Harlequin Special Edition is an imprint of Harlequin, which is an imprint of Harper Collins. We have also reviewed a number of their other imprints previously, including Afterglow Books, Carina Press, Mills & Boon, Love Inspired & Love Inspired Suspense, Harlequin Historical, Harlequin Heartwarming, Harlequin Medical Romance, and Harlequin Intrigue. All of the different imprints have clear focuses, and separate submission guidelines, and clear word count guidelines.
Harlequin Special Edition focuses on publishing books that feature contemporary characters and situations. They want to tell stories of “relatable men and women with friends, family and careers, as they experience the journey to true love.” They don’t want to show just the main characters, they want family, friends, and co-workers to play a role in the story too.
They are open to a wide range of hooks and tropes including the following: “babies/raising children, especially in the case of single parents and multiples; family stories of all types; “fake” relationships for the sake of appearances; western settings and cowboy and ranch stories; rural/small town settings; second chance at love; friends/enemies to lovers; and stories that expand on the romance to include extended family—children; parents; siblings; friends; and co-workers of the protagonists. And pets—especially when they play a key element in the story, and/or have a “job” such as canine or therapy pets!”. They are hoping for fresh twists on classic romance hooks and tropes.
They are open to a wide range of heat levels in these stories.
They want to feature characters from a range of backgrounds and lived experiences. They encourage authors from diverse backgrounds to submit for this reason. The editors want the work to be set in the present in an American small town. They hope the books leave readers feeling optimistic, empowered, and connected.
Harlequin Special Edition allows for submissions of stories between 70,000 and 75,000 words in length. This is on the longer side for a Harlequin imprint.
They publish four new Harlequin Special Edition Books every month. You can get a good feel for what they have recently published here.
To learn more go here, and scroll down to Special Edition.
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.
