Editorial FAQs

Many writers ask similar questions while preparing their romance-novel manuscripts for submission. Here are a few of the most popular questions with answers from our editorial staff.

Q. How do I know which series to write for?
A. By reading books in each series you'll find a series that you like best. This is the series that you should write for. Read our series guidelines here too.

Q. Do you really read every submission?
A. Yes. Because of the large number of submissions we receive, however, our response time to each submission varies.

Q. What is an international postal coupon?
A. If you have sent your manuscript to a foreign country by post, from the UK to Canada for example, you'll need to enclose an international postage coupon for the return of your manuscript. You won’t need one to email us!

If your post office does not carry IPCs and you would like to have your manuscript returned, enclose a cheque for the proper amount of return postage.

If you are submitting your manuscript to our Toronto or New York office, please make the cheque out to Harlequin Limited.

If you are submitting to the London editorial office, cheques can be made out to Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited.


Q. Do I need an agent?
A. Mills & Boon is part of Harlequin Enterprises, who works with both authors who are and authors who are not represented by agents.

Q. How do I know that Mills & Boon has received my manuscript?
A. You will receive an automatic reply if you submit by email. If submitting by post, please include a self-addressed postcard, either stamped or with IPC, with the manuscript delivery.

Q. What are the most common mistakes an author makes when sending in a manuscript?

Authors often forget to state which series the manuscript is aimed at. This helps show us you’ve targeted your submission and are aware of the difference between the romance series we publish!
Not double spacing their work – this really does make it so much easier for editors to read!