Harlequin Horizons, the recently created self-publishing division of Harlequin Enterprises, has just experienced its first identity crisis. Harlequin Enterprises CEO Donna Hayes reveals that the new company will be getting a newer name, one that removes the Harlequin designation entirely from its title.
Harequin Horizons will soon be changing its name, reports CEO
Donna Hayes. (Website screenshot taken 11-19-2009 by Carol
Thomas)
Both Kristin Nelson's Pub Rants blog and Richard Curtis's E-Reads blog have provided this information as updates to the story that broke today, November 19, 2009, about the Romance Writers of America's decision to remove Harlequin Enterprises from their list of publishers eligible for use of RWA-provided conference resources. The full text of Hayes' response to the RWA decision is provided on both blogs.
Saying that Harlequin "was very surprised and dismayed" by the RWA's action, Hayes first summarizes the contributions Harlequin has made to the RWA over the years of their association and then adds that "it is disappointing that the RWA has not recognized that publishing models have and will continue to change."
Hayes concludes by pointing to Harlequin's continued responsiveness to the concerns of Harlequin's authors. This, she says, is the reason for the relabeling of Harlequin Horizons:
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.
On yet another front, the E-Reads blog, in "Mystery Writers of America Steps into Harlequin Fray with Threat of Sanctions" announced today that the Mystery Writers of America (MWA) too has threatened Harlequin with removal from its Approved Publishers list if it fails to respond by December 15, 2009 to the MWA's concerns regarding both the Harlequin Horizons self-publishing program and the eHarlequin Manuscript Critique service.
Examiner.com's Mystery Series Examiner will provide more details about the MWA's action tomorrow. For now, both Examiners end the day with the line that seems to best summarize the ongoing Harlequin drama. As one poster on the Absolute Write forum remarked, "It's almost like watching the Titanic hitting the iceberg, isn't it?"
What happened and when: A chronological overview of Harlequin Enterprises' DellArte Press affair
Mystery Writers of America implements proposed sanctions against Harlequin Enterprises
Mystery Writers of America joins with RWA and SFWA in complaints regarding Harlequin Horizons
Comments
Publishing does change. Ripping people off and vanity pressing them and stealing from them blind. Different. Shame on Harlequin.
The fact is, Harlequin in charging people 600 to 1600 to Vanity press a book. Vanity Press is NOT EPublishing.
The money should flow one way. One clue, its Not from the author to the publishing house.
I disagree. Harlequin gets SO many submissions, and they must reject most of them. Why not give these authors a chance to get editing, self-publishing, and a new venue for their books? At least, they're not "dead in the water." They know from the get-go that they must pay, and many will welcome the chance to do it.
Elizabeth, have you seen how much Harelquin wants to charge those rejected submitters to have thier book published? And they don't get any EDITING unless they upgrade, upgrade, upgrade.
They are going to reject people and refer them to Horizions where people desperate to get published are going to waste their money on publishing a novel that isn't going to get any distribution.
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