Tomorrow...

Tomorrow is the big day! My sister and all the wedding party had the rehearsal dinner yesterday (for some reason they couldn't do it tonight) and everything is falling into place. My sister looked so happy and relaxed at the rehearsal yesterday. It was like a weight had been lifted and for that, I'm thankful. I think she's just finally ready for the day to get here, then be over so they can enjoy each other :)


Okay, the one week I'm not able to be online much, it seems like the romance world exploded. Apparently Harlequin has decided to open what they call a self-publishing line (Harlequin Horizons), though it really sounds like a vanity press. My time is still limited online and while I'd love to chat about this decision, check out Dear Author, here, here, and here for a wonderfully detailed description of the unfolding drama. My big problem is that they're not separating the Harlequin brand from the self-publishing brand. They say they are, but including an HH logo on the spine is annoyingly similar to something like Harlequin Historicals. And don't get me started on the covers, which can also be seen at the Horizons website b/c they look like a lot of Harlequin covers. For typical readers, it's unlikely that they'd be able to tell the difference between a regular Harlequin book and a self-pubbed one. Talk about brand dilution. That's just bad, bad, bad.


RWA sent out a notice to all its members yesterday stating that Harlequin was no longer meets the requirements as being a non-subsidy/non-vanity press. Quote from the alert: With the launch of Harlequin Horizons, Harlequin Enterprises no longer meets the requirements to be eligible for RWA-provided conference resources. This does not mean that Harlequin Enterprises cannot attend the conference. Like all non-eligible publishers, they are welcome to attend. However, as a non-eligible publisher, they would fund their own conference fees and they would not be provided with conference resources by RWA to publicize or promote the company or its imprints.


Apparently, Harlequin moved fast with a response, which I pulled from Literary Agent Kristen Nelson's blog, Pub Rants. It sounds like they'll be changing the name of Harlequin Horizons to something undecided at this time, but it will not be linked to Harlequin in the future. I'm glad they've made a move toward changing this (other NY publishers have self-publishing companies, they're just not linked in name), but I don't think it should have ever happened in the first place. The whole debacle just feels sleazy.


Here's the letter:
Harlequin was very surprised and dismayed to receive notice late yesterday that the RWA has decided that Harlequin is no longer eligible for RWA-provided conference resources. We were even more surprised to discover that the RWA sent a notice to its membership announcing this decision, before allowing Harlequin to respond or engage in a discussion about it with the RWA board.

Harlequin has been a significant supporter of the RWA for many years in several ways, including:

• financial sponsorships at the annual conference
• sending editors to the national and regional chapter conferences throughout the year to meet with and advise aspiring authors and participate in panel discussions on writing
• celebrating our authors, most of whom are RWA members, annually with the largest publisher party at the conference.

It is disappointing that the RWA has not recognized that publishing models have and will continue to change. As a leading publisher of women's fiction in a rapidly changing environment, Harlequin's intention is to provide authors access to all publishing opportunities, traditional or otherwise.

Most importantly, however, we have heard the concerns that you, our authors, have expressed regarding the potential confusion between this venture and our traditional business. As such, we are changing the name of the self-publishing company from Harlequin Horizons to a designation that will not refer to Harlequin in any way. We will initiate this process immediately. We hope this allays the fears many of you have communicated to us.

We are committed to connecting with our authors and aspiring authors in a significant way and encourage you to continue to share your thoughts with us.

Sincerely

Donna Hayes
Publisher and Chief Executive Officer
Harlequin Enterprises Limited


I wish I could chat longer, but I'm out for now. Hope everyone has a great weekend!