This week we’re wrapping up the Harlequin Romance Billionaires Wanted pitch event. A huge thank you to everyone who submitted a pitch. Your pitches were fun and imaginative and we loved meeting your billionaires!
During the first round of pitches on April 10th, we received a whopping 419 story pitches from all over the world! From this batch, we requested the first chapter from 89 authors. We have now made our latest requests from this batch, and we can’t wait to see more!
Over the two rounds, we have read some fantastic stories – that really raised the bar! The stories that we wanted to see more of immediately threw us into the unique and sparkling dynamic between the two main characters and immersed us in a glamourous and well-drawn setting. The thing that really set successful submissions apart, however, was straightaway seeing hints of the deep, heartfelt emotional conflicts that would sustain the emotional and romantic tension – from beginning to end!
We know it’s disappointing not to have a story selected. We hope that you’ll continue to submit to Harlequin Romance. Here are some tips for your next submission:
- Start your story with a bang! Your first few lines are your chance to hook a reader’s attention and make it impossible for them to put your book down – so make the most of these! Too much explanation and set-up before the action starts can put a reader off. If you go straight into the hero and heroine’s meeting, make sure it connects with the rest of your story.
- Focus on the internal emotional conflict of your characters. Give plenty of thought to what your main characters have been through in their lives, and what emotional “baggage” they have to help each other work through before they can be happy together. To help you build strong internal conflicts that develop throughout the story, plan out the emotional arc for both your protagonists. It can be useful to map out their whole lives – what is it that shaped each one into the person they are now? What emotional obstacles will they have to overcome to be together? This will help you to write emotionally-driven turning points in the story that develop your main characters’ romance.
- Use secondary characters to add richness and depth to your central romance but don’t let them take over. Secondary characters can be used to add authenticity and detail to the setting and story and support the central romance – but with only 50,000 words to tell your story, the focus needs to be firmly on the main characters.
Thanks again to everyone who participated, spread the word, and chatted with us on socials. It was so lovely to read all your query letters and romantic pitches!
As always, our submissions inbox is open all year, so if you have a Harlequin Romance you’re itching to tell, then please send it to us! You can find our full submission guidelines on Submittable.com.
The Harlequin Romance team.
Want to know more about Harlequin Romance?
Series Spotlight on Harlequin Romance: What Harlequin Romance is (and isn’t!) – Write for Harlequin
Editor POV with Jenny Macey
Further Reading:
The Do’s and Don’ts of a Revise and Resubmit – Write for Harlequin
Top 5 Reasons We Reject a Manuscript – Write for Harlequin
Rising from Rejection: What to Do (and Not to Do) After Receiving a Rejection Letter – Write for Harlequin
