Jo Leigh adds the following to her blog:
The reason I’m posting this on the blog is so that folks didn’t think every book by Harlequin is now going to be half a story, or that the reader will be cheated. Some books, by some authors, have been coming in very long and when printed, the print bleeds into the margins, making it difficult for some readers. From what I understand, that’s all they’re trying to fix. The aim is to give folks a more pleasant reading experience.
(…)
I don’t know if the core market for Harlequin is over 50, but considering that the population is aging and that the most money and the most buying power now rests in the pockets of those 50+, I think it’s important to pay attention. Not to ignore a younger market, because well, where are you going to get the new readers, but it’s true. The Boomers are getting up there.
Which brings me to two comments left by visitors in my post below:
Thoughts? Why isn’t HQ picking up the younger generation? Are the authors writing more toward the older readers and not giving the younger readers anything of interest, or to which they can relate? Or are there truly fewer readers in the younger generation? Are they going to be more interested in, for example, the Harlequin / Dark Horse manga editions? I have daughters who are 21 and 23. Both are readers, but neither read romance. The FVT will read a chick lit now and then, but for the most part both girls read horror, true crime, etc.
For several years two of my crit partners were 24 and 26, but writing historical romances and reading those along with other bigger contemporaries, but very few Harlequins. When I worked the day job, our receptionist was a big reader of series romances, but I have to say she and a friend of my daughter’s (who reads all my books) are the the only twenty-somethings I know who are. Is this the norm?
***UPDATE***
Author Susan Gable asks:
There’s been debate among H/S authors as to whether or not the readers will notice that they’re getting “less story” in the lines. Debate about whether or not it’s possible to write as complex a story at 70-75K as it is at 80-85K. Some say it’s all up the writers, and that we could still write just as strong & complex a story at the shorter length as the longer. What do you think?Will the readers be okay with giving up “more story” for ease of reading? Will they even notice they’re getting “less story?” (Remember, the printed books will still have about the same number of pages, so they won’t appear to be shorter.) Have attention spans gotten shorter? (In response to that argument, I toss out Harry Potter – and those are supposed to be children’s books!)
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commenting as a twenty-something — romance is perhaps 10 or 15% of my reading, and it’s never category — but either chick lit or paranormal. I also don’t know any woman under 30 who reads Harlequin books. I think a part of the reason, they have a quite conservative image — difficult to the connect. Maybe it’s not the age thing but the attitude thing.
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I’m a twenty-something and I read romance…just not a lot anymore. I would say it would be about 25% of my free time reading (which there isn’t a lot of anymore!). I used to read all the Blaze books but stopped because the storylines/characters seemed to get repetitive. I mean, seriously, how many radio DJs do you know that talk exclusively about sex? how many people do you know really work in a sex toy shop? From the way that the Blaze line seems to have gone one in oh, so say seven women have that kind of job. It just got old so I stopped reading them. I still read the cover blurbs for the Blaze line at eharlequin.com but I rarely buy any anymore (aside from Alison Kent titles of course!). So it could be an attitude thing like Daria said but I’m having a hard time connecting with the lines because of a storyline thing.
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What about the other category lines? Desire? Special Edition? Superromance? Are any of these lines more or less appealing to younger readers?
Do younger readers need to read about their own issues and characters who are their contemporaries to be able to relate to and enjoy the stories?
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I personally think it’s the stigma of being ‘mom’s books’ that is hurting Harlequin. I honestly don’t know how they can fix that without a major name change. Who wants to get caught reading the books their mother read? (Okay, I don’t have a problem with that, but some people do.;) Anytime I mention Harlequin to younger people their general response is that their mom or grandma used to read those books. The sad thing is they actually think the books are the ’same’ and haven’t changed.
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I know we as authors do all we can to make sure readers are aware that today’s books aren’t the same as what our mothers and grandmothers read. And I know HQ takes out great ads in a lot of magazines; their Blaze ads have been incredibly sexy.
Do you really think the image of mom’s and grandma’s romances is so tied to the name Harlequin it won’t change? Interesting.
I’m thinking of the current spate of McDonald’s commercials with the hip-hop tone, etc. Same with a lot of soft drinks; they’ve really reached out to another generation without a name change.
Is it too late to save the Harlequin brand? :(
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As far as younger readers, I know my 17 yo sister will read some chick lit, but never romance. If she reads at all (she has a busy social life), it’s either chick lit or a biography.
And even I steer away from some lines. the H/S Romance lines are too much sweet, so I just get one or two every once in awhile. Superromance is an every once in awhile thing, it seems to be more about family things – not something I go for as much.
