Mid-Summer Madness: We’re Fast-Tracking Submissions at Medical Romance in August!
42 Comments July 26th, 2010 in editor, writing Posted by Amyby Sheila Hodgson, Mills & Boon editor
Are you an aspiring romance writer who also:
♥ Loves medical heroes – can’t get enough of Hugh Laurie’s brilliant but guarded hearted doctor, Gregory House; the irresistible charm of Grey’s Anatomy McDreamy (also known as Dr Derek Shepherd), or George Clooney’s warm-hearted but maverick paediatrician Dr Doug Ross in ER?
♥ Has longed for an opportunity to write contemporary romances set amidst the excitement, warmth and passion of today’s medical world?
♥ Is a fan of the Medical Romance series and would love to be published in this unique, globally distributed series?
If your answer to any of the above is YES, then here is a great opportunity to get your fabulous work in front of a Medical Romance editor – fast!
Harlequin®/Mills & Boon® Medical Romance™ is looking for new authors – and if you send us a first chapter, three chapters, or even a full manuscript of a romance in a medical setting, then we will give it a fast-track read…and get you a fast-tracked response this summer!
Here’s what to do to get fast-tracked:
• Send us a covering letter with a synopsis of your story and characters (no more than two pages) along with anything from the first chapter of the story to the complete manuscript.
• In order to be eligible for fast-tracking, submissions must be received between 1st and 24th August (12.00 Midnight BST, British Summer Time) 2010. Don’t miss out!
• You must email your submission (as a Word document attachment) to medicalfasttrack@hmb.co.uk and make sure you include your current email address in your covering letter as you will receive your response by email.
• Otherwise our normal submissions and format criteria apply (visit ‘Submit manuscript’ section at www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Of course, we are open to unsolicited submissions at any time, but if you send us your Medical Romance submission in August then we’ll send you a response in August from one of our London-based editors.
Want to learn more about this unique series? Then see our writing guidelines or buy Medical Romance titles in print or ebook format – available at www.eHarlequin.com (where you’ll also find a Medical Romance podcast with Harlequin/Mills & Boon editors) and www.millsandboon.co.uk
Happy writing! And remember, this is your chance to get your Medical heroes in front of a Harlequin/Mills & Boon editor’s eyes – so make them so gorgeous we can’t possibly resist!!
Tagged with: editor Sheila Hodgson • editorial submissions • Harlequin Medical Romance • Mills & Boon Medical Romance42 Responses to “Mid-Summer Madness: We’re Fast-Tracking Submissions at Medical Romance in August!”
- 1 Pingback on Aug 6th, 2010 at 1:20 pm
- 2 Pingback on Aug 18th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
How exciting!!! Shame I don’t write medical
. Good luck to everyone subbing.
You could have a go if wanted to Maya. A new challenge is always good.
We’d be happy to see something from you if you change your mind.
Best wishes
Sheila Hodgson
Senior Editor
Seconded, Maya!
That’s certainly fast-tracking by anyone’s standards. And nice to see writers for Medicals under the spotlight. Wishing the best to all of those sending their dishy and dedicated doctors to Richmond
Jilly
Are there any plans to fast-track submissions to the Modern or Modern Heat series anytime soon?
Hi Ell,
Not at this time, sorry.
~Amy
I was just wondering if the covering letter/synopsis need to be an attached Word document, or if they should just be the body of the email?
Thanks!
Dear Editors:
I was re-reading The Heart Surgeon’s Secret Son, when a friend told me about your offer to read a medical manuscript.
I noticed in the back of the book Janice Lynn has a master’s in nursing from Vanderbilt University and works as a nurse practitioner in a family practice. This sounds like hands-on experience to me.
None the less, as a lover of Grey’s Anatomy and dating back to when I attended nursing school and then changed my major to journalism, I still have an idea for a book about a struggling rural hospital. I worked with government and hospital administrators to help them get noticed by the community when I was a reporter and because of this I became interested in their day to day problems and solutions. These problems continue even today.
So my question is this, should I send you a first chapter of this manuscript I have tucked back, or do you really want someone involved in the medical field today.
Anna Patterson
Hi Anna and Nicole,
I’ve sent your questions into Sheila, should have an answer for you both shortly!
Thanks,
~Amy
Hi all,
Sheila is having some technical difficulties that’s not allowing her to post but she did email me your answers:
“To Nicole’s query – we would prefer that the covering letter and synopsis are also in a Word Attachment.
Re Anna Patterson’s query – Some but by no means all of our authors have had or are currently working in a medical environment. Many simply use the internet, friends, colleagues etc to help. So yes, Anna, we’d be delighted to see your work.We don’t need lots of technical detail or a vast amount of medical drama, just enough to evoke setting, keep the hero and heroine together and help move their relationship forward, and enough detail so that lay readers understand what is going on. Too much can be both alienating and detract from the central romance, which is the key part of the story. The medical detail and drama should be used judiciously and in a way that is appropriate to a romance novel, so we really don’t need gore or harrowing treatments, or gritty realism. These stories, while they need to be relevant and convincing, are still romantic fantasies after all.”
