The Harlequin Romance Legacy
‘Harlequin Romance’ novels are very famous all throughout the world. Harlequin romance novels have been around for decades and continue to be the leader in series romance in the world. They are as popular today as they were in the 1960’s. Harlequin romance was founded in 1949 by publishing executive Richard Bonnycastle and started out publishing a wide range of books from westerns to romances to cookbooks.
It was not until the late 1950s, when Harlequin acquired Mills & Boon, a British romance publisher that Harlequin made its first venture into the romance novel industry. But by the mid-1960s Harlequin had made a decision to focus solely on the publication of the Harlequin romance fiction novels, due to their growing popularity.
Harlequin Enterprises Limited is a Toronto, Ontario-based company that is the world’s leading publisher of series romance and women’s fiction. Owned by the Torstar Corporation, the largest newspaper publisher in Canada, the company publishes nearly 110 new titles each month in 27 different languages. Harlequin remains one of Canada’s most successful book publishers, with sales of over one hundred and thirty million books a year.
Harlequin romance books have been translated in all languages over the world and are the most popular books on the market for romance. Some of Harlequin romance books have been adapted for television series such as “a Change of Place”, “the Awakening” or “The Waiting Game” but maybe the most popular one is Bridget Jones.
Just as popular as the fiction itself, Harlequin romance cover art holds its own appeal for fictional romance enthusiasts. The visual of the brawny hero and his damsel in distress has become synonymous with the Harlequin brand. Harlequin romance not only offers office romance, but you can also find psychological thrillers, mysteries, commercial literary fiction and historical romance genres as well.
Today, Harlequin remains the largest publisher of romance novel series - publishing over 500 new titles every month in 25 languages and with distribution in every major market around the world. The company also encompasses the work of nearly 1,500 fictional romance authors.The company that founded Harlequin romance has continued to evolve over the years, expanding with offices in New York, London, Tokyo, Milan, Sydney, Paris, Madrid, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Athens, Budapest, Granges, Pacot and Warsaw, as well as licensing agreements in nine other countries.
Harlequin romance books are also still one of the more affordable offerings out there in the romance reader market, making them popular by price range and content both. Harlequin has just about every age bracket tagged, from young adults to old people.
The company’s entrance into the online market in 1996 brought the Harlequin brand to the next level, allowing readers to check in with their favorite series and authors. Taking it one step further, Harlequin launched http://eharlequin.com in 2000 offering an online library where readers can read and shop at their own leisure.
Harlequin Romance books publish works in a variety of imprints, including Silhouette, MIRA, LUNA, Red Dress Ink, and HQN books, among others. Harlequin Romances have and will continue to entertain and readers all around the world for many years to come.
Tags: Harlequin Romance, romance harlequin, the harlequin romance legacy