the most part, with the exception of a handful of submissions, we’ve been doing much better than this. I’m really pleased with how we’re turning submissions around and I hope the authors who’ve sent in manuscripts are as well.

*Approximately one-third of the people who received rejections yesterday received some type of personal feedback, even if it was only a line or two. Some received several paragraphs of feedback.

*To date, we’ve acquired just under 200 titles for scheduling into Summer 2011

*The majority of those are romance or a subgenre of romance but also include women’s fiction, mystery, science fiction, urban fantasy and fantasy in the non-romance genres.

*Approximately only 15% of those 200 titles are erotic romance. Of that 15%, half have already been released. So less than 10% of our coming catalog is erotic romance. For those worried we were going to dominate our catalog with erotic romance. (and yes, we are still seeking and acquiring erotic romance)

*One non-romance genre we haven’t acquired in that the editors continue to try for is thriller!

*We added three new freelance editors last week, for a total of thirteen. That means, that right now is a really great time to submit your work for consideration.

*Unfortunately, we’ve changed the way we track submissions so I haven’t figured out the best way to acquire total submissions and rejections, as well as updated percentages. However, my mental math (admittedly not 100% accurate) tells me we’re hovering around 1800 total submissions. Our slush acceptance seems to be holding steady around 5%, but we’re seeing a lot of existing authors submitting and contracting new work. Our numbers are slightly skewed, as well, by the 14 titles we’re re-releasing from Jennifer Greene. With all of that factored in, acceptance is around 10% when you include returning authors and agented submissions.

*Yes, we do reject both agented submissions and return authors.

* We are still very enthusiastically acquiring in all fiction genres with the exception of YA/children’s books.

Now, what questions do you have for me about submissions and acquisitions?

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Posted in Behind the Scenes, Carina Press, editorial, submissions | 14 Comments »

Ask the editor: what does an editor do?

Angela James | September 17th, 2010

Today on Twitter I mentioned that Carina Press would be getting three new freelance developmental editors (pause for a quick wheeee! here). In response, the question was asked of me, “what do developmental editors do?”. I think this is a good question so I thought we could chat about edits and editors today.

First, different companies have different editors titles. I’ve heard developmental and content editor, as well as just “editor”. Then copy editor or final line editor. I’m going to use the term editor here to encompass the developmental or content editor. Second, my overview of who the editor is and what they do is overly simplified and generic for the purpose of this blog. Most editors have immense job descriptions with a small ton of duties, and it varies house by house. This is just meant to be an overview for clarification. Not exactly how it’s done anywhere, including Carina.

Generally, when someone refers to their editor, they’re referring to the person who (theoretically) recommended their book for acquisition. Theoretically because sometimes books get acquired and then that editor leaves and it gets passed to another editor. Anyway. At more traditional publishers, the editor is often the person who also negotiates the contract with the agent/author. At Carina Press, I’m actually that person. I tell people that the beauty of freelance editors is that they are free to concentrate on editing!

This editor will be the person who walks the book through the publication process of getting cover art, cover copy and so importantly, of doing the actual editing. They’re generally the main point of contact for the author at the company, communicating deadlines, release dates, etc., and they’re the bossy bit of goods who will be asking the author to (sometimes) kill their darlings or otherwise point out plot holes, continuity errors, character flaws (in the characters of the book, not in the author, one hopes) and all of the other large and smaller editorial things that go into making a book ready for the readers. Some editors are quite good at the line editing portion of editing, and will also point out writing tics, ways to improve and polish writing, and will correct grammar and punctuation as they go. Some editors concentrate mainly on the large-picture edits.

The editor is also the person who determines when the book is ready for the copy editor. The copy editor is that glorious being who is in charge of the minute details of the book. Grammar, punctuation, incorrect word usage, tense/verb agreement, minor line editing, historical accuracy (or inaccuracy, as the case may be) and more. They are the “clean-up” crew and help put the final spit and polish on the book. Copy editors aren’t asked to or expected to do any large revisions or rewrites of sentences/passages. But if the copy editor sees an issue, they point it out for the author/editor’s attention. I usually think of the copy editor as the first reader, after edits.

After the copy editor marks the manuscript all up with their virtual red ink (since more and more editors are going to electronic), and the author has addressed them as needed, the editor is the person who finalizes the manuscript and sends it to production to be turned into a book for us, the readers!

That’s it in a very generic and rather broad nutshell. The secret lives of editors and copy editors. Any questions?

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Posted in Behind the Scenes, editorial, editors | 5 Comments »

Ask an editor: Voice or Grammar?

Angela James | August 27th, 2010

This week on Twitter, I put out a call on my personal Twitter account and asked people if they had a burning question for an editor, because I needed blog topics for my personal blog. The response was so enthusiastic, that I decided to use a few of the topics for the Carina blog as well, so I could get to more of them faster. If you want to see what I’ve covered so far, you can visit here for those posts.  On Monday, Jenny is going to be covering one on the production side of things, but today I tackle an editorial question. @stacey_kennedy asked: What is more important the voice or the grammar?

I’m sure there are other editors out there with different opinions, but I believe, at least initially, the grammar is most important? Why? Because without good grammar, your voice is going to appear unpolished and more…remedial. Quite often, one of my initial issues with a manuscript, after it not starting in the right place, is poor writing. Poor writing that comes not from the inability to plot or tell a story, but comes from poorly constructed sentences, extreme misspellings, dialogue that doesn’t fit with the stature/background/vocation of the character, and heinous abuse of punctuation. These are things that actually both add to voice in a negative way, as well as detract from the voice, and thus, the story.

Now, it needs to be said that when I refer to grammar, I mean a good basic grasp of grammar and how to polish your own grammar quirks out of your writing so you have your character’s voice, instead of yours. I’m not suggesting that you feel you need to be a grammar expert, or have a manuscript so polished, you barely seem to need a copy editor. I’m just talking an attention to crafting sentences, narrative and dialogue.

Is voice important? Heck yeah! Voice is that undefinable *thing* that makes editors keep reading, that makes readers pick up the book, that makes the word of mouth grow and gathers fans by the droves. Voice is incredibly important. It’s why authors like JR Ward, Stephanie Meyer, Dan Brown and others are NY TImes bestsellers. Readers love the voice of their stories. But because I believe grammar is one of the building blocks of voice, that’s why I say it’s more important to start. It’s one of those things that, once you’ve got it down, isn’t really an issue at all!

Are there exceptions? Sure. I can think of a particular author who’s gotten a number of multi-book deals and has a nice fan following, despite her seeming inability to grasp grammar (and what I consider unpolished writing, but who am I to argue with her sales?) So bad grammar won’t always affect your chances, but I’ll refer back to this post, where I suggest you not believe you’ll be the Cinderella story. We call them exceptions for a reason!

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Posted in Writing/Submissions Advice | 4 Comments »

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