SSE…I never much “got” this line, never appealed to me.
But yeah…I don’t really see Harlequin luring in younger readers. The Flipside line died, that’s the one I could see appealing to the younger crowd.
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That says to me, Nicole, that a lot of the stories aren’t relevant to younger readers. What about the young adult books? Are they too young then? I was married at 18 and had 3 kids by the time I was 26, so family stories *were* relevant to me then, LOL!
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My mom read H/S and that never stopped me. In fact, it’s how I started reading them! Very hard to say if the younger generation isn’t into romance, or just not into category?
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I don’t doubt they read romances! I’m just wondering where category is headed! I read my mother’s early Presents when I was young, but then they no longer appealed when I was older.
By then I was reading Elizabeth Lowell and Linda Howard and Sandra Brown. Not so much because they were relevant to my situtation, but simply because the stories were so good.
So why DO we read? It can be for escapism, where relevance is probably less important than it would be for those reading to identify.
So much to think about!
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Escapism, mainly, for me.
I grew up with reading as a huge thing, but then we also moved around alot. But I also grew up thinking Harlequin romances were the worst crap ever (got it from my mom). I read anything BUT romances at home.
And Harlequin might want to appeal to younger readers, but with the amount of babies in titles and covers, I can’t see that happening. I know it may appeal to older readers, but some of us are waiting to have children.
I’m not even quite sure how to change it. If you do away with some thing, you alienate older readers, yet may not gain new, younger ones.
but hmmm…it makes one think. Or at least this whole thing makes my 25 yo mind think.
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I stopped reading most category romances around 25 or so (five yrs ago) because honestly, I felt like ‘if you’ve read two or three, well, you’ve read them all.’ I do buy the books by authors who I enjoy (like you, Jo Leigh & Suzanne Brockmann) but I doubt seriously that I would find a ‘new’ author that way.
I worked in a bookstore for 6 years and even got to take some of the stripped books home with me and it just never appealed. Intrigue seems kinda hokey to me, and I really do not like Presents, Romance, SSE or Desire. I guess the only Harlequin lines I occassionally read are Blaze, SIM, and Bombshell.
The story lines just don’t interest me much — family plots, secret babies, sheiks, etc. I read a lot of romance, but more suspense and chick-lit. I guess a part of me feels that category stories aren’t ‘meaty’ enough and really, the short length of the categories doesn’t appeal to me much either.
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Alison will probably know my identity, but I didn’t want to put my name on this comment for what I’m about to say.
I tried reading Silhouette Bombshell. It didn’t work for me. The launch titles just about killed my interest because they were trite, poorly written and edited, and I didn’t think it was all that different or cool compared to the other lines. I couldn’t help but think it was a gimmick. I couldn’t read past the first 1-2 chapters for all of the launch titles, and I skimmed the rest and tossed them out.
Desire has one or two writers who I thought were good, but the rest were OK, and some were just painful to read. Some of these characters were so angsty over something so stupid, it was just ridiculous. I wanted to tell them to see a therapist, for God’s sake.
HP — over the top crazy, but it’s OK if you want to read one or two title per year. Just can’t handle Greek tycoons, vengeful Italian / Latin / Spaniard lovers for months and months.
I read some SIM, but I prefer ST over SIM and HSR. Duet/L&L/Flipside, etc. just weren’t funny, and didn’t work for me.
Babies just don’t make me go “Oooh….I want to buy….babies….me love babies.” Virgin brides, etc. just don’t do it for me, either. Or the twenty-something virgin ashamed of her virginity. In this day and age, if you really wanted to lose it, you could’ve when you were in high school. Unless you were fugly or disgustingly scarred. But even then. Horny teenage boys aren’t that discriminating in high school if you aren’t TOO picky. All these things and plot devices make me NOT identify with either the heroine or the hero or the situation / book. And I’m frankly tired of these 20-something virgin heroines who don’t know anything about how sex works because…hello? Didn’t you take sex ed? I’m tired of the alpha tycoon heroes and brainless secretary / mistress heroines whose goal in the book is to get the rich guy. *rolling eyes*
I’m gonna stop ranting now.
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Relevance…well, that wouldn’t explain why I read every Harry Potter book or why I’d tackle Sho-gun. I will pretty much read any book that catches my interest. It doesn’t have to strike me as relevant.
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Charlene – Not all readers read every genre for the same reason, ergo, not all genres must be relevant (if they are at all). Readers who read romance looking for hope that love can happen and that a happily-ever-after with a true hero is possible aren’t looking for the same thing when they read Harry Potter. But they might find a RDI book that includes a romance more relevant to say a Superromance that focuses on an older couple. That’s what I’m getting at.
