Harlequin Books: Difference between revisions

From Modern Publishing 2025
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 20: Line 20:


=== Torstar Purchase ===
=== Torstar Purchase ===
Harlequin continued to have great success, which attracted the company Torstar. Starting in 1975, Torstar began to collect shares in the company until it completely owned Harlequin in 1981.<ref name=":1" /> Despite this new ownership, Harlequin continued to gain great success from its book giveaways. When the Berlin Wall fell in Germany, Harlequin gave away over 720,000 books, greatly boosting sales international sales.<ref name=":0" />
Harlequin continued to have great success, which attracted the company Torstar. Starting in 1975, Torstar began to collect shares in the company until it completely owned Harlequin in 1981.<ref name=":1" /> Despite this new ownership, Harlequin continued to gain great success from its book giveaways. When the Berlin Wall fell in Germany, Harlequin gave away over 720,000 books, greatly boosting international sales.<ref name=":0" />


=== The Romance Wars ===
=== The Romance Wars ===
In the late 1970s, Harlequin began to have two major problems. The first was that their formula was beginning to fail them as readers wanted different things and leaned towards less conservative views on sex in media.<ref name=":2">Anderson, Kacia. “Harlequin Acquires Silhouette – UNSUITABLE.” ''Sites@Duke Express'', <nowiki>https://sites.duke.edu/unsuitable/harlequin-acquires-silhouette/</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref> The second was Harlequin overestimating itself. It cut ties with Simon & Schuster, believing they could do everything themselves, and they refused to meet the desire for more America-centric stories. This led to their business in the United States being threatened by Simon & Schuster's Silhouette and other publishers in the states.<ref name=":2" /> Silhouette profited off of Harlequin's refusal to publish more U.S. authors, and this was bad for business. To resolve this, in 1984, Harlequin purchased Silhouette, allowing Harlequin to have an important place in U.S. publishing once more.<ref name=":2" />
In the late 1970s, Harlequin began to have two major problems. The first was that their formula was beginning to fail them as readers wanted different things, and their readers leaned towards less conservative views on sex in media.<ref name=":2">Anderson, Kacia. “Harlequin Acquires Silhouette – UNSUITABLE.” ''Sites@Duke Express'', <nowiki>https://sites.duke.edu/unsuitable/harlequin-acquires-silhouette/</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref> The second was Harlequin overestimating itself. It cut ties with Simon & Schuster, how was distributing their books in the United States, believing they could do everything themselves, and they refused to meet the desire for more America-centric stories. This led to their business in the United States being threatened by Simon & Schuster's Silhouette and other publishers in the states.<ref name=":2" /> Silhouette profited off of Harlequin's refusal to publish more U.S. authors, and this was bad for business. To resolve this, in 1984, Harlequin purchased Silhouette, allowing Harlequin to have an important place in U.S. publishing once more.<ref name=":2" />


=== News Corp Purchase ===
=== News Corp Purchase ===
In 2014, New Corp, which is the company that owns HarperCollins, purchased Harlequin from Torstar for over 400,000,000.<ref>Hoffert, Barbara. “Publishing: Harlequin Acquired by News Corp, HarperCollins.” ''ProQuest'', 01 June 2014, <nowiki>https://www.proquest.com/docview/1527488565?accountid=SUSU6749&pq-origsite=primo&sourcetype=Trade%20Journals</nowiki>. Accessed 26 September 2025.</ref> This was a smart move for Harlequin, as it was struggling to transition to digital books as fast as their readers demanded, leading to a decline in revenue. This deal also greatly benefitted HarperCollins, because it allowed the company to get even bigger, to expand international business, and to have more niche genres.<ref>Greenfield, Jeremy. “Three Reasons News Corp Bought Harlequin, World's Biggest Romance Book Publisher.” ''Forbes'', 2 May 2014, <nowiki>https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremygreenfield/2014/05/02/news-corp-buys-harlequin-worlds-biggest-romance-book-publisher-three-reasons/</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref> Harlequin is still owned by News Corp to this day.<ref name=":0" />
In 2014, News Corp, which is the company that owns HarperCollins, purchased Harlequin from Torstar for over $400,000,000.<ref>Hoffert, Barbara. “Publishing: Harlequin Acquired by News Corp, HarperCollins.” ''ProQuest'', 01 June 2014, <nowiki>https://www.proquest.com/docview/1527488565?accountid=SUSU6749&pq-origsite=primo&sourcetype=Trade%20Journals</nowiki>. Accessed 26 September 2025.</ref> This was a smart move for Harlequin, as it was struggling to transition to digital books as fast as their readers demanded, leading to a decline in revenue. This deal also greatly benefitted HarperCollins, because it allowed the company to get even bigger, to expand international business, and to have more niche genres.<ref>Greenfield, Jeremy. “Three Reasons News Corp Bought Harlequin, World's Biggest Romance Book Publisher.” ''Forbes'', 2 May 2014, <nowiki>https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremygreenfield/2014/05/02/news-corp-buys-harlequin-worlds-biggest-romance-book-publisher-three-reasons/</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref> Harlequin is still owned by News Corp to this day.<ref name=":0" />