Sheila is reading this thread of if anyone has any questions, ask away!
~Amy
This is so helpful and gives me a clear understanding of this division. It also makes me hopeful about this manuscript. Because of this, will work to send it in.
Thank you so much for explaining things in a way which gives me insight into what I believe is a complex subject.
Hi everyone:
This is my very first comment (finally have the nerve to say something after reading this blog for many months!). I’m a lifelong Harlequin reader and I collect vintage 60s and 70s books whenever I can get my hands on them.
I am thrilled to be working on my first chapter and synopsis for the Medical Fast Track right now. I’ve got the entire novel in my head but my fingers are slow to keep up!
I spent many years volunteering at a local hospital in my teens but I never thought this would become a setting for one of my romances.
Best of luck to everyone who is considering making a submission or (like me) frantically typing away at this moment!
Nan C
I love the idea of fast-track feedback. A friend did tell me about this and because I did have a manuscript in the works, I sent the first chapters, synopsis, and letter in.
Now I wait.
thanks for letting me be a part of this.
Another response from Sheila:
To Anna Patterson – Anna, so glad you are finding this discussion helpful. Delighted to have your submission. We’ll be in touch very soon.
To Nan C – Nan, great to hear from you. Really looking forward to seeing your submission. Best wishes, Sheila
Oh wow, so nervous now, just sent in my manuscript, hope Sheila and the editors enjoy it!
Fingers crossed for everyone!
Gemma
x
Dear Editors:
I sincerely appreciate the feedback I received from the editors concerning my book proposal. But it means more than that to me. I believe as a new writer, some things are not clear which should be, and that is because I just don’t know how to frame a question sometimes. The feedback on my manuscript was terrific! It not only explained in detail the weakness of the manuscript, but the editors also sent attachments which would help me learn to actually write for Harlequin. So I didn’t take to my death bed over this, but instead I realise I have things which I can do better. And I felt the letter really expressed I can try again. Because of this. I am saddened but encouraged, and that is like a really good feeling. I will move on and seriously work to strengthen my weakness. Meanwhile, I will read and read and read, which I do feel is one of the magic answers. I will read current books. I just wanted to say thank you.
Editor question for Sheila
It says a cover letter and synopsis. (two pages).
Is this a two-page synopsis? And one page cover letter?
Sorry to get this confused. Probably everyone else knows!
Thank you!
Hi all,
Here’s another message from Sheila:
To Gemma – Wonderful to have your submission, Gemma. We’ll be in touch very soon. Best wishes Sheila
To Anna – So glad you found the feedback helpful, you are taking absolutely the right approach. Keep reading and keep writing. Best wishes, Sheila.
To Marian – Absolutely, one page cover letter and a synopsis of up to 2 pages would be great. Best wishes, Sheila.
Thanks bunches, Sheila! And Amy!
Another note from Sheila:
Just wanted to announce that last weekend two of the Romance Writers of Australia coveted R*by Awards went to Medical Romance writers. We’d like to congratulate Amy Andrews who won the Short Sexy category with A Doctor, A Nurse, A Christmas Baby and Sharon Archer who won the Short Sweet Romance category with Marriage Reunited: Baby on the Way
This is a fantastic achievement, and a great accolade to the writers of the Medical series. Great encouragement to all hopeful writers who are currently submitting to our fast track, that Medical Romance is an internationally acclaimed series, and a great place to be published.
If you haven’t sent in your submission yet, there is still one week left to our fast-track deadline for you to polish your submission.
Best wishes and good luck to you all.
Sheila
Question:
Some people I have noticed mentioned tracking numbers and hearing back in 2-4 days. I sent my medical in over a week ago, but while I received an automated message stating that my email was received, I never got a tracking number and still have not heard a response. I am just wondering if my submission went though (and I should just be patient), or if I should resubmit?
Any help anyone can offer to ease my mind would greatly help!
I’m in the same boat as Nicole, in that I didn’t receive a tracking number either…just the automated message.
Should we resubmit?
Thanks all.
Hi Gemma and Nicole
Now you’ve got me worried. I sent mine in on the 16th so then thought I could sit back and relax as Shiela and her team are probably inundated so I wasn’t expecting an immediate response. But my automated response also had no mention of a tracking number. Yikes…
Gemma,
I received an answer on another board for this question. They said that they stopped sending out reference/tracking numbers, so as long as you received the automated message, they have your mss.
