Un-frickin-believable. As jennontheisland said, they figured out how to make money from their slush pile. As a money maker, it's genius. But boy, it's sleazy.
Oh, they don't just publish books for money.
They also make Hollywood quality movie trailers.
http://www.harlequinhorizons.com/Servicestore/ServiceDetail.aspx?ServiceId=BS-6224
For a mere $19,999 (yup, that's a comma) your trailer may end up in front of a movie producer!
The dreams they sell....
I hope the good ones do, at least.I second that disgusting. Harlequin I think has sunk to the bottom of the pool, and obviously plans to stay there. I hope every one of their authors walk.
Harlequin Horizons can help more aspiring writers achieve their dreams...
The thing is, how many people think it's perfectly normal practice to pay to be published?
I've been wondering what sort of effect this is going to have on their current commercial roster, as well. I've never read anything they've published but I'd heard enough people say they treat their authors well enough to come back.The thing is, how many people think it's perfectly normal practice to pay to be published? That's the scary thing about this new line - there are a lot of want to be authors who don't know that this is vanity publishing. True, it only takes a bit of research to realize that it isn't the norm, but how many people only do that research after it's too late (Take a look at the PA threads)?
And, to all the authors who worked their asses off to get through those doors - it's a slap to them as well. If it were me, I'd be pissed off that someone else just has to write a check to call themselves a Harlequin author, where I (hypothetically) wrote and rewrote and polished and waited for months on end before getting that offer.
Yeah, tell that to the authors who've built a "legacy" on the spines of your paperbacks...The Booksellers Package is designed for authors who desire to leave a lasting legacy in the form of a hardcover book. A hardcover book shows the world that you are a serious author ready to make your mark on the writing world.
Yup. Make with the clickety on the link. I wish I was kidding.US Copyright Registration Service: $204.00
Worse fail: there are authors on another board I belong to who think this is a good idea.