=== Present Day ===
=== Present Day ===
Line 32: Line 32:


== Structure ==
== Structure ==
The current CEO of Harlequin is Craig Swinwood.<ref name=":0" /> Owned by News Corp, it is a private company.<ref>“Harlequin Enterprises Overview.” ''PitchBook'', <nowiki>https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/62803-27#faqs</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref> There are around 732 employees.<ref>“Harlequin Information.” ''RocketReach'', <nowiki>https://rocketreach.co/harlequin-profile_b5c60739f42e0c5b</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref> The main leadership of the company includes the CEO Craig Swinwood, the Vice President of Sales and Marketing of HarperCollins Canada Corey Beatty, the Vice President and General Counsel & Secretary Alia Hussey, Executive Vice-President and Publisher of Harlequin Brand Group Brent Lewis, Executive Vice-President and Publisher of Harlequin Trade Publishing Lorianna Sacilotto, and Senior Vice-President/ Executive Publisher of Harper Collins Canada Iris Tupholme.<ref name=":0" /> In addition to them, there are many different editors across the different imprints. There are different executive editors, senior editors, editors, assistant editors, and editorial assistants, each working with authors to get their books published.<ref name=":8">“Meet The Editors.” ''Write for Harlequin'', <nowiki>https://www.writeforharlequin.com/editors/</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref>  
The current CEO of Harlequin is Craig Swinwood.<ref name=":0" /> Owned by News Corp, it is a private company.<ref>“Harlequin Enterprises Overview.” ''PitchBook'', <nowiki>https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/62803-27#faqs</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref> There are around 732 employees.<ref>“Harlequin Information.” ''RocketReach'', <nowiki>https://rocketreach.co/harlequin-profile_b5c60739f42e0c5b</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref> The main leadership of the company includes Swinwood, the Vice President of Sales and Marketing of HarperCollins Canada Corey Beatty, the Vice President and General Counsel & Secretary Alia Hussey, Executive Vice-President and Publisher of Harlequin Brand Group Brent Lewis, Executive Vice-President and Publisher of Harlequin Trade Publishing Lorianna Sacilotto, and Senior Vice-President/ Executive Publisher of Harper Collins Canada Iris Tupholme.<ref name=":0" /> In addition to them, there are many different editors across the different imprints. There are different executive editors, senior editors, editors, assistant editors, and editorial assistants, each working with authors to get their books published.<ref name=":8">“Meet The Editors.” ''Write for Harlequin'', <nowiki>https://www.writeforharlequin.com/editors/</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref>  


