Posts Tagged ‘editors’

Mi Kindle Es Su Kindle

Hi, I’m Adrienne Macintosh, an associate editor at Harlequin, member of the Carina Press acquisitions team and a Carina Press blog virgin. I figured I’d introduce myself by explaining why I love my job…and occasionally hate my boyfriend.

You see, my boyfriend and I are in that lovely period in our relationship where I’m constantly going back and forth between his place and mine. And I’m constantly leaving something behind with him—earrings, clothing, embarrassing hygiene products, and, this week, my Kindle.

He called to say I’d forgotten it, adding he was glad it was there because he needed something to read. And then I thought, crap. What exactly is on my Kindle? I’d just downloaded a bunch of Carina books recommended to me by my fellow Harlequinites. Let’s see, I had a cozy mystery, a contemporary romance, a fantasy, a BDSM erotic romance, a historical erotic romance, a paranormal erotic romance…

This, actually, is what I love about working on the Carina Press acquisitions team. There’s such a huge variety—of genres, of lengths, of sensuality. And at the core of each book is always a great story that renews my passion for publishing every time. Which is great for me, and all the readers of Carina Press books.

But what about my boyfriend who reads techie thrillers? I figured a little romantic fiction could go a long way, so I told him to go ahead and open whatever he wanted to.

He chose the mystery.

What about you, would you let someone open your reading device?

Series Books that Stand Alone

If I fall in love with an author’s world and characters, it’s wonderful to discover that there are more of them—a series, available to buy and read now.

On the other hand, I hate starting to really get into a book and then getting the sinking feeling that I’ve missed something. That this book is part of a series, and to follow along I really need to read the previous however many volumes first. This forces a decision: do I go to the trouble of buying the first book(s), or DNF and read something else in my TBR pile?

While reading the books of a series in order can be rewarding, that’s not always how we discover them. As subsequent books come out, there will always be new readers checking them out.

I like it when authors make it easy for us to read their series out of order.

If I’m reviewing manuscripts submissions for possible acquisition, I look for this quality in a sequel. This means giving the sequel its own beginning, middle and end. Giving it its own villain, or at least introducing the villain of previous adventures in a new way, in action. Likewise, all characters need to be introduced again. Prior episodes should be treated as backstory, with the focus of the book on the current conflict, goals and motivation.

A book can become overcrowded if the characters of previous books appear for no reason other than to wave at the reader and announce the birth of their youngest child. If the cast is too large, a story can sometimes lose focus.

Of course I realize there are many series that tell one long story and are really best read in order. But if the stories are independent enough, why not write the series so that each book can work as a stand-alone read?

It’s the end of the world as we know it…

If you believe the theories, tomorrow, December 21, 2012, is the Mayan Armageddon (and not the good one with Aerosmith tunes and Ben Affleck). Way to ruin my birthday, Mesoamerican Long Count calendar!

Personally, though, I think we’ll all be here come December 22. We better, as I have theater tickets for Saturday and a hard time pronouncing the word “apocalypse.” While I’m not prepared for end times in the stockpile a bunker way, I feel like I’ve learned a thing or two about surviving in a post-apocalyptic world from reading many a book set in the aftermath of doomsday.

But what if “your” world ceased to exist before you were ever born? This question provides the backdrop for Eleri Stone’s Twilight of the Gods series. Although those around them are living in Earth as we know it, there are people for whom the apocalypse has long been a reality. In Demon Crossings, readers were introduced to the denizens of Ragnarok, Iowa, folks who can trace more than bloodlines to mythological times. They’re the descendants of the ancient Norse gods, a people who found refuge on Earth when their own world, Asgard, was destroyed.

What little magic remains in Asgard leaks through fault lines between worlds…but so do demon threats. Imagine being charged with protecting the lives of your own people as well as those of the unsuspecting humans around you. It’s a duty and a burden shouldered by the heroes and heroines who, while never having experienced the old way of life, are stilled ruled by it. But let’s face it, if I was starting over after the destruction of this world, Aiden and his hunt are people I’d want guarding my back!

That tension between duty and the old clan ways and modern, earthly desires is one of the things that make this series so fun to edit—and read. And a conflict that takes center stage in book two, coming in June 2013. Hopefully you’re all still around to enjoy it!

What traditions/customs from our current culture would you want to see make it through to a post-apocalyptic world? What fictional character would you want at your side if you had to go into survival mode?

Giving Thanks for Series

Happy Thanksgiving to all those in the U.S (and happy Thursday to everyone else)! Depending on when you’re reading this, I’m either helping prep an intricate turkey dinner, enjoying that delicious turkey dinner, or napping after said tryptophan-laden turkey dinner. Yum.

