A red graphic with two book covers on the right side. The left reads Editor Wishlist: Carina Press

Carina Press | 2025 Editor Wishlist

Carina Press is Harlequin’s digital-first adult fiction imprint, publishing first in ebook, with select releases in audio and print. Since its inception as the first digital imprint within a traditional publishing house, Carina Press has been an industry leader, and we continue to publish a broad range of romance, including paranormal, contemporary, fantasy, science fiction, LGTBQ+, and more.  We accept submissions of all heat levels, with a minimum word count of 50k and a maximum word count of 125k.

Below you’ll find a general list of what we’re looking for to fill our 2025/2026 publishing schedule. This is an expansive list but not an exclusive one—if you have a great story that meets our submission guidelines but isn’t mentioned here, please send it our way! 

We welcome all pairings and groupings—LGBTQ+ romances as well as m/f—and would especially welcome stories from authors belonging to traditionally marginalized communities.

Paranormal:

Cover image for Desiree M. Niccole's Untethering Dark
  • Monster romance. Specifically looking for high heat levels for this one! Think: Kimberly Lemming. Could range from cozy in both tone and setting to something darker. We’d love to see more LGBTQ+ characters and pairings, specifically M/M, in this space.
  • Fantasy romance. These romances can stand alone or carry a romance arc over multiple books, but the romance arc must eventually end in an HEA. Heat level can vary—we’re open to cozier material (The Baby Dragon Café is a great example here) or something with more spice.
  • Polyamorous relationships
  • Werewolves and omegaverse. Think: Emory Winters, Hannah Haze, Tessa Kane.

Romantic Suspense:

  • Suspense with heavy emphasis on the central romance. We’re looking for strong, protective characters, dramatic rescues, and off the charts chemistry, especially featuring LGBTQ+ and/or military characters. Ideally each book in a series will stand alone, with light touches on any complicated plotlines that take multiple books to resolve.
  • Suspense with a paranormal twist. Think: Hailey Turner or K.D. Edwards. Looking for more M/M romances in this space.

Dark Romance:

  • Looking for dark romance with varying genres and tropes – like billionaires and dark fantasy – with characters put through the emotional ringer; especially interested in slow burn romance arcs (but high heat once the protagonists finally get together!).
  • Dark M/M, like Onley James’ serial killer series or the works of K.A. Merikan
  • LGBTQ+ dark academia
  • Stories with the “Who Hurt You” trope
  • Mafia romances with enemies to lovers plotlines, especially in the M/M space

Contemporary Romance with a Twist:

Cover image for Rachel Reid's Heated Rivalry
  • Cozy contemporary romance with creative twists on classic themes:
    • Nanny/single dad
    • Cinderella story
    • Coach’s daughter
    • Hidden/mistaken identity
    • City heroine/country hero
    • Homecomings
    • Best friend’s younger sister
  • Stories with a specific seasonality, especially fall
  • K-Pop romance, especially in the M/M space
  • Contemporary romance featuring a mystery twist with a strong voice and strong female lead that have potential to continue over multiple books. Think Julie Moffett and Jana DeLeon.
  • Romances featuring missed connections, like Coleman Domingo and his husband’s story

High heat/spicy Western featuring a Diversity of Characters and Romantic Journeys:

  • Sapphic Western— think Chappell Roan and gay romance. Think Orville Peck!
  • Rodeo set romances written by Black authors and featuring Black characters
  • Trope-heavy contemporary Western a la Lyla Sage or Elsie Silver

Want to know more about Carina Press? Watch our Editor POV with Senior Editor Stephanie Doig below:

Find the full submission guidelines for Carina Press on CarinaPress.Submittable.com