== Finances ==
== Finances ==
As an imprint of HarperCollins, it is very difficult to find accurate financial information on Harlequin, but HarperCollins has been doing very well for itself in the last few years. Since 2023, profits have been mainly up for HarperCollins, with a rise in sales of digital media and international growth.<ref name=":3">Milliot, Jim. “HarperCollins Profits Rose 10% in Fiscal 2025.” ''Publishers Weekly'', 06 August 2025, <nowiki>https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/financial-reporting/article/98350-harpercollins-profits-rose-10-in-fiscal-2025.html#:~:text=HarperCollins%20Profits%20Rose%2010%25%20in,%27t%20drive%20the%20business.%E2%80%9D</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref><ref>Milliot, Jim. “HarperCollins Profits Soared in Fiscal 2024.” ''Publishers Weekly'', 09 August 2024, <nowiki>https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/financial-reporting/article/95688-harpercollins-profits-soared-in-fiscal-2024.html#:~:text=After%20enduring%20a%20challenging%20fiscal,Article%20continues%20below</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref> Brian Murray, the CEO of HarperCollins, specifically says Harlequin will adapt well to declining mass market paperback sales.<ref name=":3" />  
As an imprint of HarperCollins, it is very difficult to find accurate financial information on just Harlequin, but HarperCollins has been doing very well for itself in the last few years. Since 2023, profits have been mainly up for HarperCollins, with a rise in sales of digital media and international growth.<ref name=":3">Milliot, Jim. “HarperCollins Profits Rose 10% in Fiscal 2025.” ''Publishers Weekly'', 06 August 2025, <nowiki>https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/financial-reporting/article/98350-harpercollins-profits-rose-10-in-fiscal-2025.html#:~:text=HarperCollins%20Profits%20Rose%2010%25%20in,%27t%20drive%20the%20business.%E2%80%9D</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref><ref>Milliot, Jim. “HarperCollins Profits Soared in Fiscal 2024.” ''Publishers Weekly'', 09 August 2024, <nowiki>https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/financial-reporting/article/95688-harpercollins-profits-soared-in-fiscal-2024.html#:~:text=After%20enduring%20a%20challenging%20fiscal,Article%20continues%20below</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref> Brian Murray, the CEO of HarperCollins, specifically says Harlequin will adapt well to declining mass market paperback sales.<ref name=":3" />  


== News ==
== News ==
In 2024, Harlequin rebranded themselves to suit their predominantly Gen Z audience. They simplified their logo, and now opt for less branding on the books, as current readers dislike the obvious branding. They are also opting for different covers, veering toward stylistic drawings rather than realistic photos.<ref>Miranda, Genesis. “Harlequin Enterprises Plan to Stay Atop the Romance Novels Publishing Industry With a Rebrand.” ''Classicalite'', 15 March 2024, <nowiki>https://www.classicalite.com/articles/41565/20240315/harlequin-enterprises-plans-to-stay-atop-the-romance-novels-publishing-industry-with-a-rebrand.htm</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref>
In 2024, Harlequin rebranded themselves to suit their rising Gen Z audience. They simplified their logo, and now opt for less branding on the books, as current readers dislike the obvious branding. They are also opting for different covers, veering toward stylistic illustrations rather than realistic photos.<ref>Miranda, Genesis. “Harlequin Enterprises Plan to Stay Atop the Romance Novels Publishing Industry With a Rebrand.” ''Classicalite'', 15 March 2024, <nowiki>https://www.classicalite.com/articles/41565/20240315/harlequin-enterprises-plans-to-stay-atop-the-romance-novels-publishing-industry-with-a-rebrand.htm</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref>


By the end of 2025, Harlequin plans to consolidate its imprints. Hanover Square Press, MIRA Books, and Park Row books will remain, while Canary Street Press and Graydon House will be absorbed into the other three. The remaining imprints will expand some of their genres to cover the now missing categories.<ref>Nawotka, Ed. “Harlequin Trade Publishing Consolidates Its Imprints.” ''PublishersWeekly'', 16 January 2025, <nowiki>https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/96861-harlequin-trade-publishing-consolidates-its-imprints.html</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref>
By the end of 2025, Harlequin plans to consolidate its imprints. Hanover Square Press, MIRA Books, and Park Row books will remain, while Canary Street Press and Graydon House will be absorbed into the other three. The remaining imprints will expand some of their genres to cover the now missing categories.<ref>Nawotka, Ed. “Harlequin Trade Publishing Consolidates Its Imprints.” ''PublishersWeekly'', 16 January 2025, <nowiki>https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/96861-harlequin-trade-publishing-consolidates-its-imprints.html</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref>
Line 46: Line 46:


