Notes on Harlequin Presents

In general, word count has changed. The count has lowered to account for an increase in print size to make it easier for readers. Computer count can vary from production count.

Notes on Harlequin Presents- presented by Karin Stoecker

They want Alpha males and independent heroines who are feisty. Glamorous, international, sexy and seductive. They like Mediterranean settings and remote Pacific islands. The heroes are incredibly rich—think Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. The hero should be a fantasy, enjoyable escapism. He should be intensely focused on the heroine. Only the heroine can uncover his softer side. The books should sizzle with tension/sensuality. The level of sensuality must be right for those characters. Emotional themes such as marriage of convenience, royalty, revenge, secret babies, and mistresses are popular. Think money/power/scandal. They publish 8 50,000 word manuscripts per month and it’s their most popular line.

Spotlight on St. Martin’s Press

The marketing department offers incentives to booksellers for ordering their books. They also do promotional strategies for the authors such as premium placement in the store.

To the salespeople, they hand out a sheet that contains the name of the author, the title, and a comparison to a bestselling author. Example: Jane Smith is the author of Bloodsucking Vampires and the Women Who Love them, in the manner of Christine Feehan and Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

They would prefer agented authors, but if the writing is strong enough, they will consider unagented. Monique Patterson would like to see three chapters and a synopsis, rather than a query letter. The other editors prefer to be queried first before sending pages.

Questions and Answers from the Audience:

In terms of how sexy the writing is, there’s no such thing as too sexy (as long as it’s not outlawed in any state).

Jennfer Enderlin is desperately looking for a very sexy Western historical. All editors love historical romance.

What sets St. Martin’s apart from the other houses is the people who work there. They can decide whether to send an author into hardcover. They always look at what’s best for the author.

There are no limitations on language—gritty is fine, if it suits the story.

If a manuscript is rejected but you significantly revise it, you may resubmit it.

They always buy multiple books from new authors.

When they make their book covers, they meet with the art department and copy writer, then try to get a specific idea. They try to never put a cover out that an author doesn’t like.

Word count ranges from 90,000 words to 125,000 words. There is no trend toward reducing word count, although YA can be shorter (submit to Stephanie Lindskog for YA). If the book is strong enough, they will work with you to either raise or reduce the word count into the correct length.

They are interested in erotic romance or erotica. It needs to be over 75,000 words, but they’re flexible with the 90,000 word count minimum.

Series romances are not taboo, but to pitch one, they would prefer to see only one book at a time.

Monique Patterson’s personal reading tastes run toward myths and fairytales.

When writing historical romances, the 1920s and 30’s aren’t really popular. They do sell books in these time frames, but they’re marketed as historical fiction, not romance.

They would accept a submission in trade book format (e.g. self-published).

Is there a market for sweet contemporary romances? Not really, but the market is cyclical and things could change.

They do listen to ideas for anthologies, but those are primarily created in-house.

For audio books, Audio Renaissance does the majority of their recordings. Audio sales don’t happen except for a book with high sales numbers, e.g. a bestseller.

You may include details about contest finals in a query letter. Editors do not specialize in a particular area but acquire for all types of romance.

They would prefer option books in the same category as your first sold book. They will buy on proposal after seeing at least one completed book.

They have no preference of first or third person point of view.