Mills & Boon

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Mills & Boon is a British publisher of romance novels, part of Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited, a subsidiary of Harlequin Enterprises Ltd. It has grown to become the UK's undisputed market leader in romance fiction publishing with nearly 75% of the British romance paperback market share, publishing under a number of brandnames.

1 History
2 Centenary Year
3 See also
4 Further Reading
5 External links

[edit] History

Mills & Boon were founded by Gerald Mills and Charles Boon in 1908 as a general fiction publisher, although their first book was, prophetically, a romance. It was not until the 1930s that the company began to concentrate specifically on romances.

From the very beginning, Mills & Boon published in a form and at a price that was within the reach of a wide readership. In the 1930s the company noted the rapid rise of commercial libraries and the growing appetite for escapism during the Depression years. The favourite genre was romance and the company decided to concentrate on hardback romances, a policy which became increasingly successful. Mills & Boon books were initially sold through weekly two-penny libraries and their distinctive brown binding led them to become known as "the books in brown".

With the decline of lending libraries in the late 1950s, the company's most successful move was to realise that there would remain a strong market for romance novels, but that sales would depend on readers having easy access to reasonably priced books. As a result Mills & Boon romance became widely available from newsagents across the country.

Their books are sold through a combination of subscription and retail sales. For example, in any given month they publish eight novels in their Modern line; 6 of those are available on the retail market, and all eight are available to buy directly from the company both on and offline. Mills & Boon encourage readers to subscribe to their favorite lines, whose books will then be delivered to their home.

One distinctive feature of both Mills & Boon and Harlequin (in the US) is the length of time their books are available to buy. They publish a set number of books each month which are sent to subscribers and displayed on stands in bookshops. At the end of the month, any unsold copies in the shops are withdrawn and pulped. Titles are available to buy direct from Mills & Boon for 3 months or until they are sold out, whichever is sooner. Again, any remaining books are disposed of. Fans looking for particular books after this time must find them second-hand.

Mills & Boon has over 3 million regular readers in the UK annually, though the company has a poor reputation otherwise due to its perceived lack of variety in plotlines, the inevitability of their happy endings, and a more simplistic writing style than literary works. The books are highly branded and are normally in a separate section of bookshops and libraries from the other paperback fiction and romance novels. The more upmarket a bookshop is, the less likely they are to stock Mills & Boon novels. There are persistent rumours that their books are written to a strict formula which dictates everything including on which page the hero and heroine first kiss. In reality, their submission guidelines are very similar to those of most major romance publishers and not as strict as this, but many books do still follow a similar plotline. Many involve rich, ennobled and initially unattainable males (often of Mediterranean--especially Greek--origin), the desire of a character to have a baby (with this being thwarted by infertility or an unsympathetic husband), or the breakup and mending of a relationship.

Linguistically, the books reinforce their traditional views of men and women, with the women being described using stative verbs concerned with feelings and thoughts and the men with dynamic verbs, verbs associated with actions. The woman is also often the object in sentences where the male has performed an action.

Romantic fiction constitutes the largest section of the adult paperback fiction market and Harlequin Mills & Boon publishes series fiction, promotional titles, gift packs and single titles under different brands and imprints: Mills & Boon, and Mira.

Core product in the Mills and Boon brand portfolio are the eleven series which are published every month. These are (from [1]):

Modern : One romance you'll never want to end! Glamorous and sophisticated, passionate romance. Titles feature intense relationships, often very sensual, reflecting shared feelings, desires and dreams

Romance: Dare to dream... Warm and emotionally fulfilling novels that capture the magic of falling in love. Sparkling, fresh and tender love stories

Blaze: Hot and Sexy. Couples in contemporary romantic relationships embark on sexual adventures and fantasy journeys. There is a promise of intimate experiences and total satisfaction.

By Request: Relive the romance with the best of the best. Bestselling themed novels from Modern or Tender Romance brought back to relive the magic. One volume is available each month.

Medical: The best medicine of all. Delightful contemporary romances set against the background of the medical profession

Historical: Love and passion bring the past to life! From medieval sagas to the roaring twenties, rich and vivid

Desire 2-in-1: Daring and provocative, sensual love stories.

Special Edition: Compelling romances packed with emotion. These books tackle sensitive issues while embracing the romantic ideal that love can conquer all.

Superromance: Realistic, passionate, contemporary novels that are longer and more involved - a bigger, action-packed read for you to enjoy!

Intrigue: Romance suspense at its best: Danger, deception and desire.

Spotlight: Two bestselling novels in one volume by favourite authors, back by popular demand! Featuring novels from Silhouette series favourites, Special Edition, Sensation and Desire.