Harlequin Historical is an imprint of Harlequin Romance, which is an imprint of Harper Collins. We have also reviewed a number of their other imprint previously, including Afterglow Books, Carina Press, Mills & Boon, Love Inspired & Love Inspired Suspense. All of the different imprints have clear focuses, and separate submission guidelines, and clear word count guidelines.
Harlequin Historical has only recently been listed as an imprint on Harlequin’s Submittable. They only consider work between 70,000 and 75,000 words. According to their guidelines they are looking for “Richly textured, emotionally intense novels set across a wide range of historical periods—from the battlefields of Viking and Medieval times to the ballrooms of Regency and Victorian Society.”
They do note that “Regency, Victorian, Medieval and Viking are the most popular eras amongst our readers globally. However, there’s also room for variety – we’re happy to consider stories set in other eras too, though space for these is more limited.”
They are seeking work that has relatable conflicts and characters that are appropriate to the time period they are set in. While accuracy and research are important, they shouldn’t be focused on over the romance.
They are happy to see LBGTQ+ protagonists in terms of the central romance. They want the couple’s emotional issues to be the primary force behind the tension between them.
Secondary characters should not be too numerous, or distract from the central romance.
They are open to all heat levels, from sweet to spicy, and they expect chemistry and sexual tension regardless of how explicit the work is.
They go on to share further expectations and comparable works across a variety of genres. To learn more about their expectations as well as the rest of their submission guidelines go here, and scroll down to Harlequin Historical. You can also see what they are currently publishing here.
When submitting they ask for the first three chapters, as well as a two-page synopsis.
Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2024 Guide to Manuscript Publishers. She regularly teaches three acclaimed courses on writing and publishing at The Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish. You can follow her on Facebook here.
