Harlequin will broaden its single-title romance business next August with the launch of HQN Books. The new imprint will be headed by Harlequin's New York City—based executive editor Tracy Farrell, who said HQN "will be devoted exclusively to mainstream romance titles. There won't be any series." The HQN list will feature writers who already write for Harlequin as well as new authors. Harlequin will pay "competitive advances" to attract top mainstream romance authors, Farrell said.
HQN will publish two to three original titles each month. Initially, most titles will be released in mass market format, although the imprint will do hardcovers and trade paperbacks on a selective basis. The two books to be published in August 2004 will be a new hardcover by Diana Palmer and a mass market original by Carly Phillips.