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All these things and plot devices make me NOT identify with either the heroine or the hero or the situation / book.
Anonymous (NOT!) Reader in Her 20s – This is what I’m talking about. Do you think readers your age *do* want to see themselves and their situations on the page when reading contemp works, or are they willing to buy into something that they may not see happening in their lives (or want to happen) as long as it’s a good story, i.e., the secret baby Superromance, etc.? Is your feeling about your generation that they do need relevance when reading about their peers?
See, I don’t read contemporary romances if they don’t reflect a bit of my reality, i.e., characters who interact believably, who have a foot in the current times, etc. That’s my preference as a reader. Now, when I’m reading suspense? I’ll buy into anything because it’s not a world in which I circulate. But if I’m going to read about a 2005 heroine living and working in an urban setting, I need her to reflect my reality.
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I’m not even quite sure how to change it. If you do away with some thing, you alienate older readers, yet may not gain new, younger ones.
Nicole, I think that’s the conundrum. Is it even possible to appeal to all generations with everything, or is HQ with its variety of series lines doing the best it can?
I guess a part of me feels that category stories aren’t ‘meaty’ enough and really, the short length of the categories doesn’t appeal to me much either.
Shelly, There are definitely readers who prefer bigger, meatier stories. I’m one of them!
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But also…is Harlequin doing any marketing in places where younger people see them? Say Bombshell ads in Seventeen (or some other similar mag) or Blaze in Cosmo?
And if I’m reading a contemporary romance, I expect some realism. If I don’t want that, I’ll read a fantasy or something else. but a contemp…I expect realism. I think that’s why chick lit is appealing. It’s got a dose of realism with humor. It may be wacky at times and over the top (with glam lit, etc), but there’s that element of the young every-woman who can’t figure out what she wants in life.
And virgins…we need a damn good reason why she didn’t lose it in high school (though I never did. Hell, I didn’t even go on one date in high school).
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Blaze has had ads in Cosmo, yes! Or Glamour? I’ve seen them, and both mags come here.
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Yes, I want contemporary to be more relevant. To me, HP is more relevant than H/S series. Why? Even in the fantasy world, HP deals with friendship, growing up, etc. in realistic ways that I can identify with.
How am I to identify with an uber-alpha Greek tycoon’s virgin mistress, who pines over the gorgeous but class A asshole dude and wrings her hands because he said something mean to her? Or a girl with a secret baby whose father happens to reenter their lives, and she’s scared that he’d take the baby away, etc., etc., etc.
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I completely agree with Anon that it has to be somewhat realistic for me. That’s why I can’t read the secret baby, marriage of convenience or the “uber-alpha Greek tycoon’s virgin mistress, who pines over the gorgeous but class A asshole dude and wrings her hands because he said something mean to her.” Like you, Alison, in suspense I can really push my suspension of disbelief because I’ve never been the center of a murder investigation! :)
I know the whole ‘different strokes’ rule and I’m sure the lines do work for others, but if they want my money on a monthly basis, maybe they could try less titles per month with a higher word count and really a less formulaic feel. In the end it’s all about quality and sometimes, I feel the lines just don’t have it.
Although, I am intrigued by this new paranormal line….. :o)
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i read blaze the most, desire, some sse only the authors i like i will read it. the blaze and desire series are more hot and attract 20’s and older.
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I think the category romance has a few things going for it.
Length, or lack thereof. A lot of my friends hesitate at the idea of picking up a 3-4 hundred page book.
Play up the idea of escapism. We’ve classes/homework or we’ve had a long day at work. A quick read before bed, perhaps in the tub, would be just the thing! The thing is, what we consider escapism might not be what Harlequin is publishing.
The problem with Bombshell is that the quality isn’t even. Some are ridiculously bad–including one of the launch books. Others are pretty good–Evelyn Vaughn!! It’s just not worth it to us to subscribe–and we all know girls like a bargain.
The Harlequin/Silhouette image could use a makeover for certain. When I suggested the Bombshells to a girlfriend, her reply, and I quote, was “But that’s what my mom reads!”
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The thing is, what we consider escapism might not be what Harlequin is publishing.
So, May, I’d love to hear some ideas!! What do you consider escapism?
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I don’t think they’ll ever be able to attract younger readers. What’s needed is a new brand that doesn’t have Harlequin or Silhouette anywhere in the name. I’m 28, and for most people I know, the brands signify “trashy books for stupid people” or “the crap my grandma reads.”
