Harlequin moves further into the digital marketplace
Harlequin announces an e-book-only imprint, in addition to planning for many e-book originals through other imprints.
Harlequin announces an e-book-only imprint, in addition to planning for many e-book originals through other imprints.
Are you a romance novel reader in love with your e-reader? If so, you鈥檙e in luck.
Harlequin, the publisher with a name that is almost synonymous with romance novels, is releasing a host of new e-book originals through several of its imprints over the next several months, with plans to further increase this initiative. No date is set yet for the books to appear in print.
鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled to further expand our reach in the digital space,鈥� Loriana Sacilotto, executive vice president of global editorial at Harlequin, told Publishers Weekly. 鈥淚n a retail environment that鈥檚 increasingly challenging for new and emerging authors, digital publication and promotion allows us to continue to encourage author discovery and growth, bring books to market more quickly, [and] leverage popular digital trends.鈥�
The new program will include the launch of Harlequin-E, an imprint that will be devoted solely to works that are released first in digital format. The first title is scheduled for launch sometime this fall. Starting in 2014,聽 the imprint plans to begin releasing two to six titles per month. Harlequin-E will focus on 鈥渙ut-of-the-box ideas that don鈥檛 fit into existing series romance lines,鈥� according to the publisher.
As for Harlequin鈥檚 already-established imprints, Harlequin Teen, the publisher鈥檚 imprint for younger readers, is up first with an e-book titled 鈥淪tir Me Up鈥� by Sabrina Elkins, which is scheduled for an October release. HT will then release a new digital-only title every other month, according to the publisher.
Harlequin HQN, which focuses on love stories only, and Harlequin MIRA, which publishes general fiction, will be next, both releasing original stories this coming January. The plan is for them to each release 12 digital titles every year.
It鈥檚 no secret that digital publishing is big business when it comes to romance novels. Part of the success of E.L. James鈥� 鈥淔ifty Shades of Grey鈥� trilogy has been attributed to e-books, which allow readers to peruse them covertly. This March, it was estimated that 50 percent of the sales of the series were in digital format, compared with the 20 percent figure more typical for a single title from the 鈥淕rey鈥� publisher Random House.