Two mega powerhouses in woman’s literature have combined forces to create a book publishing team. Harlequin, best known for romantic fiction, and Cosmopolitan, the largest circulating magazine for women have just announced they are joining in a venture called Red Hot Reads. Scheduled to debut in May of 2013, several authors are already lined up.
Here’s more from the press release:
Harlequin, one of the world’s leading publishers of books for women, and Cosmopolitan, the world’s largest women’s magazine, today announced a book publishing partnership to bring Cosmopolitan’s fun, fearless female sensibility to fiction readers everywhere.Cosmo Red Hot Reads from Harlequin will present independent, adventurous women in contemporary settings and feature fast-paced plots, great dialogue and compelling romance. The shorter length of CosmoRed Hot Reads from Harlequin titles (approximately 30,000 words per title) should appeal to readers on a variety of platforms, including mobile devices.
Under the agreement, Harlequin, a leader in digital publishing, intends to publish two original ebook titles per month, beginning in May 2013. The novels, by some of Harlequin’s bestselling authors, will have strong narratives centering on modern young women living the free-spirited and outgoing lifestyle espoused by the international magazine. The ebooks will bear both the Cosmopolitan and Harlequin logos on their covers.
“We are very excited to be Cosmopolitan’s partner in publishing and believe these stories will prove popular with women everywhere, especially new adult fiction readers,” said Donna Hayes, Publisher and CEO of Harlequin Enterprises. “Women look to Harlequin for the same qualities that Cosmopolitan provides them—entertainment, enjoyment and inspiration—so it’s a natural fit.”
“Cosmo readers love fabulous fiction and if you picked up Fifty Shades of Grey then this is the book series for you,” said Cosmopolitan’s editor in chief Joanna Coles. “This is fiction for the modern girl negotiating modern love—with all its unpredictability and complications!”
Cosmopolitan is the world’s largest women’s magazine, the biggest-selling monthly magazine on U.S. newsstands and a leader in the digital, social media and tablet space. Considered the bible for fun, fearless females, Cosmopolitan reaches more than 18 million readers each month, or one out of every eight adult women in the U.S. Cosmo is the number one magazine on college campuses. In addition to the U.S. flagship, Cosmopolitan publishes 64 print editions around the world.
Harlequin has built upon its strength as a publisher of great reading entertainment for women by progressively expanding the range of its content to include romance as well as commercial literary fiction, young adult fiction, nonfiction and is available to readers wherever, whenever and however women want to shop.
