Mills and Boon authors

[anyabanya]

Hi, Does anyone here write for Mills and Boon?

I am keen to ultimately give up my job and be a jobbing author. Have no ambition to win Pulitzers or anything. Have won a couple of short story competitions, and had some very minor things published, but feel that i am not really up to the standrad of a Marian Keyes or Maeve Binchy.

If anyone is out there, what advice do you have? I have spent a good 6 months or so really researching M&B stories in the different themes, and feel that an author needs to respect the genre in order to be successful, but other than that, any advice appreciated!

[BigRedPanda]

Contact M&B, they can give you some pointers. Check out their website.

[BigRedPanda]

Contact M&B, they can give you some pointers. Check out their website.

[anyabanya]

Thanks BRP... have had a good mosey around...I am almost ready to submit something.... [biting fingers emoticon] ... well, a month or so away anyway.

I am kind of working on the theory of not patronising the reader. Oh, and including some rocking sex scenes.

[Novelist]

Hi! I used to write for Mills & Boon (Red Dress Ink, which was their chick-lit imprint). I've just written a Blaze with a friend and my ex-editor wanted revisions, which we've done and it's now with the senior editor waiting a decision (we're pretty excited, lol). I've just come back from one of the conferences, so have heard a lot of new info., which might help you...

Which line are you aiming for? Have you started a ms yet? They are really looking for Medical authors right now.

[FortunateHamster]

Used to work for M&B a loooong time ago (kind of outing myself here) in a junior role in editorial. Their guidelines, as others have mentioned, are usually up-to-date and pretty specific.

The great thing about M&B is that it genuinely is always on the lookout for new authors (medical, as Novelist says, especially). The downside, imo, is that once you complete a manuscript it will be hard to sell elsewhere if it doesn't work for M&B, due to the short word counts of most series.

If you've won some competitions then people out there must like your voice, and that is a very, very good thing! I used to read a lot of manuscripts that were competent but boring, with no spark, and they were always rejected. Make sure your voice always shines through (though the easiest way to do this may simply be by not overthinking it).

Don't write for them if you think it will be easy or that they're only silly romances (you can always spot those submissions a mile away).

Good luck! :)

[kimiasol]

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