Carina Press – How small press can help build careers.

Firebirds Lorenda Christensen and AJ Larrieu have a lot of things in common in their path to publication. Both were finalists in the 2012 Golden Heart ® competition in paranormal romance (which Lorenda won—Hooray, Lorenda!), and both eventually signed contracts with Carina Press to publish those manuscripts—plus a few more. Today, they’re chatting about what it’s like working with a digital publisher.

AJ: I thought we could start by talking about the nuts and bolts of how we ended up publishing with Carina. What was your process like?

Lorenda: I pitched my GH manuscript to Angela James at the 2012 RWA Conference. It was my very first conference, and my very first in-person meet with an editor. I chose to pitch her because I’d just recently taken a class led by Angela, called “Before You Hit Send”, and I was impressed with her ability to convey a wealth of information in a very approachable and easy to understand format.
I’m a nervous babbler, so it should come as no surprise that I started my pitch by asking her to pull me out of the walkway if I accidentally hyperventilated and passed out in someone’s footpath. She was quite gracious, and agreed to at least find someone to do it for her. (

A couple of weeks later, I got two offers on my manuscript, and one of those offers was from Carina Press.

AJ: Oh, in-person pitches terrify me! I probably would have babbled just as much. My situation was a little different. I actually signed with Carina through my agent. I found my agent querying my GH manuscript before it finaled, and we found a good fit for it at Carina. I was really impressed with their willingness to take risks with different kinds of stories. My books straddle the line between paranormal romance and urban fantasy, and I was glad to find a publisher that wasn’t thrown by that.
What made you pick Carina over your other offer?

Lorenda: What really sold me was my conversation with Angela when she offered for my manuscript. She didn’t tell me my manuscript was perfect. In fact, she specifically mentioned that there were some parts that needed some work. And that was exactly what I needed to hear. Never Deal with Dragons was my first finished manuscript. And while I suspect I will always have an over-inflated ego—I think authors must possess either ego or massive quantities of bravery to put their work in front of others—I wasn’t stupid enough to assume my work would be perfect. So I was very glad to speak with someone who didn’t try to ignore my faults, but instead was willing to help me fix them.

AJ: I think this is such an important point. As a writer, I really want someone who will push me to be better. If I wanted to hear my manuscript was perfect, I’d show it to my mom. What I want is for someone who gets my voice to help me be even more true to that voice.

I feel incredibly lucky to work with Deb, my editor at Carina. We’ve been through two books together now, and she never fails to bring out the best in my stories. She sees weaknesses even my most trusted critique partners don’t pick up on, and I come through every round of editing knowing the book is so much better. She knows my strengths as a writer, and she helps me play to them.
What has the editing process been like for you?

Lorenda: When people ask me about my experience with Carina, the very first thing I mention is the quality and quantity of the editing. Not only was my debut novel picked at with a fine-toothed comb, my new editor, Kerri Buckley, absolutely saved my life with Dancing with Dragons. When I signed with Carina, it was for three books. They let me decide on the due dates for my next two books (at that point, I hadn’t started on either), and I set my deadlines six months apart. At the time, I was living in India, working only part time at my dayjob, and I felt that six months was plenty of time to write a book.

I was utterly, completely wrong. Not only was my goal overly, shall we say, enthusiastic, I had some personal issues pop up right in the middle of book two. The stress of those things, combined with a move from India back to the US, and the attack of the “second book curse” caused me to write the most craptastic story I’d ever seen. Trust me when I tell you that I was NOT proud of that first draft. But I was so thrown by my absolute failure to meet my deadline, I couldn’t even calm myself enough to figure out how to fix it. But Kerri read the draft, and zeroed in on all the issues I was too panicked to see for myself. (

AJ: I know Carina is now listing editors on the copyright pages along with writers, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about that decision. I think the author-editor relationship can be a truly synergistic partnership.
Another thing I’ve been so pleased with working with Carina is that they really support me as an author. They’ve signed me up for multiple books, and they’re invested in promoting the whole series. Plus, they’re totally supportive of my self-publishing efforts. I have a novella out now with plans to publish more, and that’s no problem for them at all. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Lorenda: Definitely! I appreciate that they meant it when they told me that they are interested in building an author’s career, not just selling random books. Because that is exactly what I am trying to do. I’m at the very beginning of what I hope will be a long and profitable career in publishing. I was pleasantly surprised that I get not only the support of the Carina imprint, but Harlequin’s as well. Did I mention that my books are going to print as part of Harlequin’s Reader Services? Pretty cool, huh?

AJ: So awesome! And I definitely agree. As a new author, it’s been great to have the support of a professional marketing team.

Lorenda: So I think it’s safe to say that both of us are glad to be working with the Carina team!

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Lorenda’s second novel, Dancing with Dragons, came out on March 17th, and AJ’s first, Twisted Miracles, will be out on April 7th. Both have many more installments planned in their paranormal series.

So, Dear Readers, what else do you want to know about publishing with a small press? Feel free to ask us ANYTHING in the comments below. (And while I won’t speak for AJ, I will say that I think the idea of TMI is completely stupid. So really, ask me anything.)