== Notable Titles and Authors ==
== Notable Titles and Authors ==
While Harlequin has published many titles (currently over 100 every month), there don't seem to be any Harry Potters in its list of publications.<ref name=":0" /> Regardless, there are many different authors that have gained their reputation in the romance genre through Harlequin. A few such authors are Heather Graham, Brenda Jackson, Susan Mallery, Diana Palmer, and Sherryl Woods, who have all published at least 100 novels with the company.<ref>“Bestselling Authors Who Wrote Series Romance - Harlequin Ever After.” ''Harlequin Blog'', 4 June 2019, <nowiki>https://blog.harlequin.com/2019/06/bestselling-authors-who-wrote-series-romance/</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref> A few of 2024's bestselling titles for Harlequin include ''Taming a Heartbreaker'' by Brenda Jackson, ''Body Check'' by Elle Kennedy, ''Swap and Smell the Roses'' by Karen Booth, and many more.<ref>“2024's Must Read Romances.” ''Harlequin'', <nowiki>https://www.harlequin.com/shop/pages/biggest-romance-books-of-2024.html?srsltid=AfmBOorNePw2P-cTcnfCPz872LTc5IJXdcZQJi3oGuaL2JNq0fMSXNwT</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref>
While Harlequin has published many titles (currently over 100 every month), there don't seem to be any particularly notable books among its publications.<ref name=":0" /> Regardless, there are many different authors that have gained their reputation in the romance genre through Harlequin. A few such authors are Heather Graham, Brenda Jackson, Susan Mallery, Diana Palmer, and Sherryl Woods, who have all published 100 or more novels with the company.<ref>“Bestselling Authors Who Wrote Series Romance - Harlequin Ever After.” ''Harlequin Blog'', 4 June 2019, <nowiki>https://blog.harlequin.com/2019/06/bestselling-authors-who-wrote-series-romance/</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref> A few of 2024's bestselling titles for Harlequin include ''Taming a Heartbreaker'' by Brenda Jackson, ''Body Check'' by Elle Kennedy, ''Swap and Smell the Roses'' by Karen Booth, and many more.<ref>“2024's Must Read Romances.” ''Harlequin'', <nowiki>https://www.harlequin.com/shop/pages/biggest-romance-books-of-2024.html?srsltid=AfmBOorNePw2P-cTcnfCPz872LTc5IJXdcZQJi3oGuaL2JNq0fMSXNwT</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref>


== Formats ==
== Formats ==
Line 54: Line 54:


== Brand Identity ==
== Brand Identity ==
The cover is one of the most important aspects of Harlequin's brand, but that is slowly changing with the audience. Harlequin's covers have primarily been photos for a long time, and it has been a staple. But partly influenced by BookTok and Gen-Z, they are now producing books with illustrated covers.<ref name=":6">Petit, Zachary. “Harlequin gets a BookTok-inspired rebrand.” ''Fast Company'', 19 April 2024, <nowiki>https://www.fastcompany.com/91091368/harlequin-gets-a-booktok-infused-rebrand</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref>  
The cover is one of the most important aspects of Harlequin's brand, but that is slowly changing with the audience. Harlequin's covers have primarily been photos for a long time, but partly influenced by BookTok and Gen Z, they are now also producing books with illustrated covers.<ref name=":6">Petit, Zachary. “Harlequin gets a BookTok-inspired rebrand.” ''Fast Company'', 19 April 2024, <nowiki>https://www.fastcompany.com/91091368/harlequin-gets-a-booktok-infused-rebrand</nowiki>. Accessed 30 September 2025.</ref>  