Cheers Nicole x
Hi everyone,
Nicole was right about reference numbers
Sheila also sent an answer for me to post here but I was off yesterday and couldn’t post it. Here it is now:
To Nicole and Gemma – Hi both, no need to resumbit, we have your submissions. As they are both fulls they take a bit more time, but we will be back with you by end of the month. As it was causing, some responses being sent ahead of the ref nos, we have stopped sending ref nos for the fast-track submissions. As long as you receive an automated acknowledgement then we’ll have your submissions.
Hi Amy and Sheila
Thank you
It’s both nice to know my work’s being read and nerve wracking at the same time!
Have a great weekend
Gem
Just to say thanks Sheila and your team for giving all us aspiring medical writers a chance of fast-tracking. Medical’s a great line with endless appeal and this opportunity has made me submit to medical for the first time. Fingers crossed for all of us and for you at M&B – let’s hope you find lots of new talent after all that hard work. I have visions of you all beavering away, surrounded by piles of submissions……. Thanks again
I was wondering if my submission was received. I didn’t receive any type of ‘hey we got your submission.’
Thanks,
Lyncee
Hi Lyncee,
In case Sheila doesn’t see this tonight (working day is done in the UK
), I’ll take a crack at answering…
First, please check your spam folder in case it ended up there (automatic replies often end up there I’ve heard). If you have any kind of “approved sender” list in our email service, add the email address for submissions to it. If you still haven’t found the auto response, you should probably try emailing it in again since tomorrow is the last day to hear back within August.
~Amy
This is a fabulous opportunity…good luck to all the entrants! I’m a loooong time medical romance reader and look forward to discovering new voices.
Anna (and everyone else), the feedback you receive is invaluable, use it for the next strory. It will bring you so much closer to THE CALL.
Congratulations to AMY and SHARON on the their R*BY wins!
Tessa
I hate I just found out about this. I don’t think I’ll be able to beat the deadline.
I stayed up late to complete my first chapter, having only seen the details the night before. I mailed it a few minutes before midnight but made a silly typo in the e-mail address, and the manuscript didn’t reach you! I did resubmit the next morning. Will it still be looked at? I know late submissions must be irritating if you are inundated!
Lorna
Hi Lorna and Diamond,
If you can’t meet the deadline, the editors will still read your submission though it will be after the end of August. You should too send it to the M&B office’s normal submissions email address -submissions@hmb.co.uk
~Amy from Harlequin
Thanks Amy.
Hiya
Sorry to be a pain, it’s just that I haven’t had a reply yet, I checked Spam, but I haven’t had an email, just the automatic response.
thanks in advance
Gemma
Hi all — here’s another post from Sheila now that August is behind us! !Amy
Well August is out, and so are the responses. Once we’ve caught our breath and had a chance to gather all the stats I’ll be writing a blog to update you all on the fast-track experience, what came out of it and some pointers on what you can do next.
But I wanted to say right now, it’s been a fabulous success and we are thrilled and delighted in London. We had 175 submissions, which is incredible. The editorial team in London has worked tirelessly, to read your submissions and give as much feedback as we could in the time we had. The editors have all been amazing, really fabulous, I’m so proud to work with such a wonderful team. We’ve seen many fabulous voices, many of whom we haven’t seen submit for the line before, sent for lots of material and sent lots of feedback (we are so heartened by your responses). If your work didn’t make it this time, then keep going, there’ll be some more advice in the blog, it’s all a learning curve and eventhough the fast-track is over, we are always open for submissions and we are always looking for new talent. We also have the Mills & Boon New Voices competition coming up – check it out at http://www.romanceisnotdead.com. Yes, you can enter with a first chapter of a Medical Romance, or any series in the Mills & Boon imprint from 6th September.
The Medical fast-track has been quite a whirlwind, but such a truly, truly exciting one and I want to thank you all for making it such a success.
Thank you, so much. I think you’re all amazing.
Best wishes.
Sheila
Hi Amy
Sorry, but did you see my earlier post about not having received a response? I’m a little unsure of what to do. Could you please advise?
cheers and thank you
Gemma x
Hi Gemma, here’s a response from Sheila:
Hi Gemma
So sorry to hear you have not received your response. We have had one other instance where a response did not get through to the recipient, we’ve no idea why. If you would like to send a query email to submissions@hmb.co.uk quoting the title of your mss, the date you sent it in and your full name, or pseudonym or both, whatever you used to us when you sent the manuscript in and we’ll check this out. Equally importantly could you confirm your email address in the query because if your response has not got through to you then we’ll need to resend. We’ll be back with you very soon.
Best wishes.
Sheila
Hi Sheila and Amy
Thanks so much for getting back to me, I’ve just done as you’ve said, emailed submissions@hmb.co.uk.
thanks again
Gemma x
Good luck to everyone who entered the Medical Fast-Track!!! What an amazing opportunity =)
And *huge* congrats to Amy and Sharon on your R*BYs!! Certainly was a fabulous night!
Robbie