[Publisher] Harlequin Enterprises Ltd.

[brainstorm77]

Originally Posted by Deb Kinnard

I'm not sure that's true about Harl. Historical, except perhaps for the length. I'm told many publishers in the historical romance business want 90-100K, which of course is long for Harlequin. Anybody with current experience weigh in on this?

Historicals maybe, but try selling a Medical Romance elsewhere that was written specifically for HQ.

[Bubastes]

Originally Posted by brainstorm77

Historicals maybe, but try selling a Medical Romance elsewhere that was written specifically for HQ.

Good point.

With so many different Harlequin lines, I agree it's tough to generalize which H-targeted stories could be submitted elsewhere.

[Bubastes]

Via Dear Author: new Harlequin Kiss line (US equivalent of UK's M&B Riva) in February 2013, expanded word count for some other lines (Supers, Nocturnes, and Romantic Suspense), other miscellaneous news:

http://dearauthor.com/features/indus...-of-the-world/

[htrent]

Saw that yesterday and raised a brow. My voice doesn't really fit with their current lines, but would with a Riva-like line. I've activated my cautious optimism.

[girlyswot]

I'd be wary of thinking that. Riva = Kiss = NOT new books, just a new way of dividing up the lines. The Riva books have been sold in the US, some as Romance and some as Presents Extra. So, if your books wouldn't have sold to Romance or to Presents Extra, then I wouldn't anticipate that it'll be any different for Kiss. They'll still be acquired by the same editors in the London office, with the same guideliness.

[htrent]

Oh, I haven't submitted anything to Riva, but this intrigued me:

First, in February 2013, Harlequin will launch “Harlequin Kiss” which was describe to me as fun, flirty, contemporary with a range of explicitness. I asked what the difference was from Blaze and was told that the Blaze hero is more of the guy next door and the “Harlequin Kiss” line will feature “the modern alpha hero”.

I don't see the "fun, flirty" in any of the other lines.

[triceretops]

I am SO confused by the number of imprints of this house. I have a YA urban fantasy and a YA distopian. Both are in the 68,000-range, and both would be considered sweet romance, but the romance is not dominate in the storyline.

Pray tell, are either of these books appropriate for any one of their imprints, and if so, which one would/might that be?

Tri--

[Bubastes]

Originally Posted by tpridgen

I don't see the "fun, flirty" in any of the other lines.

You have to hunt for them right now. I discovered I was a Riva reader when I noticed that the Harlequin Romances I liked were all marketed as Riva titles in the UK. I also liked Presents Extras much more than Presents, which was another sign I was a Riva person. They have a different voice and style than the typical Romances and Presents.

ETA: Whether I can or even want to be a Riva/Kiss author remains an open question.

[girlyswot]

It's here. I really don't think anything is changing except the branding.

[girlyswot]

Yes, Harlequin Teen, but they only accept agented submissions.

[Evangeline]

Originally Posted by girlyswot

I'd be wary of thinking that. Riva = Kiss = NOT new books, just a new way of dividing up the lines. The Riva books have been sold in the US, some as Romance and some as Presents Extra. So, if your books wouldn't have sold to Romance or to Presents Extra, then I wouldn't anticipate that it'll be any different for Kiss. They'll still be acquired by the same editors in the London office, with the same guideliness.

I don't know. I get the feeling that this will be a brand new Toronto-based imprint, not a US rebranding of RIVA. But I may be wrong, so don't listen to me. ;-)

[ShannonStacey]

Originally Posted by Evangeline

I don't know. I get the feeling that this will be a brand new Toronto-based imprint, not a US rebranding of RIVA. But I may be wrong, so don't listen to me. ;-)

Dear Author added this update: The Senior Editor Bryony Green from the UK office will be acquiring manuscripts for KISS.

[girlyswot]

No, you're wrong. It is going to be acquired through the London office and will feature many of the RIVA authors. See Kelly Hunter's comment here.

[VanessaNorth]

Wow. After the recent threads regarding harlequin royalties and why authors have left them to self-publish, this is fascinating.

