Harlequin Intrigue 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 and Harlequin Historical. All of the different imprints have clear focuses, and separate submission guidelines, and clear word count guidelines. Almost all of the imprints, including this one, are open to LGBTQIA+ stories and welcome all gender and identity pairings.
Harlequin Intrigue books describes themselves by saying, “They are for fans of novels by Sandra Brown, James Patterson and Iris Johansen. They are high-stakes thrillers and procedurals where determined characters go through a spectrum of tensions as they work to solve a crime.”
They publish six new titles a month, and you can see what they’ve released recently here.
Not only do they want a high intensity crime story, with a complex plot that is fully resolved in terms of the crime, they also want a romance with a complete romantic arc. The sensuality in Harlequin Intrigue books is low to moderate and there should be no graphic sexual details or explicit language but the main characters must share “a palpable physical and emotional attraction and have a meaningful connection to the crime”. The crime itself should not involve gratuitous violence. Subplots should be minimal.
The word count is 55,000 to 60,000 words. They ask that authors submit their full manuscript alongside a 3-7 page synopsis that describes “your story, including plot outline, character development and conflict resolution/ending.”
The submission guidelines also boast that “Several New York Times bestselling authors have launched their careers with Harlequin Intrigue!” but they do not disclose the names of their authors. They do share the names of their editorial team. To see those, and the additional information they share, go here, and scroll down to the section called Harlequin Intrigue. Please read the complete guidelines carefully before submitting.
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.
