This tip sheet was given out a recent conference. But we think everyone should get the benefits of knowing what–and who!–Love Inspired is all about!
Love Inspired Books
What we publish:
Love Inspired publishes 6 inspirational contemporary romance books a month.
55-60K words.
Love Inspired Suspense publishes 4 inspirational romantic suspense books a month.
55-60K words.
Love Inspired Historical publishes 4 inspirational historical romance books a month.
70-75K words.
Love Inspired Heartsong Presents publishes 2 historical & 2 contemporary romance novels a month.
45-50K words.
Who we are:
Tina James, executive editor
Melissa Endlich, senior editor @MelissaEndlich
Emily Rodmell, editor @EmilyRodmell
Elizabeth Mazer, associate editor
Shana Asaro, associate editor @Shana_Asaro
Giselle Regus, assistant editor @Gigiquin
Emily Brown, editorial assistant @EmilyBrown126
Kathy Davis, acquisitions editor of Heartsong Presents
Find us on social media:
Twitter: @LoveInspiredBks (and follow above editors for more tidbits)
Facebook: LoveInspiredBooks or HarlequinBooks
Harlequin.com Community: To interact with a community of writers and for opportunities to pitch to editors, check out Harlequin’s online community forums
How to submit:
Click on “Writing Guidelines” and find the line you’re targeting
Quick tips for writing for the Love Inspired lines:
- Small town settings work best for all the lines.
- We love hooks such as cowboys, reunion romances, Amish, babies, animals & much more.
- Books submitted to LIS need to be high intensity suspense from start to finish, not mystery or cozy mystery. The hero and heroine need to be in danger throughout the book. It should be equal parts suspense and romance.
- LIH will consider books set up until World War II. Western settings remain ever-popular, but other time periods are welcome as well.
- Love triangles do not work for the lines. We need to be able to identify the hero and heroine on the back cover.
- We prefer that the faith element in our stories be intrinsic to the story rather than didactic. It should not mention or focus on any one denomination.
Other Opportunities at Harlequin:
Harlequin Heartwarming: This line is actively acquiring “clean” romances of 70,000 to 75,000. These emotionally dramatic stories are similar to Love Inspired but without the faith element. Here are the Writing Guidelines.
So You Think You Can Write 2013: This week-long global online writing conference is held yearly, and has lots of specific blogs, posts, podcasts and streams about writing for Love Inspired along with other Harlequin lines, and general writing tips.
Thank you, Emily Rodmell, for sharing this information! It’s a fantastic quick precis of what Love Inspired is all about. Now there’s no excuse not to send in your manuscript! 🙂
10 replies on “Love Inspired Tip Sheet”
This line is intriguing me. Must give it some thought. So no blatant faith element and the sensuality is low?
There should be a faith element, but it should not rise to the level of “preachy”. And the romance focuses on the emotional aspects of falling in love rather than the physical.
Hi, ladies. When you say love triangles don’t work for the lines, does that mean there can’t be a third party who’s interested in one of the characters but who doesn’t otherwise figure heavily into the story (i.e., 30 pages or less of interaction with the leads)?
For love triangles, it basically needs to be clear from the get go who the hero and heroine are. If there’s another party interested, that’s fine as long as readers know who the hero/heroine is. What we don’t want is a “who will she choose” storyline.
Emily
I understand. Thanks so much for the quick reply, Emily!
Thanks Emily, The LIS has me thinking. I’ve got a story started that could work but need to strip the sensuality. Contemporary setting with high stakes run right off the bat sound like it might fit? Forced confinement for heroine safety. Captor becomes protector.
Sorry, meant to ask, can only one have the faith element and not the other character?
By the end of the book, both characters need to be Christians. Whether that is already the case at the beginning or happens during the course of the book is up to the author. If you’re thinking of taking a regular romantic suspense and making it inspirational, I’d recommend reading some LIS books to get an idea for the tone.
I’ve tried to download your guidelines but for some reason the link does not work!!! And suggestions?
How old should the female character be in the story of love inspired Romance, or harlequin intriguing?
Comments ( 7 )
I spent the entire shutdown working. Had no time to wind down. I didn’t see my son much when school shutdown. My one co worker was told to stay home for 3 weeks so I picked up her hours. This year has been really crappy.
Ugh, Janell. Here’s hoping the rest of your summer is better.
Thanks for the info, Carol! Everyone is different in how they deal with the shutdown! I stay at home all the time since I don’t work so I haven’t been too effected but my shopping and errands sure have been effected!
Valri, I’ve been doing most of my shopping online. My local Target is still low on some items – mostly cleaning supplies. Grocery store is pretty much back to normal. Most of the dining in our town is outdoor. I can’t imagine have school-age kids!
Wow–getting your creative process on track must have been daunting–especially with “extra-large dog” glad to have you home. You don’t like coffee–I love coffee and have enjoyed my fortifying 2 cups in the morning even more than usual! How as COVID affected your story lines and characterizations? Best Wishes for all releases!
Interesting question, Virginia. You’ll have to tell me if the tone of my “COVID” books changed any! LOL
Life has changed so much! My dad passed Feb 2. The assisted living facility my folks were at went into hardcore lockdown the beginning of March. Mom couldn’t leave her apartment for 4 months! She was on the third floor, Will be 89 in two months & doesn’t use the phone. My husband and I remodeled the lower level completely and moved her in with us July 1. What a life change and difficult transition for the 3 of us! But we’re working thru it!