Day 1: Harlequin Presentation

Harlequin keynote

Sue Brockton – Publishing director 

Jo Mackay – head of local fiction, HQ, Mira, Escape 

Kita Kemp – Publisher Mills and Boon (ANZ) 

Nicola Caws – Editor Global Acquisition Mills and Boon (UK) 

Relaunched every series line with new look last year 

Publishing, design, retail operations run in Australia (editorial run from overseas) 

Jo Mackay – No one complains about reading for a living 

This year more best sellers for ever before 

Look for trends in publishing – don’t ask writers to write to trend, but look for what their writers are doing. 

  • Contemporary / women’s fiction 
  • Historical 
  • Australian suspense 
  • Rural romance 
  • Fantasy – particularly in digital 
  • 33% of books made best seller or fastest moving 
  • 11 debut authors 
  • 150 decorated windows 
  • 36 authors did hunters of events 
  • 100s of shop visits and signings 
  • 100% of books paid back investment 

Audio is a massive growing area, international  

In Australia :

  • 50 new titles / month 
  • Republish 411 stories / year 
  • 1400 e-book titles annually 
  • Popular: 
  • Strong heroine 
  • Cinderella storylines 
  • Pets 

Acquiring offices: 

  • New York 
  • London  
  • Toronto 

Market research: what do we know about our reader 

  • Settling in lives 
  • Make time for themselves 
  • Thoughtful, kind, respectful 
  • All walks of life 

Diversity and inclusion 

Working with organisation to be inclusive (now partnered) 

Constantly learning, growing and developing 

So you think you can write 

Contests and events 

Partnered with Brain Power studio 

So far have made 18 movies from novels 

ASA has partnered with Harlequin for a Commercial Fiction contest 

Publishing contract with $10k prize 

Runner up – $3k digital revamp by digital agency Leading Hand (eg social media presence, website, metadata optimisation etc) 

First Nations Fellowship 

Short list of 3 authors, whole manuscripts have been judged. 

  • Melanie Saward – Barks and the City 
  • Judy Jansen – Desertlands 
  • Angie Martin – Melaleuca 

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