Tipsy Tuesday

Harlequin has announced the launch of Carina Press(TM), a digital-only publishing house that will operate independently of their traditional publishing businesses. Carina Press will sell its e-books direct-to-consumers via their website.

Angela James, previously with Ellora's Cave and former Executive Editor at Samhain, will be the new venture's Executive Editor, so they're starting out with great experience in their editing area.

Both the contract and distribution channels are different from Harlequin's other divisions, in that:

1. Books will be sold direct to consumers through the Carina Press website as well as third party distribution on other websites.
2. There is no guaranteed series distribution (no standing order, no direct mail, no overseas translation markets).
3. The Carina Press contract does not include an advance, and authors are compensated with a higher royalty, though at this point they're not saying what that "higher" royalty will be. (I'll be very disappointed if they come out with a royalty that's less than what most other electronic publishers are paying. That won't bode well for authors in the long run.)

Harlequin celebrated its 60th anniversary this year and is a powerhouse in romance fiction publishing. They're well on their way to dominating not just the women's fiction market, but other genres as well.

You can read the press release here.