Good Morning!
I was going to post on rejections this morning since I had a couple of heart-breakers recently. Heart breaking because they were from major publishing houses who praised my writing, characters, compelling plot, but didn't buy because it straddled the romance/women fiction market. Go figure. Maybe if I changed my name to D. Steel or something it may change my luck.
Whatever. Let's move on to the new subject, one that everyone is interested in.
CARINA PRESS - a new digital only imprint of Harlequin. It's very exciting news which has the industry abuzz, and they have a team of highly experienced editors and marketers that should make for an interesting experience. I don't understand the DRM thing, digital rights management, which they say they don't have, meaning the submitted work would not be protected from piracy, but everyone from famous authors down to nobody's like me, seem to get their books pirated anyway, so I'm not too concerned, and believe that Carina Press will protect the author's work as well as anyone can.
So gang, I have already submitted. It may never get considered, but the book has been sitting around for several years now. It was sold to Tiger Publications but before it went into print, Tiger closed their doors. If you have something that is polished, ready to go, but doesn't have a home somewhere else because it doesn't fit into one of their categories, then check out Carina Press because they take romance, all genres, science fiction, mystery, thrillers, horror, women fiction, anything as long as it is a REALLY GREAT STORY.
They say the books will not go into print, at the moment, but never say never. I think it's important to have a book in my hands to give to my friends and family and keep on my bookshelf, and I do hope they change their minds. Fast. But, needless to say, Carina Press has opened up another door to publication, and in this down market, that is a wonderful thing.
I want to wish them the very best of luck, and everyone who has submitted.
Let me hear from you.
Patrice
Hi, Patrice! Sorry you've had a rough time lately. I know what that's like! Carina Press is a great opportunity and I'm watching it carefully to see how things unfold. Good luck with your story and remember, you are not a nobody. You're a successful writer writing good stories. :)
Thanks Judy,
So true, but still reaching for the stars and can never quite catch one!
Patrice
I got a really bad rejection from an agent saying that "she couldn't get into my writing." Heartbreaker is the word! Thanks for the information on Carina. How do you submit? Electronically?
Thanks for letting me know about this. I hadn't heard about it before. Recently, I sold a story to WRP's Scarlett line so I'm open to a digital sale.
And remember rejection is part of the business. Even well established authors have to face that demon. But I have to admit that a rejection that praises my work, then says no to publishing it really hurts. Sometimes it takes me a few days to start believing in myself again after I receive such a rejection. Hang it there, the call will come.
It sounds worth looking into.
Sorry about the rejections. But I know your writing and I am absolutely positive you will end up on top!
Hi Patrice,
So sorry you've had some heartbreakers lately. Keep reaching--you'll get there.
Hi Mary, Joanne, Pamela, Nightingale,
Wow - I thought everyone had head of Carina Press by now. So glad I posted it. Please go to their website for all their information, and do not pass go! It's going to give the other epubs some major competition because they are going to actively market the books.
And thanks everyone for the kind words, but I got another rejection today. From Sourcebooks. Oh, well, it's not my best book, and I have 3still making the round!
Patrice I sooo feel your pain! Been there, done that, and I have the ugly tee shirt to prove it.
I had just decided to send all my previously rejected to work out to all the small presses and epubs. (I have quite a few projects and most have seen rejections. All of them hurt tons!)
When I saw the announcements about Carina press I reminded myself I had one more possibility.
Now to gather the courage to submit again! Thanks for the reminder.
Mama Mary
Mary M,
Yes, it's painful but you can't stop. Dust those manuscripts off and get them out asap to Carina or some other place. We can't stop now, right? We've gone too far and we've accompished so much. We're sooooooo close, and it could be this book, or the next book, and so on and so on. I've spent too much time to ever quit. I could have two PhD's by now! LOL.
Patrice, every published author has a folder of rejections tucked at the bottom of a drawer. Forget and keep going.
I got a rejection from Samhain today on my angels/demons anthology sub. Bah humbug. I wanted to be in that anthology.
Patrice, can you post a link to get us to the site?
Nightingale,
Just type Carina Press into the browser box and several websites will come up. You'll find out everything you need to know.
Good luck.
Patrice,
I so feel your pain, my mystery was noted to be compelling, yet rejected because the romance wasn't strong enough. Think I'll send it to Carina. Thanks for reminding me about them.
Scarlet
Ah, Patrice, we must be sisters. I have a few manuscripts that bridge genres. Maybe they could find a home at Carina. Never know unless I try, right? Thanks for inspiring me.
AJ
Sounds like a wonderful opportunity for those cross-genre stories -- and an opportunity for Harlequin, too, to find new authors and test which cross-genre combinations work well. Go, Patrice and everyone else who submits!
this may be a wonderful thing!!
Good luck Patrice!