More staples of Harlequin's brand identity the diamond shape and the colors red and white. These elements are contained in the company's logo and all across Harlequin's many websites, making them recognizably Harlequin.<ref name=":6" />
More staples of Harlequin's brand identity are the diamond shape and the colors red and white. These elements are contained in the company's logo and all across Harlequin's many websites, making them recognizably Harlequin.<ref name=":6" />


Story-wise, an important part of the Harlequin brand is the ending of their stories. All stories they publish feature happy endings. That is the promise they make to readers.<ref name=":7" />
Story-wise, an important part of the Harlequin brand is the ending of their stories. All stories they publish feature happy endings. That is the promise they make to readers.<ref name=":7" />
Line 66: Line 66:


== Audience ==
== Audience ==
The target audience of Harlequin has expanded over the years. It started out by targeting housewives and women with innocent romance, refusing to publish anything remotely explicit.<ref name=":0" /> This has changed over the years, with Harlequin releasing books and imprints targeting teens, no longer shying away from sex, and including more diverse groups of people.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":7" />
The target audience of Harlequin has expanded over the years. It started out by targeting housewives and women with innocent romance, refusing to publish anything remotely explicit.<ref name=":0" /> This has changed over the years, with Harlequin releasing books and imprints targeting teens and women, no longer shying away from sex, and including more diverse groups of people.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":7" />


== Identity and Impact ==
== Identity and Impact ==
Currently, Harlequin identifies as a publisher with a romance books for everyone, including teens and other communities.<ref name=":0" />
Currently, Harlequin identifies as a publisher with a romance book for everyone, including teens and other communities.<ref name=":0" />


As the biggest romance publisher, it has a big impact on the types of content romance readers are exposed to. Harlequin helps spread trends across the industry, and especially with BookTok's current focus on romance, it will continue to have a major influence over the ideas that are spread through romance books.
As the biggest romance publisher, it has a big impact on the types of content romance readers are exposed to. Harlequin helps spread trends across the industry, and especially with BookTok's current focus on romance, it will continue to have a major influence over the ideas that are spread through romance books.

Revision as of 04:48, 1 October 2025

Craig Swinwood, the CEO of Harlequin
The new Harlequin logo v.s. the old one. Also features red/white and diamond design
An example of a classic Harlequin cover

Introductory Information

Harlequin is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers that is renowned for its many romance publications.[1]

Mission

Harlequin strives to publish a variety of interesting and diverse romance novels that both represent many different identities, and are enjoyable to all sorts of romance readers. [1][2]

History

The Beginning

Richard H.G. Bonnycastle founded Harlequin Books in Winnipeg, Canada in 1948. In this first stage, the company only focused on producing reprints of other, cheaper books.[1] It was only when Mary Bonnycastle, the wife of the founder, took on editorial duties a few years later, that the company began to shift toward the romantic side of books. She realized many women fancied the romantic works of the British company Mills & Boon, and she sought paperback rights so Harlequin could reprint some of their works.[1]

Mills & Boon

These reprints proved to be very successful for Harlequin. They tweaked the books and created a very specific romantic formula that included a happy ending. Explicit content was removed.[1] In the 1970s under president Lawrence Heisey's guidance, books were distributed for free in grocery stores with the purchase of some cleaners and other household items, attempting to expose their target audience, housewives, to their books. In 1971, Harlequin purchased Mills & Boon, taking over the company that had helped them find their footing in the publishing industry.[1][3]

Torstar Purchase

Harlequin continued to have great success, which attracted the company Torstar. Starting in 1975, Torstar began to collect shares in the company until it completely owned Harlequin in 1981.[3] Despite this new ownership, Harlequin continued to gain great success from its book giveaways. When the Berlin Wall fell in Germany, Harlequin gave away over 720,000 books, greatly boosting international sales.[1]