I do read some category romance, so I definitely don’t think that–but most of the people I know, including the romance readers, think of those tacky Presents titles when they think of H/S and think that all the lines are like that. Even for me, the only lines that hold interest are SIM and the historicals–and I’m only interested in the Westerns.
To get back to my original point, a good many people I know have at least tried a Luna book. I don’t know if they know who publishes Luna or not, but they’re trying them.
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Meril – Your point about Luna is the same one I made (I think in a post above) about Red Dress Ink. It’s done quite well, and I doubt most readers who pick up an RDI or a Luna book know that they’re reading a Harlequin.
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I’m in my early 30s and gave up on Category romances years and years ago. It’s the storylines, mainly, that completely fail to appeal. I’ll read authors’ backlists when I find a new author, but I don’t find new authors in the categories. Especially in the ones that focus on anything other than the romance–there just isn’t time to develop a romance and a mystery. I prefer my romances a little meatier.
I’m also moving into eBooks–erotica, mostly. I don’t know how much that might have to do with H/S’s decline.
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All of this leaves me curious. I know HQ does focus groups, and as Karen Templeton has said in more than one venue, her category sales show that readers want the brides, babies, and cowboys.
There are definitely readers who pick up those reads. Do they do so because that’s what’s available? Flipside, Duets and Temptation all had a wider range of storylines, with a less small town feel, and all three lines failed.
I don’t know how HQ can decide on what to do, LOL! Online, most readers say they want different, yet the stories they don’t want are what is selling.
I’ve also heard readers talk about categories sounding similar, no matter the author. That perhaps RWA and contests and workshops and critique groups have instilled a common voice in series books that isn’t seen in single title.
Maybe it’s a combination? Subject matter, relevance, voice, etc. Sigh. I’m glad I’m not in charge!
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The problem is that category has a horrid rep / image. To do something new or bold on top of that “tainted” name won’t work.
Even if H/S try something new, people will look at the logo and say, “Oh…it’s that trashy smut my grandma used to read or whatever.” The worst thing is H/S is generally not taken seriously as a real legit book publisher by non-category reading public. The stigma exists even among romance writing community. Single titles confer more … I don’t know … prestige (?) because they’re longer, harder to get published (or at least that’s the perception because ST houses don’t publish hundreds of romance titles like H/S do), etc.
I agree that H/S may have to create a new brand just for new people without putting Harlequin/Silhouette logo anywhere on the book.
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Are they going to be more interested in, for example, the Harlequin / Dark Horse manga editions?
Depends. If Harlequin thinks that they’re going to tap into the manga explosion with this particular line, they’re in for a rude awakening because the core population of loyal female manga fans consists of readers how make no qualms about sneering (and yes, I really do mean sneering) in Harlequin’s direction. It goes back to the reputation that H/S has. I’m sure they’ll get readers, of course, but I doubt they’ll reach the levels of fandom adoration as manga titles like Paradise Kiss or Hot Gimmick.
But the truth of the matter is… The manga titles that do best in the US are not pure romance titles. They’re fantasy.
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Vernieda is probably correct. I don’t know any hardcore manga readers who look at H/S with anything other than kind eyes.
Most hot mangas are SFF. (But not all — Rurouni Kenshin is historical) Even look at the ones from overseas (Japan, really) that managed to make it big here. They’re mostly SFF — Trigun (SF), X/1999 (paranormal/fantasy), Chobits (SF), Neon Genesis Evangelion (SF), A Little Snow Fairy Sugar (F), O My Goddess (F), The Vision of Escaflowne (F), Vampire Princess Miyu (Horror / F), etc. OMG and Esca have strong romantic subplots, but X/1999, NGE, Sugar do not. Some contain minor romantic subplots, but not much.
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I messed that up. I meant to say that I don’t know many manga readers who like H/S. X_X
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an interesting comment from an avid reader of romances today, who asked to keep anon. Her point was that she loves reading romances about modern, worldly women who find unexpected love, but “most romances are written by small-town, married-to-high-school-sweetheart women and it shows.” Maybe that’s the “stigma” that was mentioned earlier. That when the issues are closer to the heart of a contemporary urban young woman, the reader just doesn’t buy the realism… at the same time, I’ve been always surprised by the fact that most women my age seem even more conservative than their mothers, even in the creative occupations which should be bohemian by definition.
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Meril brought up Luna, and I’ve read a few of them. I agree with her, because friends I’ve turned onto Luna can’t believe Luna’s a Sil/Har imprint.