Today, many around the country are thinking about the things they’re thankful for. Me? I’ve got all the usual biggies on my list: family, friends, health. But on a lighter note, I’m just thankful I was able to finish the first five books in George R.R. Martin’s gargantuan A Song of Ice and Fire series before the end of 2012.

Cue the theme song

Like many recent fans, I was spurred to pick up the books after watching the HBO show. I downloaded Game of Thrones to my ereader on January 31, 2011 and turned the final page of A Dance with Dragons in the wee hours of October 29, 2012. Whew! Now I know why it’s called epic fantasy.

Reading a series—whether made up of thousand-page tomes or shorter, but more plentiful volumes (J.D. Robb anyone?)—requires commitment. And I don’t know about you, but I have some personal quirks when it comes to series. Aside from the length and my snails’ pace reading, one thing that slowed my journey through A Song of Ice and Fire was the simple fact that I bought the first book but checked the second out of the library. Because I’m a weirdo who doesn’t like to own some books in a series but not others (and who hates spending my precious book budget on things I’ve already read), I was at the mercy of the library wait list. See what I mean by quirks? Lesson learned: buy the book bundles!

All about instant gratification, I prefer to start a new series when there are at least two or three other books already available. I have mixed feelings about cliffhangers, but keep me interested and I’ll keep reading until I feel burned out or need a palate cleanser. Not that I haven’t fallen out of love with series in the past—sorry, Stephanie Plum. Sometimes I’ve fallen behind (again, J.D. Robb anyone?). And a recent post at the Dear Author blog sparked a thoughtful conversation about whether a seemingly endless run can possibly be detrimental to a series.

Still, despite the time investment reading a series demands, when an author creates a world or characters that capture the imagination, I’m happy to come back again and again. Treat me right, authors, and I’m a loyal reader.

What about you—series, yay or nay? Do you have any quirks about reading a series?

The Devil is in the Details

I was recently reading a contemporary romance for pleasure—not as an editor—and I had the annoying experience of being yanked out of a heartbreaking scene by some medical details that were inaccurate.

Did this ruin the book for me?  No.  Did I emit odd noises and mutter obscenities?  You betcha.  Do I imagine every reader of this scene had the same reaction as I did?  Of course not.  In fact, I went on to read quite a few reviews of the book, and apparently no one in the OB/GYN field happened to read this book and feel inclined to complain about this scene.  Go figure.

This experience made want to write here on the Carina blog about the special areas of expertise we have as readers that inform our experience of a book and cause us occasional “moments.”  In my case in my pleasure reading—we won’t get into my checking frenzy when editing—I unconsciously scrutinize medical details, anything in the financial field and use of the Spanish language.  Other readers can’t help but search for anachronisms in historicals, or see laws misunderstood or misapplied in romantic suspense.

I’m eternally grateful to fiction authors for allowing me to experience different worlds, bodies, careers, time periods, ages, situations, hobbies and passions.  Moreover, I think authors are incredibly brave.  They tread into the realms of their readers’ careers, personal experiences and passions.  Think of the knowledge an author needs to have to create a heroine who is a real estate agent, grew up in foster care and loves to parasail.  The authors I work with do an amazing job of researching for their books.  They interview people in the career fields of their characters, figure out the science behind breaking a car window, read countless history books and primary source materials to better understand a different era, find out how a person acts when coming out of a coma, and much, much more.

And does the work end there?  Heck no.  Now the writer has to weave in the details that enhance the believability of the story, without slowing things down or over-informing.  So, unless the information heightens the story’s tension or worldbuilding or characterization, readers don’t get every detail of it.  In my experience, fantastic authors tend to accumulate a lot of knowledge that doesn’t make the final cut.  (But I often get to see this overflow when authors respond to my queries in the margins.  Yay!)  This is also true in the genres of paranormal, fantasy and science fiction, where authors’ creative production in terms of setting, biology, history and language can be much larger than what appears in their books, and the authors fact-check against themselves to ensure consistency.

In a perfect world, all the various details in a book will ring true…ish, because reality is subjective, writers and editors are human, and you can’t please everyone.  So, have you ever read a scuba scene or calculated the time it took a character to knit a sweater…and groaned?  What are your specialties, the areas of expertise you’d like authors to write about after interviewing you?  And writers, what are you learning about for your current or next project?  What type of research do you find the most fun to do or most difficult?

Leading you around the internet

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.

Carina Press call for submissions!

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!

Drinking the Kool-Aid

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?

Now hiring: Freelance Developmental/Content Editors

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.

Taking It Slow

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?