The Romance Wars

In the late 1970s, Harlequin began to have two major problems. The first was that their formula was beginning to fail them as readers wanted different things, and their readers leaned towards less conservative views on sex in media.[4] The second was Harlequin overestimating itself. It cut ties with Simon & Schuster, how was distributing their books in the United States, believing they could do everything themselves, and they refused to meet the desire for more America-centric stories. This led to their business in the United States being threatened by Simon & Schuster's Silhouette and other publishers in the states.[4] Silhouette profited off of Harlequin's refusal to publish more U.S. authors, and this was bad for business. To resolve this, in 1984, Harlequin purchased Silhouette, allowing Harlequin to have an important place in U.S. publishing once more.[4]

News Corp Purchase

In 2014, News Corp, which is the company that owns HarperCollins, purchased Harlequin from Torstar for over $400,000,000.[5] This was a smart move for Harlequin, as it was struggling to transition to digital books as fast as their readers demanded, leading to a decline in revenue. This deal also greatly benefitted HarperCollins, because it allowed the company to get even bigger, to expand international business, and to have more niche genres.[6] Harlequin is still owned by News Corp to this day.[1]

Present Day

For 75 years, Harlequin has managed to remain a big name in the romance industry. While Harlequin novels still have a formula and a happy ending, there are many different imprints that feature more explicit content.[7][8] Harlequin also promotes romances between all types of people, including LGBTQ+ works.[1]

Structure

The current CEO of Harlequin is Craig Swinwood.[1] Owned by News Corp, it is a private company.[9] There are around 732 employees.[10] The main leadership of the company includes Swinwood, the Vice President of Sales and Marketing of HarperCollins Canada Corey Beatty, the Vice President and General Counsel & Secretary Alia Hussey, Executive Vice-President and Publisher of Harlequin Brand Group Brent Lewis, Executive Vice-President and Publisher of Harlequin Trade Publishing Lorianna Sacilotto, and Senior Vice-President/ Executive Publisher of Harper Collins Canada Iris Tupholme.[1] In addition to them, there are many different editors across the different imprints. There are different executive editors, senior editors, editors, assistant editors, and editorial assistants, each working with authors to get their books published.[11]

Finances

As an imprint of HarperCollins, it is very difficult to find accurate financial information on just Harlequin, but HarperCollins has been doing very well for itself in the last few years. Since 2023, profits have been mainly up for HarperCollins, with a rise in sales of digital media and international growth.[12][13] Brian Murray, the CEO of HarperCollins, specifically says Harlequin will adapt well to declining mass market paperback sales.[12]

News

In 2024, Harlequin rebranded themselves to suit their rising Gen Z audience. They simplified their logo, and now opt for less branding on the books, as current readers dislike the obvious branding. They are also opting for different covers, veering toward stylistic illustrations rather than realistic photos.[14]

By the end of 2025, Harlequin plans to consolidate its imprints. Hanover Square Press, MIRA Books, and Park Row books will remain, while Canary Street Press and Graydon House will be absorbed into the other three. The remaining imprints will expand some of their genres to cover the now missing categories.[15]

Catalog

Harlequin is known for its romance publications.[1] It publishes physical books along with ebooks and audiobooks.[16] Harlequin publishes many different sub-genres of romance, including historical romance, medical romance, contemporary romance, inspirational romance, romantic suspense, erotica, paranormal romance, and fantasy romance.[16][17]

Notable Titles and Authors

While Harlequin has published many titles (currently over 100 every month), there don't seem to be any particularly notable books among its publications.[1] Regardless, there are many different authors that have gained their reputation in the romance genre through Harlequin. A few such authors are Heather Graham, Brenda Jackson, Susan Mallery, Diana Palmer, and Sherryl Woods, who have all published 100 or more novels with the company.[18] A few of 2024's bestselling titles for Harlequin include Taming a Heartbreaker by Brenda Jackson, Body Check by Elle Kennedy, Swap and Smell the Roses by Karen Booth, and many more.[19]

Formats

Harlequin publishes regular print books as well as ebooks and audiobooks.[16] Cover design is a joint effort between authors and designers, as the first step in the cover process is the authors filling out an art fact sheet. They provide information on character descriptions and important scenes from the book. They can even pitch cover ideas.[20] From there, the designers theme the cover to match with their brand and make sure it goes nicely with the rest of the month's publications. They also sometimes hold photoshoots for the covers, if they don't already have the required pictures.[20]

