Anyone wanna write for Harlequin?

[pisces]

Lots of popular authors, Sandra Brown-Nora Roberts got their start writing romance novels. And, Harlequin is taking submissions, without an agent, even.

I couldn't do it because I probably couldn't meet their parameters.

For example:

"Harlequin Romance
(Mills & Boon Tender Romance) Guidelines

Length: 50,000-55,000 words
Senior Editor: Samantha Bell
Editorial Office: London, UK

Written in third person from the heroine's point of view, each book must focus almost exclusively on the developing relationship between the main protagonists. The emphasis should be on warm and tender emotions, with no sexual explicitness; lovemaking should only take place when the emotional commitment between the characters justifies it. These heartwarming stories must be written with freshness and sincerity, featuring spirited, engaging heroines portrayed with depth and affection — as well as heroes who are charismatic enough to fulfill every woman's dreams! Readers should be thrilled by the tenderness of their developing relationship, and gripped by romantic suspense as the couple strives to overcome the emotional barriers between them and find true happiness in the romance of a lifetime! "
------From the Harlequin website

I don't like anyone telling me how or what to write. Still, I don't know how much they pay and it might be good money.

http://www.eharlequin.com/harl/books...s/20gdin11.htm

[mjfrombuffalo[$]]

Hmmm... it says "between the main protagonists." Will they reject a story if the protagonists happen to be of different races? or happen to be of the same gender? It's almost worth it to write something to see if that would make it an automatic rejection :evilgrin:

[pisces]

They have different categories of series. An interracial romance would probably fit into the more daring "Blaze" or "Temptation" series. See the link, above. I don't read Harlequin anymore, so I don't know how racy they get.

You start out by sending them a query letter with a synopsis of your story. At that point, I would think they would let you know if your story was too edgy or controversial for them.

I just want to know how much they pay. This sounds like easy money to me.

[hypotenuse]

These heartwarming stories must be written with freshness and sincerity

This would be my problem.

I understand you make about $3000/book.

But don't quote me. This is a friend of a friend of a cousin who saw Elvis at the 7/11 type of information.

Lynne

[AmyLEnsor]

Interesting. I was actually wondering how hard it would be to submit something to a publisher like Harlequin. I have a friend who is a freelance writer and was a member of a romance writer's guild in the SoCal area. After the online site that bought her work cut way back, she got back into working on her romance novels. Recently a publisher asked to buy her finished manuscript for what she was working on, so she's trying to get it done by the deadline. I am sort of envious because I'm undergoing a midlife crisis and looking for something to do with my life right now. The problem is, of course, is having to write a romance instead of what you really want to write.

[pisces]

The question to ask is can you follow their directions and guidelines? From the link, above, it seems like the writer has absolutely no editorial control. I couldn't work with that level of micro-management from an editor. I'm too independent and I don't corroborate well. But, if I needed the money and didn't already have a full time job, I would.

I imagine it gets very political with editors playing favorites with certain authors and freezing others out.

Their books are so formulaic too. Why even bother having "live" writers. Why not just have some sort of computer program that spits out the exact formula of Harlequin romance, but changes the names.

And for every Barbara Delinsky and Nora Roberts who made it out of Harlequin, there are hundreds of Harlequin authors who never made it mainstream and are stuck writing romances.

[Redlass]

Their books are so formulaic too. Why even bother having "live" writers. Why not just have some sort of computer program that spits out the exact formula of Harlequin romance, but changes the names.

Shhh!!! 'Cause writers have to make money somehow.

I have a friend who has written a few Star Trek novels. It's the same sort of deal with them--there is a very strict formula and a lot of instructions.

I think that the thing is to think of it as a work assignment, not a creative endeavor. There is certainly room to be creative within the assignment, but the more important aspect is to accomplish the purpose established by the person writing the paycheck.

[frazzledspice]

The best writers are the most voracious readers.

I imagine that if any of us had the patience to read through several hundred Harlequin romances, we could write a respectable one almost as easily as if we were filling in a Mad Lib

[AuntieEmma[$]]

I imagine that if any of us had the patience to read through several hundred Harlequin romances, we could write a respectable one almost as easily as if we were filling in a Mad Lib

I had tried this at one point, after being inspired by meeting someone who had worked her way through college by churning out romance novels.

I couldn't do it. Just couldn't write one at all. I didn't read several hundred of them though -- I read somewhere being five and ten. Maybe the total immersion method, reading hundreds of them, would work. I think I'm afraid to do that though. The ones that I read depressed me, for some reason, and I don't know how I would feel if I went on a big reading marathon.

[kidnykid]

Originally posted by pisces
And for every Barbara Delinsky and Nora Roberts who made it out of Harlequin, there are hundreds of Harlequin authors who never made it mainstream and are stuck writing romances.

By the way, Nora Roberts wrote for Silhouette, a subsidiary of (I think) Simon and Schuster, not Harlequin. Her first novel was entitled Irish Thoroughbred, and is currently out on the market (along with the second in the Irish Whatever series) under the title Irish Hearts. (I've read it, by the way.)

Robin Peters

Remember - don't take your organs to heaven; heaven knows we need them here on Earth.