Showing posts with label Harlequin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harlequin. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Harlequin Sold!
This week it was announced that Torstar sold it's publishing arm, Harlequin, to HarperCollins.
It's about time something happened. Something needed to happen.
Harlequin sales have been in a steady decline for a handful years so it's about time. Harlequin has been quite controversial for several years now for varying reasons. Some of their authors have jumped ship or sued over paltry royalty rates. Of course, some authors understand that Harlequin is also about branding and distribution--something they've done well for a very long time. It's not always about the money, but when an author only makes 5 CENTS a book, there's something rotten in Denmark.
I believe one of Harlequin's major issues is that they didn't embrace the digital as quickly as it evolved. According to a trusted source of mine and a long-time Harlequin author, the top heads in the company are barely removed from the Victorian era and may be having a hard time themselves with the rapid changes in technology. Transitioning a huge company to the digital age? Quite the undertaking. Another friend of mine who writes for Harlequin Intrigue had to complete edits via hard copy (along with paying requisite postage to send it back) for the first two or three of her books before her editor switched to using track changes.
Another issue I think Harlequin failed to address was marketing to the correct demographic. They've continue to do whatever they've done for the last thirty years and the young hip digital/online/E generation -- i.e. their replacement consumers -- have been ignored. The average age of a Harlequin Intrigue reader is in her 60s. They've not tried to pull in new readers with fresh innovative and ONLINE marketing techniques.
You and I both know there's a lot more to it than just these two factors, but they've certainly played a part. It'll be interesting to see the positive changes that come about from the deal, both for Harlequin and its authors.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Good things come to those who wait...
...and work hard.
Tonight, three of my chapter mates/friends and I will celebrate.
One of us (not me) is at the top of her game. She's sold a book. Two actually. One hits the shelves this month, the second in February 2011. On top of that, she won the Golden Heart for her category with the manuscript of the first book. A dream for most aspiring romance writers.
My friend has wanted to write romance novels for Harlequin since forever. Her husband supported her dream from the beginning, allowing her to be a stay-at-home mom and writer even when money was tight for them. Since I've known her, she's had ups and down with her family, as we all do, and she even took a couple of years off, sort of, from the writing to deal with family issues and to enjoy her youngest child's senior year in high school.
Once said child was situated with college, my friend got back into serious writer mode. She worked hard. Revised the manuscript she'd been tinkering with for years. She finished it. She polished it. She entered it in contests. Last year (2009), it won several, including the Daphne du Maurier, a big one in the romance writer world. From that contest, it was requested by an editor at Harlequin. She got an agent. Harlequin called and said they wanted it. She entered the MS in the Golden Heart. She signed the contract. This was all back in November 2009. Then in February of this year, with the help of her agent, she sold the second book to Harlequin.
So since February, she's revised/completed the first book and written/been revising the second and waiting for the RWA National annual conference. GH winners are not announced until the awards ceremony on the final night. Just like the Emmys or the Oscars, most everyone's dressed up in their finery.
So here we are chapter mates and friends, celebrating the good fortune of one of our own. It can take a long time in this business. And it takes a lot of hard work. And it takes perseverance.
The same for any dream. And my friend will tell you, the wait and the hard work was absolutely worth it.
Congrats, Angi!!
Angi Morgan
Hill Country Holdup (to be released any day now)
.38 Caliber Coverup (February 2011)
Tonight, three of my chapter mates/friends and I will celebrate.
One of us (not me) is at the top of her game. She's sold a book. Two actually. One hits the shelves this month, the second in February 2011. On top of that, she won the Golden Heart for her category with the manuscript of the first book. A dream for most aspiring romance writers.
My friend has wanted to write romance novels for Harlequin since forever. Her husband supported her dream from the beginning, allowing her to be a stay-at-home mom and writer even when money was tight for them. Since I've known her, she's had ups and down with her family, as we all do, and she even took a couple of years off, sort of, from the writing to deal with family issues and to enjoy her youngest child's senior year in high school.
Once said child was situated with college, my friend got back into serious writer mode. She worked hard. Revised the manuscript she'd been tinkering with for years. She finished it. She polished it. She entered it in contests. Last year (2009), it won several, including the Daphne du Maurier, a big one in the romance writer world. From that contest, it was requested by an editor at Harlequin. She got an agent. Harlequin called and said they wanted it. She entered the MS in the Golden Heart. She signed the contract. This was all back in November 2009. Then in February of this year, with the help of her agent, she sold the second book to Harlequin.
So since February, she's revised/completed the first book and written/been revising the second and waiting for the RWA National annual conference. GH winners are not announced until the awards ceremony on the final night. Just like the Emmys or the Oscars, most everyone's dressed up in their finery.
So here we are chapter mates and friends, celebrating the good fortune of one of our own. It can take a long time in this business. And it takes a lot of hard work. And it takes perseverance.
The same for any dream. And my friend will tell you, the wait and the hard work was absolutely worth it.
Congrats, Angi!!
Angi Morgan
Hill Country Holdup (to be released any day now)
.38 Caliber Coverup (February 2011)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Dream Editor...
In more ways than one...
This past weekend, I attended my writing chapter's writing conference. When I say I attended, I mean that I was at the hotel where it was being held. And instead of attending the main presentation by Michael Hauge, I manned the agent/editor appointment "desk" all day, keeping the appointments flowing and on time. The chapter brought in two agents and two editors for conference attendees to pitch their books to. I was able to meet them all and chat with them off and on all day.
One of the editors was Adam Wilson from Mira Books/Harlequin Teen. Poor guy was under the weather this weekend and had to deal with a flow of crazy women all day Saturday, plus crazy Texas weather, including snow! I tried to make sure he had everything he needed--hot tea, coffee, water, food...whatever. He was quite nice and such a cutie. The picture he sent for our chapter's web site looked nothing like him, so when I came face to face with the current look of Adam Wilson, well, I was smitten. Auburn hair and facial scruff. Um, yum!
I got to talk with him Sunday morning a bit about Harlequin's teen line, so that was a treat. So if I ever decide to write a stinkin' young adult historical, I know where I'm sending it!
But I'm bummed 'cause my good friend Marty had beers in the hotel bar with Adam and she didn't call me and I missed a chance for a little more face time with Adam. Ah, well... ;)
Aside from that, I got some writing and revising done, which was very nice, too.
This past weekend, I attended my writing chapter's writing conference. When I say I attended, I mean that I was at the hotel where it was being held. And instead of attending the main presentation by Michael Hauge, I manned the agent/editor appointment "desk" all day, keeping the appointments flowing and on time. The chapter brought in two agents and two editors for conference attendees to pitch their books to. I was able to meet them all and chat with them off and on all day.
One of the editors was Adam Wilson from Mira Books/Harlequin Teen. Poor guy was under the weather this weekend and had to deal with a flow of crazy women all day Saturday, plus crazy Texas weather, including snow! I tried to make sure he had everything he needed--hot tea, coffee, water, food...whatever. He was quite nice and such a cutie. The picture he sent for our chapter's web site looked nothing like him, so when I came face to face with the current look of Adam Wilson, well, I was smitten. Auburn hair and facial scruff. Um, yum!
I got to talk with him Sunday morning a bit about Harlequin's teen line, so that was a treat. So if I ever decide to write a stinkin' young adult historical, I know where I'm sending it!
But I'm bummed 'cause my good friend Marty had beers in the hotel bar with Adam and she didn't call me and I missed a chance for a little more face time with Adam. Ah, well... ;)
Aside from that, I got some writing and revising done, which was very nice, too.
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