As for how books are printed, it is very streamlined. The words are printed on giant rolls of paper, then cut and folded to form the pages of a book. Covers are printed separately, and finally bound together, forming the book that will go on the shelves.[21]

Brand Identity

The cover is one of the most important aspects of Harlequin's brand, but that is slowly changing with the audience. Harlequin's covers have primarily been photos for a long time, but partly influenced by BookTok and Gen Z, they are now also producing books with illustrated covers.[22]

More staples of Harlequin's brand identity are the diamond shape and the colors red and white. These elements are contained in the company's logo and all across Harlequin's many websites, making them recognizably Harlequin.[22]

Story-wise, an important part of the Harlequin brand is the ending of their stories. All stories they publish feature happy endings. That is the promise they make to readers.[7]

Editorial Staff

Across all of their imprints, Harlequin has 40 editors with a variety of different experiences and specialties. There are executive editors, senior editors, editors, editorial assistants, and assistant editors.[11]

One editor who has worked with Harlequin for a long time is Bryony Green. Green started out as an Editorial Assistant for Mills & Boon, and eventually worked her way up to Executive Editor. As an editor, Green strives to make a story the best it can be, while also making it align with Harlequin's expectations. [23] Green enjoys finding new talent, but cautions it is important to consider the expectation of the company, or Harlequin will not be able to publish it.[11][23]

Audience

The target audience of Harlequin has expanded over the years. It started out by targeting housewives and women with innocent romance, refusing to publish anything remotely explicit.[1] This has changed over the years, with Harlequin releasing books and imprints targeting teens and women, no longer shying away from sex, and including more diverse groups of people.[1][7]

Identity and Impact

Currently, Harlequin identifies as a publisher with a romance book for everyone, including teens and other communities.[1]

As the biggest romance publisher, it has a big impact on the types of content romance readers are exposed to. Harlequin helps spread trends across the industry, and especially with BookTok's current focus on romance, it will continue to have a major influence over the ideas that are spread through romance books.

