By Eunice Shin
Hallmark Publishing Editorial Assistant
July 15, 2020
NOTES FROM Q&A WITH STACEY DONOVAN,
DIRECTOR OF HALLMARK PUBLISHING
DIRECTOR OF HALLMARK PUBLISHING
Hallmark Publishing Run-Down
o
The
business started in Fall 2017
o
We
went from companion novels in only ebook format to original fiction in trade
paperback, ebook, audiobook, and sometimes a second run in mass market size.
o
Each
book has the potential to be considered for a movie
§
The
Secret Ingredient by
Nancy Naigle was our first book that was turned into a movie! Others are in
discussions.
o
Most
books deals start out as proposals
o
If
we do go forward with your book/proposal, there is a typical advance + royalty
contract with an additional lump sum if your book gets made into a movie!
o
Marketing
Insights
§
We’re
good at getting advance reviews
§
We
use BookBub a lot, to great success
§
Each
book gets a 15 second TV commercial on Hallmark Channel
§
Authors
sometimes go on Hallmark’s national talk show, Home & Family
·
Usually
making the recipe and talking about the book
· What We’re Looking For/Soft Spots
o
Right
now, we’re closed to unagented submissions but if you’re here, you’re welcome
to send in proposals for G-rated romance and cozy mysteries to Stacey and copy
Eunice
o
We’re
interested in a range of stories, from romcoms to more heartfelt and poignant
stories, but nothing too tragic or dire
o
Diversity
is a huge priority for us!
§
We’re
excited about the diverse stories in our 2021 lineup
§
LGBTQ+,
Asian, Black, Interracial romance/cozy mysteries are all welcome
·
We’d
love to show a supportive community for LGBTQ+ characters because we want to
model supportive families and communities
§
We are
open to have immigrant romances/cozy mysteries
o
Plus-sized
heroines welcome
§
ONLY
if her character arc and conflict are not about losing weight
o
We
get a lot of Christmas proposals (which are our best sellers) but there are
more slots for non-Christmas stories
o
We
want more fun beach reads J
o
We
love seasonal tie-ins (not necessarily Christmas)
o
We
love to see family, friendship and community subplots
§
Especially
brothers and family reconciliation
o
We
love widowed/single parents
o
Secondary
Senior romance
o
Animals!
§
We
love having shelter dogs/rescue mutts
·
Animals
CANNOT be in any kind of distressing situations
o
Urban
Setting is okay!
§
We
prefer big cities to be real, small towns are usually fictional, medium sized
cities can be real or fictional
o
Aspirational
Locations
§
If
it’s a foreign country, we like to have one character be American so that
they’re an audience surrogate
o
Word
Count: 75,000 words is our sweet spot
· If
we acquire your book, you get trade paperback, audiobook, ebook, and then maybe
mass market paperback and the movie.
· Things We Don’t Like
o
Wills
with weird conditions for inheritance
o
Secret
babies
o
Evil
ex as main conflict
o
Too
much kissing :D
· Proposals
o
We
love series! For cozy mystery, we only want series
§
In
your proposal, address the other books in a paragraph
o
Like
a synopsis
o
Clear
idea of who the main characters are, goals, and character arcs
o
2-4
pages
o
Half
of proposals fail because the hero’s obstacle to romance isn’t there
§
Both
characters must overcome personal obstacles to love
o
There
has to be a reason for the characters to interact and connect in the story
§
This
could be a shared goal (holiday toy drive), next-door neighbors, etc.
§
Think
of reasons for close proximity
§
Think
about why these characters are perfect for each other on a soul level…and
what’s keeping them apart?
o
Our
submission guidelines are posted on our website!
o
Stacey
will send over an example of a successful proposal
· How many books are we doing?
o
Around
14-15 lined up per year
· A Few Possible Conflicts
o
Opposing
career goals (like in South Beach Love by Caridad Pineiro)
o
Opposites
attract…they get on each other’s nerves at first
o
Family
goals get in the way of romance
o
Boss
too ethical to date employee (Stacey added this after the call)
o
Playful
enemies to lovers is okay!
§
Argumentative
banter is okay but nothing too mean or extreme
· Successful Tropes
o
Friendship/Family/Community
reconciliation themes
o
Royal
o
Cowboys
o
Second
Chance Romance
o
Friends
to Lovers
o
We
love matchmaking kids!
· Pandemic Romance
o
No—we’re
hoping that by the time it came out, it would be dated
o
We
also avoid stories where the action happens only in one place
· Historicals?
o
We
don’t do them right now
o
Also,
we don’t do paranormal per se, but we have done stories with small touches of
magic though
· Production Time
o
We’re
lengthening our lead times
o
If
we do acquire your work, it will depend on when it fits into the production
schedule
o
We’ll
come to an agreement with you on delivery dates, knowing you may have other
projects in progress
o
As
for movies, what you’ve heard about Hollywood is true—things can stay in up in
the air a long time and then become a reality fast, so we really can’t say when
books will become movies
· Cozy Mysteries
o
Emphasis
on cozy, nothing too gory
o
No
infidelity as a reason for murder
· How Long Until You Hear Back?
o
Ranges
because we are a very small team
o
If
it takes more than 8 weeks, bump it back to the top of our inboxes J
· Since our backlist is so small still, stay
away from these for a while because we’ve done them
o
Bakers
o
Reality
TV setting
o
Authors
as main characters
o
The
name Aidan/Aiden
· What About Snarky Dialogue?
o
Nothing
mean; our characters don’t even think mean things
o
Main
characters can judge people for being mean, unethical, etc.
o
Hard
pass on fat shaming, making fun of appearances, snobbery
· Covers?
o
Historically,
authors don’t have much say in the covers because our lead times were so short
and we have to get several people’s approval
o
We
have a house look: we don’t show faces, and for romance, we often focus on a
beautiful setting
o
Now,
we reach out and ask/try to involve the authors into the cover conversation
more and more
Printed with permission. Copyright Eunice Shin.
For more
information on Hallmark Publishing, visit www.hallmarkchannel.com/hallmark-publishing.
To submit your
proposal directly to Stacey Donovan, Director of Hallmark Publishing, email her
at staceydonovan@crownmedia.com,
and make sure to copy Eunice Shin. Her email is euniceshin@crownmedia.com. Good luck!
WRITE ROMANCE
READ ROMANCE
