Thursday News : Harlequin – “Romance Includes You”
Misc / Publishing News#ownvoices / disability / diversity / Harlequin / indigenous nations / LGBTQA / POC8 Comments
OVERVIEW OF DETAILS AT THE BOTTOM
Harlequin’s Romance Includes You Mentorship Initiative
Supports Increased Diversity and Inclusion in Romance Publishing
Mentorship opportunity aims to find new talent and bring more stories
representing diverse and own voices to romance readers
Toronto and New York, [July 10, 2019] — Today, Harlequin launched a mentorship initiative that offers aspiring romance writers from underrepresented communities the chance to work one-on-one with a Harlequin editor for a year on writing a romance novel and includes an offer to publish their book and $5,000 (US) to support their writing. The Romance Includes You Mentorship is part of Harlequin’s active efforts to find new talent and bring more stories representing diverse and own voices to romance readers.
Harlequin is accepting submissions starting September 1 to select a recipient living in North America for a 12-month mentorship with a romance editor who will provide editorial guidance during the writing process and share firsthand insights and knowledge on the romance market and the publishing industry. The aim is for the selected writer to develop a manuscript during the mentorship that Harlequin can publish in one of its 12 series romance lines or Carina Press.
This opportunity is open to unpublished or self-published writers from underrepresented communities who have a strong desire to write romance fiction for adult readers and want to add their diverse voices and own voices to the romance genre. The first phase of this program is offered to writers living in North America and may be followed by additional opportunities in other regions.
“We’re committed to publishing diverse and inclusive voices so that readers see themselves reflected in the stories we publish,” said Loriana Sacilotto, Harlequin’s Executive Vice President. “We are actively working to acquire more traditionally underrepresented and diverse voices. We are reaching out with an exciting opportunity for writers that offers a publishing contract, $5,000 to support the creative process and the chance to develop a working relationship with an editor at a major publisher.”
Submissions for the Romance Includes You Mentorship will be accepted from September 1 to October 15, 2019. The final shortlist of submissions will be reviewed by a judging panel whose representatives have broad experience editing, publishing and marketing multicultural, interracial and LGBTQ+ romance fiction.
Submission criteria and more details are available at http://www.soyouthinkyoucanwrite.com/mentorship/.
This initiative is part of Harlequin’s ongoing outreach activities to encourage story submissions from traditionally underrepresented and diverse voices through submission drives and to broaden diversity, representation and inclusion in its publishing program. Harlequin supports writers conferences and organizations promoting inclusion and diversity in publishing, and regularly participates in #DVpit story pitching events on Twitter that connect editors with marginalized writers.
Here is an overview of the details:
One winner will be chosen to receive a year-long mentorship program with a Harlequin editor, including an offer to publish their book, plus a $5000 (US) stipend.
The submission period begins September 1, 2019 – October 15, 2019.
The contest is open to aspiring romance writers living in North America from underrepresented communities
We want to work with authors from a wide range of backgrounds, communities and cultures, including [but not limited to] people of color, members of racial and ethnic minorities, LBGTQIA+ communities, Indigenous communities, people with disabilities and other diverse and own voices.
Interested aspiring romance authors will need to submit a story synopsis (maximum 2,500 words), a first chapter of the novel (maximum 7,500 words), and a personal statement on why they want to write a romance novel (maximum 500 words).
More information can be found at http://www.soyouthinkyoucanwrite.com/mentorship/
Link to the press release: https://corporate.harlequin.com/press-room/harlequins-romance-includes-you-mentorship-initiative-supports-increased-diversity-and-inclusion-in-romance-publishing/
Didn’t they just shut down the Kimani line? That seems anti-diversity. I heard those authors were struggling to be included in their standard lines. So I’m a little conflicted on whether they truly support diversity.
I have to second RebeccaA’s comment. I hope Harlequin is sincere and this isn’t just a PR stunt to counter the very accurate complaint that the romance genre is overwhelmingly straight and white. Has Harlequin published LGBTQ romances in the past? I’ve read lots of Harlequin Presents and Harlequin Blaze/Dare books, but do not recall any LGBTQ storylines (or, frankly, even characters). A few of Caitlin Crews’s books (Presents and Dare) have had Black heroines—but, beyond references to their soft curls or beautiful skin tone, the heroine’s ethnicity did not play a role in the story.
Naima Simone’s next Harlequin novel has a cover that seems to show a hero and heroine who are not white. Her recent Desire book had both white hero/heroine. There seem to be a few more covers in the upcoming months that show a bit more diversity.
I think Carina Press is one of Harlequin’s lines, and they publish quite a few LGBTQ romances.
Carina is one of Harlequin’s lines, and they do publish a lot of LGBT romances (primarily m/m). They also have a new line that is going to start publishing next year that is specially LGBT takes on traditional romance tropes (I think it’s called Carina Adores or something like that).
The main Harlequin lines are all very straight though, and when I think of Harlequin, and they’re the ones I think of first. Carina is part of the family, but it has a very different feel from the more traditional Harlequin lines, imo.
This seems like a step in the right direction, but why just pick one writer from an underrepresented group and push one book forward? Why not open up a group, promote multiple writers, create an entire new line or something that would really promote diversity?
@Kim Wyant: That’s what I’d like to see happen, too.
Aaand Harlequin just fired Angela James, the editorial director of Carina. :-(