Notes

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 Corporate Harlequin: Home, https://corporate.harlequin.com/. Accessed 26 September 2025.
  2. “Harlequin Publishing.” Harlequin, https://corporate.harlequin.com/wp-content/themes/harlequin-corporate/img/Harlequin_2022_Press_Kit_Nov_2022.pdf.
  3. 3.0 3.1 “History of Harlequin Enterprises Limited – FundingUniverse.” FundingUniverse, https://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/harlequin-enterprises-limited-history/. Accessed 30 September 2025.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Anderson, Kacia. “Harlequin Acquires Silhouette – UNSUITABLE.” Sites@Duke Express, https://sites.duke.edu/unsuitable/harlequin-acquires-silhouette/. Accessed 30 September 2025.
  5. Hoffert, Barbara. “Publishing: Harlequin Acquired by News Corp, HarperCollins.” ProQuest, 01 June 2014, https://www.proquest.com/docview/1527488565?accountid=SUSU6749&pq-origsite=primo&sourcetype=Trade%20Journals. Accessed 26 September 2025.
  6. Greenfield, Jeremy. “Three Reasons News Corp Bought Harlequin, World's Biggest Romance Book Publisher.” Forbes, 2 May 2014, https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremygreenfield/2014/05/02/news-corp-buys-harlequin-worlds-biggest-romance-book-publisher-three-reasons/. Accessed 30 September 2025.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 “The Roadmap to Writing Romance: 5 Types of Harlequin Romance Novels.” Write for Harlequin, 8 March 2024, https://www.writeforharlequin.com/the-roadmap-to-writing-romance-5-types-of-harlequin-romance-novels/. Accessed 30 September 2025.
  8. “Shop by Imprints.” Harlequin, https://www.harlequin.com/shop/pages/imprints.html?srsltid=AfmBOooeb4CcHfi4JqPAGqmjBZkUSyIfJhIov6x9DsDIrPl4Mt3ratlJ. Accessed 30 September 2025.
  9. “Harlequin Enterprises Overview.” PitchBook, https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/62803-27#faqs. Accessed 30 September 2025.
  10. “Harlequin Information.” RocketReach, https://rocketreach.co/harlequin-profile_b5c60739f42e0c5b. Accessed 30 September 2025.
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 “Meet The Editors.” Write for Harlequin, https://www.writeforharlequin.com/editors/. Accessed 30 September 2025.
  12. 12.0 12.1 Milliot, Jim. “HarperCollins Profits Rose 10% in Fiscal 2025.” Publishers Weekly, 06 August 2025, https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/financial-reporting/article/98350-harpercollins-profits-rose-10-in-fiscal-2025.html#:~:text=HarperCollins%20Profits%20Rose%2010%25%20in,%27t%20drive%20the%20business.%E2%80%9D. Accessed 30 September 2025.
  13. Milliot, Jim. “HarperCollins Profits Soared in Fiscal 2024.” Publishers Weekly, 09 August 2024, https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/financial-reporting/article/95688-harpercollins-profits-soared-in-fiscal-2024.html#:~:text=After%20enduring%20a%20challenging%20fiscal,Article%20continues%20below. Accessed 30 September 2025.
  14. Miranda, Genesis. “Harlequin Enterprises Plan to Stay Atop the Romance Novels Publishing Industry With a Rebrand.” Classicalite, 15 March 2024, https://www.classicalite.com/articles/41565/20240315/harlequin-enterprises-plans-to-stay-atop-the-romance-novels-publishing-industry-with-a-rebrand.htm. Accessed 30 September 2025.
  15. Nawotka, Ed. “Harlequin Trade Publishing Consolidates Its Imprints.” PublishersWeekly, 16 January 2025, https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/96861-harlequin-trade-publishing-consolidates-its-imprints.html. Accessed 30 September 2025.
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 “About.” Write for Harlequin, https://www.writeforharlequin.com/about/. Accessed 30 September 2025.
  17. “Your Guide To Romance Genres.” Harlequin, https://www.harlequin.com/shop/pages/guide-to-romance-genres.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqo67ITbTi8V47RVZoNFhYT77MA1yaOpTPoaN2wiU56ICgt3QoL. Accessed 30 September 2025.
  18. “Bestselling Authors Who Wrote Series Romance - Harlequin Ever After.” Harlequin Blog, 4 June 2019, https://blog.harlequin.com/2019/06/bestselling-authors-who-wrote-series-romance/. Accessed 30 September 2025.
  19. “2024's Must Read Romances.” Harlequin, https://www.harlequin.com/shop/pages/biggest-romance-books-of-2024.html?srsltid=AfmBOorNePw2P-cTcnfCPz872LTc5IJXdcZQJi3oGuaL2JNq0fMSXNwT. Accessed 30 September 2025.
  20. 20.0 20.1 “Advice From the Archives: From Concept to Cover.” Write for Harlequin, 21 November 2018, https://www.writeforharlequin.com/advice-from-the-archives-from-concept-to-cover/#:~:text=Dana%20Grimaldi%2C%20associate%20editor%20for,in%2Dhouse%20and%20freelance%20artists. Accessed 30 September 2025.
  21. “An Inside Look at the Harlequin Distribution Center, Part 2.” Harlequin EVER AFTER, 25 June 2015, https://blog.harlequin.com/2015/06/an-inside-look-at-the-harlequin-distribution-center-part-2/. Accessed 30 September 2025.
  22. 22.0 22.1 Petit, Zachary. “Harlequin gets a BookTok-inspired rebrand.” Fast Company, 19 April 2024, https://www.fastcompany.com/91091368/harlequin-gets-a-booktok-infused-rebrand. Accessed 30 September 2025.
  23. 23.0 23.1 https://romanticnovelistsassociation.org/news/ask-an-industry-expert-bryony-green#:~:text=Bryony%20Green%20is%20the%20Executive%20Editor%20at,strong%20*%20Ensuring%20stories%20appeal%20to%20readers