(link is to mediabistro article about the case, includes the complaint in embedded form)

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat...yalties_b54677

[mscelina]

http://www.harlequinlawsuit.com/Home_Page.php

The lawsuit alleges, among other claims, that on contracts between 1990-2004:

Harlequin breached the terms of their publishing agreements with authors;
Harlequin failed to pay the Plaintiffs and members of the Class the royalties to which they are entitled under the publishing agreements;
Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd. is liable for unjust enrichment.

I'm not surprised at this, but as I delve further into the information on this site I'm finding myself more..horrified, maybe?...at how ridiculous the numbers are. From the complaint:

What this means to the authors can be illustrated by an e-book with a hypothetical cover price of $8.00. The “net receipts” made by Harlequin Enterprises Limited from the exercise, sale or license of e-book rights would be at least $4.00, of which authors would be entitled to $2.00 based on their 50% royalty. Computing the “net receipts” based on the “license” between Harlequin's Swiss entity and Harlequin Enterprises, Plaintiffs’ 50% royalty amounts to only 24 to 32 cents.

The entire complaint is available on the website in PDF format.

[san_remo_ave]

And Harlequin responds

http://harlequinblog.com/2012/07/har...-to-complaint/

[mscelina]

I don't know that I'd count that as a response, per se. All they did was say they'd defend themselves in a three paragraph blog post to which comments have been closed, and the majority of the post is a recitation of stats that show Harlequin's size.

“Our authors have been recompensed fairly and properly for their work, and we will be defending ourselves vigorously,” said Donna Hayes, Publisher and Chief Executive Officer of Harlequin.

I'm not sure what planet they're on, but I'm not all that smart in math and I can see the problems with the math HQ used to calculate author royalties on digital sales.

And on top of that, I find it really hard to believe that this is "the first they've heard" of the lawsuit. Heck--I'm not a HQ writer and I've heard of it. Not like it's been kept a big secret.

Just sayin'.

[Deb Kinnard]

I agree, Celina. Not much of an anything, really, except a press release that says they're going to defend, which was a bit of a no-brainer.

IANAL and I stay pretty far from them by preference, but wasn't there a US case a few years back in which the (non-publishing) company carved out a wholly owned subsidiary merely to route profits into, thus sequestering the monies owed the other party? I can't recall who and what industry, but the parent company lost the case.

[PulpDogg]

Isn't that basically Hollywood accounting what Harlequin is doing here? Shuffling money around until you either owe the creators a pittance or you can claim the project lost money ...

[Bubastes]

To keep all the Harlequin digital rights/royalties information in one place, here's an analysis from 2011 by attorney/agent Elaine English:

http://ninc.com/writers_resources/di...ts_answers.asp

Also, Dear Author's analysis. There's also a royalty calculation example in the comments:

http://dearauthor.com/news/friday-ne...-of-royalties/

[Bubastes]

Info on M&B Riva relaunch with chick lit-esque covers. The U.S.-equivalent Harlequin Kiss line will launch in February 2013.

http://www.trishwylie.blogspot.com/2...kiss-line.html

[twiharder]

Does anyone have any experience with the Harlequin Digital First imprint? I see they accept unagented submissions and I was considering subbing my romance novel to them. Thoughts?

[Silver-Midnight]

Their Kiss line seems interesting. Does anyone know the difference between Presents and Presents Extra? And Riva is just a subdivision of Mills & Boon, correct? Just asking out of curiosity.

[girlyswot]

Originally Posted by Silver-Midnight

Their Kiss line seems interesting. Does anyone know the difference between Presents and Presents Extra? And Riva is just a subdivision of Mills & Boon, correct? Just asking out of curiosity.

Mills and Boon = Harlequin.

They use different branding in different countries for historical reasons.

Books branded Riva in the UK have been branded either as Presents Extra or Romance in the US, depending on heat level. When Kiss launches, they'll come out under that branding in the US.

All this info is on the Harlequin and M&B websites under 'aspiring authors' if you're genuinely curious. But as always, the best advice is to read the line you want to submit to.

[twiharder]

Would a publishing credit from Harlequin be worth something? Oh, I am talking about the digital first imprint. Do you think their standards are still as high? I know harlequin is a very good publisher, I am just wondering if I got an offer from the digital first imprint, would an agent find that interesting?