Love it. Write it.
Love it.
We started Carnation Books because we love fandom.
It has shaped our lives for over twenty years, and we believe that fanfiction writers are the hardest-working, most talented writers on Earth. We want to help experienced authors share their work with readers outside of fandom.
Representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, and queer characters is more important than ever. Carnation Books is dedicated to the promotion of LGBTQIA+ characters, stories, and romance.
We chose the name Carnation Books because of the significance of the carnation in queer history. Though its exact origins are apocryphal, a dyed-green carnation boutonniere came to be associated with gay men in the Victorian era, and its most famous wearer was the playwright and author Oscar Wilde. Green carnations are a symbol of what the gay community has overcome, and a sign of the bright future that awaits LGBTQIA+ people today.
Our motto is "Fandom First." We pledge to put fanwork creators, fans, and fandom first in everything that we do. Our mission is to celebrate and uplift a community filled with talent and passion.
Write it.
If the following apply to you, then we'd love to read your work!
You are a writer of fanfiction that features romance between characters who are queer, gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, or any other non-heterosexual orientation, or your characters are transgender, intersex, genderfluid, or are of any other non-cisgender identity.
You want to work with an independent publisher devoted solely to fandom writers.
You want your work published as an ebook on Amazon. (If your work is a full-length novel or story collection, we may choose to make it available in paperback from Amazon as well!)
You want things like paid advertising, cover artwork, and formatting to be handled by your publisher, so that you can focus on writing your next story.
At Carnation Books, we exist to celebrate fandom and uplift fandom writers.
Whether you find success in publishing with Carnation Books, you publish your work elsewhere, or you decide that you want to keep sharing your work as fanfiction, your work matters. You matter. Thank you so much for sharing your hard work with the world. We are all richer for it.