Quote:
Originally Posted by AnemicOak
For their category lines (Presents, Intrigue, Desire, etc.) they want to be formulaic at least to an extent.
( Guidelines for Presents) |
Yup.
And that is a problem for authors who prefer to let the story go where the characters take it or have a unique take on the standard formula. Plus, writing minimal variations of a theme over and over can get tiring after a while.
Every author is faced with a certain amount of tension between the creative side and the business side and at Harlequin that tension is a lot stronger because their desire to standardize the product. For many, Harlequin was an entry into writing and once they found their voice and felt comfortable with their skills (and amassed a resume) they moved on. Nowadays, many simply go straight to indie because there are less business-driven constraints on their creativity, especially when it comes to aligning the product with the brand's image.
There are a lot of "lesser" advantages to going indie besides the financial, especially to those with more modest expectations than becoming the next Roberts, King, or Rowling, and those advantages weigh heaviest against the midsize specialty tradpubs.
As the new publishing environment is shaping up, Harlequin is probably safer as a division on even a smaller BPH than as a fading standalone business trying to prop up another fading business.