2 replies to this topic

[Sylvia Day]

Taken from the e-Harlequin website:



Effective July 2005, Harlequin Temptation will no longer be offered for sale in the North American retail and direct mail markets.



Love Inspired will increase to six-books-per-month with the addition of two Love Inspired Suspense Novels.



Our romantic comedy line, Flipside, will cease publication.



The Intimate Moments line will be reduced from six to a four-books-a-month schedule allowing it to focus on top-selling authors and themes.



American Romance is being transitioned to better position it for future growth and will not be actively acquiring for the next 6 to 8 months.



Harlequin Historicals will be re-envisioned to be published only in our North America direct mail business and in our overseas businesses.



Next (aka Primetime) will launch with a four-book-a-month series that will focus on women who are entering a new stage of their life.



Harlequin Blaze will increase by 2 titles per month.



Isabel also made it clear that "the development of new publishing programs and continued innovation within existing programs is the backbone of our approach to the business. We are driven by what our readers tell us is relevant to them, are totally focused on the women’s fiction market and we constantly look for ways in which to lead rather than follow the competition."





You can read more here.

[Sidonie Fairbanks]

I've only "read"(ie skimmed) Harlequin's Blazes and Historicals and wasn't too impressed, so my opinions on H/S are coming from someone who has been burned by them, and has no interest in reading anything in another line.

IMO, H/S brought their troubles on themselves by allowing shodding stories to sell and be published, as well as printing out tons of by-the-plot books(sheiks,secret babies,cowboys, boss-secretary relationships, millionaire sweeping small town girl off her feet, 30 year old unreligious virgins...Totally Unrealistic)

But H/S has led the pack of what's popular due to the fact that they are a Brand Name, as opposed to ST houses where the brands are the authors themselves. The main people that are getting hurt by these changes are authors who had plans of submitting to disbanded lines like Flipside/Duets, and to direct to market lines like Temptation and HH. But oh well, things can't stay the same all of the time, or we'd be even more disgruntled than we already are.

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[Sylvia Day]

Harlequin backtracked on their historical stance and is continuing with their North American distributing. Good news all around, for writers and readers!!