NEW writing opportunities! Kimani Press, Harlequin Teen, Harlequin Historical Undone, Nocturne Bites and Nonfiction Editorial are accepting submissions—check out their new guidelines!
Interested in writing a romance novel for Harlequin Enterprises? Check on one of the imprints below for editorial guidelines that will help you to craft your story. Please note, they accept submissions written in English only.
Imprint: Kimani Press
Manuscript Word Length: 80,000–85,000
Executive Editor: Glenda Howard
Editorial Assistant: Donte Gibson
Kimani Press is proud to publish a variety of outstanding mainstream fiction titles that predominately feature African-American characters. Our editorial features a broad range of genres such as: commercial women's fiction, historical fiction and romantic suspense. Kimani Press is our flagship imprint and only previously published authors who have established a strong fan base will be given serious consideration for this line.
Submission Guidelines
Please send a detailed synopsis and three sample chapters to:
Glenda Howard
Executive Editor
Kimani Press
233 Broadway, Suite 1001
New York, NY 10279
Harlequin Teen
Length: 50,000–100,000 words
Senior Editor: Natashya Wilson
Editorial Office: New York
Harlequin Teen is…
Fresh, authentic teen fiction featuring extraordinary characters and extraordinary stories set in contemporary, paranormal, fantasy, science-fiction and historical worlds.
We're looking for commercial, high-concept stories that capture the teen experience and will speak to readers with power and authenticity. All subgenres are welcome, so long as the book delivers a relevant reading experience that will resonate long after the book's covers are closed. We expect that many of our stories will include a compelling romantic element.
Harlequin Teen is a single-title program dedicated to building authors and publishing unique, memorable young-adult fiction. Stories with the unforgettable romance, characters and atmosphere of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga, the witty humor of Meg Cabot's Princess Diaries novels, the edgy emotion of Jay Asher's Th1rteen R3asons Why, the thrilling danger of Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games, the futuristic world-building of Scott Westerfeld's Uglies, and the power of Marcus Zusak's The Book Thief are examples of the range and depth of projects that we're seeking.
Submission guidelines:
We are currently accepting agented submissions only. Agents, please submit a partial or complete manuscript with full synopsis, either as a hard copy or as an e-mail attachment.
Natashya Wilson, Senior Editor
Harlequin Teen
233 Broadway, Ste. 1001
New York, NY 10279
Harlequin Historical Undone
Word Length: 10–15,000 words
Format: eBooks
Senior Editor: Linda Fildew
Editor: Sally Williamson
Editorial Assistant: Mimi Berchie
Editorial Office: London, U.K.
If you've always wanted to write for Harlequin Historical, but were daunted by the length, now is your chance to submit something shorter!
The response to Harlequin Historical's more sensual story lines have been so positive that we are creating a new eBook sexy short story program—Historical Undone.
In Historical Undone we are looking for a high level of sensuality that flows naturally out of the plotline. There should be a strong emotional basis to the heightened attraction—it's vital the reader can believe in the intense emotion driving the characters as their relationship develops. These stories should be hot, sexy and subtly explicit without the lovemaking being vulgar or gratuitous.
Whether you choose a dark and devilishly sexy Regency rake caught in a compromising situation with a headstrong miss, or a courageous Saxon lady held captive by a powerful Norman warrior, your characters should be fully fleshed out and should be the main focus of the story.
The history should be well researched in order to give an authentic sense of period without taking over from the romance. We are happy to consider stories set in ancient civilizations up to and including the First and Second World Wars. What remains ever popular are the Regency tales, which could see your characters scandalizing high society or being drawn into a salacious underworld inhabited by pickpockets and courtesans!
We are also open to slightly different elements from those normally found in Harlequin Historical books. Please feel that you can explore aspects of the paranormal and time travel.
You do not need to be agented to send material to us. We are actively looking for talented new authors and wish you every success with your submissions.
Only complete manuscripts submitted electronically will be considered—no partials or queries, please. Submissions should be sent as a Word-compatible attachment. Submissions should also follow standard formatting guidelines and should be double-spaced and typed in a clear, legible font on numbered pages. Author name and title should appear as a header or footer on each page.
Historical Undone e-mail address: undone@harlequin.ca
Nocturne Bites
Length: 10,000—15,000 words
Senior Executive Editor: Tara Gavin
Associate Senior Editor: Ann Leslie Tuttle
Silhouette Nocturne books is looking to acquire paranormal editorial with strong sexual, fantasy and danger elements for its new eBook program, Nocturne Bites.
We're looking for fast-paced novellas that hook the reader early on by establishing a paranormal world and its conflicts. We are looking for stories of vampires, shape-shifters, werewolves, psychic powers, etc. set in contemporary times.
Many of the elements that make a Silhouette Nocturne book successful remain true for the Nocturne Bites series. Stories should deliver a dark, highly sensual read that will entertain readers and take them from everyday life into an atmospheric, complex world filled with characters struggling with life and death issues. A strong alpha hero is of utmost importance—he should be powerful, mysterious and totally attractive to the heroine.
While action-packed and mission-oriented, the scope of these stories should be more contained, with additional focus placed on character development. All stories should be capable of standing alone; all loose ends need to be tied up, and the relationship between hero and heroine should resolve itself in a satisfying manner.
For published authors, this line is a great way to build their miniseries with Harlequin and Silhouette books. Unpublished authors are welcome as well.
Only complete manuscripts submitted electronically will be considered from unpublished authors; no partials or queries, please. Submissions should be sent as a Word-compatible attachment. Submissions should also follow standard formatting guidelines and should be double-spaced and typed in a clear, legible font on numbered pages. Author name and title should appear as a header or footer on each page.
Nocturne Bites e-mail address: nocturnebites@harlequin.ca
Non-fiction Editorial
Editorial Office: New York
Executive Editor: Deborah Brody
Editor: Sarah Pelz
Editorial Assistant: Alex Colon
Harlequin's nonfiction publishing program builds on our existing strengths as a publisher of content for millions of women around the world.
For our nonfiction program we are looking for books that will entertain, support, inspire and provide insight to women as their lives and roles evolve and change. We are focused on the following categories: relationships, health, diet, fitness, self-help, inspirational and narrative nonfiction (life memoir/personal memoir, lifestyle memoir, travel memoir and celebrity biographies/autobiographies). We are also interested in brand extension nonfiction: projects that are related to one of our brands (author or imprint). Authors should be writing from a solid platform with expertise and credentials that can be leveraged in the promotion of their book.
More information here.
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