Carlip's first book Girl Power: Young Women Speak Out was published in 1995. Her second book, Zine Scene, which she designed herself and co-wrote with Francesca Lia Block, won an American Library Association Award. Carlip's memoir Queen of the Oddballs: And Other True Stories from a Life Unaccording to Plan, forms a chronology of her life experiences.

Carlip is the creator, editor and host of the literary website "Fresh Yarn" which hosts works written by a diverse range of writers, performers and personalities. She has also been an NPR commentator, having written and recorded pieces for All Things Considered. With Josh Kilmer-Purcell, Danielle Trussoni, and Maria Dahvana Headley, she is a founding member of The Memoirists Collective, a group that seeks new talent in nonfiction.

Early in her screenwriting career Carlip's first film script, SKIRTS, co-written with Miss Congeniality co-writer, Katie Ford, sold to Columbia Studios. She has also done script rewrites for animated films for Disney including An Extremely Goofy Movie.

As a visual artist, Carlip has a web production and design company called Fly HC, whose clients include Jennifer Aniston. From 1999 to 2001 she was Co-President, Founder, and Executive Creative Director of the teen web network VOXXY.

Carlip is also the lead of the group "Angel and the Reruns" and has performed with The Flying Karamazov Brothers.