Top Tips For Harlequin Mills & Boon Writers

Submitting your manuscript to any publisher is probably one of the most nerve-racking things you will ever do! However, Mills & Boon remains committed to reading every romance fiction manuscript that comes our way and we are actively seeking new authors! Because we’re determined to seek out new talent, and because our editor’s work closely with promising writers to develop their work and build profiles, Mills & Boon is a great place to start your career!

We have compiled a handy list of top tips to help you commence your writing journey…

KNOW YOUR MARKET

Research,research, research! The key to all writing is good market research. Read as many of our romances as possible. Find out what our established authors are writing about and, most importantly, try to understand exactly what it is that our readers love and enjoy about our books.

Which series? Try to gain a clear understanding of which series you are aiming for. Check our guidelines to confirm that you are aware of the individual elements that define your target series. All our series are very different, and our readers go to each one to get something unique!

VOICE

Be original! Aim to develop your own distinctive writing voice. An author’s voice is what gives a story flavour, warmth and excitement. Don’t feel hemmed in by a particular style because you think it’s what we will like. Readers will want your individual take, not an imitation of something they’ve seen before.

CHARACTERS

Strong central characters who engage the reader from page one are vital in any novel. Ensure that your heroine and hero meet relatively quickly once the story opens, and that there is action, conflict and dialogue between them from the word go.

The heroine is the character with whom readers want to identify; it’s hard to empathise with someone who is flaky, self-pitying, desperate, or bitter! Think about creating a heroine who is engaging, intelligent and warm.

The hero needs to be strong and magnetically attractive. He’s powerful, charismatic, dynamic, and perhaps even a little arrogant - the guy with whom all our readers want to fall in love.

However, it’s important to show that, fundamentally, he’s a good person – never nasty, abusive, an addict or a criminal –or why would the heroine – or the reader – want him?

STORY DEVELOPMENT

Remember your genre. Romance readers demand exciting, uplifting stories that offer escapism. This is not the place for political commentary, unveiling the brutal realities of war, child abuse, domestic violence etc.

Emotional themes. Often our authors employ certain relationship structures to explore emotional themes, for instance marriages of convenience, single parenthood, or the closeness between colleagues at work. We are looking for writers who can take these popular structures and offer our audience originality and fresh twists, using scenarios that are relevant and appealing to today’s readers.

Ensure there is a strong internal conflict. Rather than using external forces to keep the hero and heroine apart - hurricanes, parental mandates, drug smuggling or sultry villainesses, for example – there should be contradictions within their relationship that makes it difficult. They want to be together, but they know they shouldn’t, or feel they can’t. Why is this, and how will they get around it?

The reader wants to be urged to keep on turning the pages. It’s the writer’s job to create enough believable and gripping obstacles that will sustain the romance from start to finish. Therefore, pace yourself! Though a strong opening is essential to draw readers in, don’t expend all your energy on that first scene. Your characters and their conflicts must hold the reader’s interest for the rest of the book.

Create believable motivations. Always ask whether you or anyone you know would behave in the way your characters are behaving. If your child goes missing, wouldn’t you call the police rather than searching the Yellow Pages for a private detective?

Dialogue. This is your key tool to giving life, energy and pace to your writing. Too much narrative and description will slow the story and disengage the reader. Use plenty of it to create vivid personalities for your characters, develop their relationship, deepen their emotions and move forward your plot.

Secondary Characters and background detail. Remember, the main focus of a Mills & Boon romance should be on the central relationship. If you find minor characters, or the external plot elements they bring with them, dominating for more than half a page, you’ve probably lost the focus and emotional tension that you need to deliver a page-turning read.