But it doesn’t make them inclined to try the categories.
Alison, I think those storylines people brought up (sheiks, etc) are still escapism. But they need a much more modern spin on it.
The storyline–at least my take on it–behind Desire is a rich guy sweeping the heroine away.
It’s still relevant. Just needs to be ‘modernized.’
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The thing about the Luna is that it’s not marketed as a category imprint. They’re considered standalone novels and if you talk to several of the Luna authors — especially the 2005 and beyond batch — their focus and interest is on the fantasy world and heroine’s journey. The romance is secondary to the main plot to many of them, and a few of them have “romantic subplots” that you’d totally miss if you sneezed.
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Well I’m 30 and have been reading categories since my early 20s. But I understand I am not “normal.”
I think Harlequin’s problem is the Presents line. Seriously. When non-category readers *think* about Harlequin I *think* they see a gawd-a$$ awful HP title like “Virgin For Sale” swimming through their minds. I do think these types of stories have their place in the romance world, but honestly do they have have to be marketted in such a cheestastic way?
I used to read across most of the lines, but these days I mainly stick to HSR. Even though the vast majority are “family stories” and are set in small towns, I find they have a meatier emotional undercurrent to them.
The line I’m really upset about is Desire. This used to be my favorite line, but I haven’t bought a new one in AGES. Honestly, a girl can handle only so many “Dynasties”, continuing series and sheiks before she wants to ram her head into a wall.
Also, I think as online romance readers we have to remember that we are a minority. Not every romance reader is active in the online community, and I suspect these are the folks who are eating up the secret baby, Greek tycoon, 35-year-old virgin heroine books. But I could be wrong….
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Wendy – The online minority issue has occurred to me as well. I think maybe we’re all more vocal?
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I began reading Harlequins a couple of years ago when a co-worker lent me her gIRL-gEAR books (this led to a glom of Alison’s single titles). I generally read HSR, Blaze, and H/Historicals (Categories make up less than 10% of my book budget). I’m in my twenties (unmarried/no children), but I enjoy so-called family stories. Like Wendy, I find that the emotions are more developed.
While I don’t need to identify with a heroine in order to enjoy a book, my problem with most Hs involves the writer’s voice. Most of the characters are in their twenties, but they sound like my 50 and 60 yo bookstore customers. It’s possible for a book to reflect contemporary culture without resorting to product placement (Erin McCarthy’s “The Pregnancy Test” (Kensington/Brava) is a great example).
I don’t think it’s necessary for every heroine to be in her early twenties either – I really enjoy books with heroines in their 30s, 40s, etc. Lastly, there are more women than men in colleges today, but that’s not reflected in the vast number of H’s heroines. I understand that, as an online romance reader, I’m probably in the minority;).
Many of my (Harlequin buying) customers really enjoyed Pamela Britton’s “Dangerous Curves.” I think it’ll be interesting to see whether H’s Nascar line succeeds.
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While I don’t need to identify with a heroine in order to enjoy a book, my problem with most Hs involves the writer’s voice. Most of the characters are in their twenties, but they sound like my 50 and 60 yo bookstore customers.
I’ve thought about this, too. While writing all my Blazes, I’ve had 2 or 3 twenty-somethings underfoot *g*. I hear them talk, hear their friends, eavesdrop shamelessly to pick up their interests, etc.
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I’m 32 and have always enjoyed categories. I first started reading them in my teens because their fast turnover meant I as always reshelving them at my library job. I even lifted one of my faves, Escape Me Never :)
I worked summers at my hometown library and started reading the Harlequins because the turnover meant I was forever reshelving them. I’ve always been a voracious reader and didn’t find the Euro-centric slant any more distracting than the plots of the sci fi and horror books I loved. I stopped reading romance when I went away to college. It seems odd now, but I never bothered to join the public library in my college town.
I came back to romance for pure escapism in my late 20s (I’m 32). I’d suffered severe reading burnout after processing thousands of pages of info for my Microsoft certification and had gone to Borders on a mission to find some mindless fun. How to Marry a Marquis caught my attention–the whole Rules and How to Marry a Millionair slant– and I soon found other sensual regency authors that I liked. I rediscoved category at Waldenbooks, preferring Temptation and Desires, in that order. I would only buy other series books that piqued my interest in some way: physically disabled heriones, truly odd couples, unusual professions, etc.
I’m reading very little romance because so much of it is the same. I have no more auto buy authors because
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Sorry folks, something weird happened with my mouse buttons and I got weird cut and paste. gotta troubleshoot.