Mills & Boon is a romance imprint of British publisher Harlequin UK Ltd. It was founded in 1908 by Gerald Rusgrove Mills and Charles Boon as a general publisher. The company moved towards escapist fiction for women in the 1930s. In 1971, the publisher was bought by the Canadian company Harlequin Enterprises, its North American distributor based in Toronto, with whom it had a long informal partnership. The two companies offer a number of imprints that between them account for almost three-quarters of the romance paperbacks published in Britain. Its print books are presently out-numbered and out-sold by the company's e-books, which allowed the publisher to double its output.
Modern Mills & Boon novels, over 100 of which are released each month, cover a wide range of possible romantic subgenres, varying in explicitness, setting and style, although retaining a comforting familiarity that meets reader expectations.
History
Mills & Boon was founded by former employees of the Methuen publishing house, Gerald Rusgrove Mills (3 January 1877 – 23 September 1928) and Charles Boon (9 May 1877 – 2 December 1943) in 1908 as a general fiction publisher, although their first book was a romance. An early signing was the mystery and crime writer Victor Bridges. Mills & Boon also published—in 1911 and 1912—two early works by Hugh Walpole, including Mr Perrin and Mr Traill, which was later adapted into the film of the same name. Between 1912 and 1923, it published numerous adventure titles by Jack London. In its early years the company also published "educational textbooks, socialist tracts and Shakespeare" as well as "travel guides, children’s and craft books".
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 circulating libraries and the growing appetite for escapism during the Depression years. Due to these types of libraries, Mills & Boon were able to produce over 160 titles every year during that decade. Historian Ross McKibbin has argued that 'it was the rapid growth of the ‘tuppenny libraries’ in the interwar years which transformed Mills and Boon into a firm which exclusively published romantic fiction.' The favourite genre was romance and the company decided to concentrate on hardback romances, a policy which became increasingly successful. These titles were initially sold through weekly, two-penny libraries. There, they became known as 'the brown books', because of their distinctive binding.
Mills & Boon's innovative marketing strategies also contributed to their novels' popularity. Since 1930, this was evident when the company sent a copy of a chapter of one of their books to whoever formally requested one. Furthermore, the company's innovative marketing extended to creating eye-catching covers, with attention-grabbing colours and "romantic images of couples or the beautiful heroine", to display in store windows.
Outside the UK, Mills & Boon novels were officially launched in India in 2008, although they were already popular in the country due to unofficial imports and purchases from abroad. Sales swiftly increased, doubling over the 2009–2010 period.
According to Mills & Boon, an author can receive royalties of between £2,000 to £30,000 per book.
Centenary year
2008 was Mills & Boon's centenary as a publisher. This was marked by a number of events and exhibitions. In November 2008, BBC Four celebrated the anniversary by broadcasting the 90-minute drama Consuming Passion: 100 Years of Mills & Boon, written by Emma Frost.
Electronic publishing
Electronic publishing has allowed Mills & Boon to double its output. As of 2012, it now releases over 100 e-books per month, more than in print, and sells more e-books than physical books. Parent company Torstar cited the strong growth of e-books in its 2010 report, with digital revenues up CAN$16.1 Million.
The more sexually explicit Spice imprint sells particularly well in electronic format, compared to the Modern imprint which is the most successful in print.
Critical opinion
The company has been criticised for repeating plots, the inevitability of their happy endings, and a simple writing style, whereas fans cite predictability as a key reason for reading.
While there is no template or standard outline and authors are allowed full artistic freedom, there are, however, genre conventions that need to be met to be successful. Penny Jordan, an author writing for Mills & Boon, has stated that "[the rules] are not written down, but if you diverge from reader expectations, they won't read your second book."
In popular imagination and feminist criticism, the heroine of a stereotypical Mills & Boon novel is often seen as a passive virgin who is submissive to the hero in every way. This was often true in older novels but changed over the years; modern novels feature more active protagonists.
The attributes of the heroes of Mills & Boon novels have not significantly changed over time, however, almost always being a dominant alpha male. Many critics point to the comments by another of Mills & Boon's writers, Violet Winspear, in 1970, that all her heroes "must frighten and fascinate. They must be the sort of men who are capable of rape".
Imprints
thumb|Mills & Boon books at W.H. Smith, Enfield.
Current
Mills & Boon currently publish several imprints. Several titles are published monthly in most imprints. These are all identifiable by a series title (and sometimes sub-series title) as well as a colour border (which differs depending on the country in which the title is published):
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Name
!Introduction
!Description
!Former name(s)
|-
|Desire
|1983
|Sexual novels featuring couples in a contemporary setting with dramatic plots. The imprint consisted of the standard single books until October 2001, when Desire became a two-in-one imprint. Ebook versions depend on length, sometimes having four stories in one.
|N/A
|-
|Heroes
|2013
|Features thrilling stories mainly about survival and suspense.
|Romantic Suspense (2013–2018)
|-
|Historical
|1977
|Romance mixed with historical fiction (e.g. Romance in 1920s New York or 17th century England.)
|Masquerade (1977–1993)<br>Legacy of Love (1993–1996)<br>Historical Romance (1996–2007)
|-
|Medical
|1977
|Contemporary romances set against the background of the medical profession. The relationship explored between doctors and nurses were known as ‘carbolic soap operas’ in written works relevant to the work dynamics heightened by the binary oppositions presented by masculinity and femininity.
|Doctor Nurse Romance (1977–1989)<br>Medical Romance (1989–1993, 1996–2007, 2010–2018)<br>Love on Call (1993–1996)
|-
|Modern
|2000
|Novels focus on glamorous and 'sophisticated' passionate romance in international locations. Featuring intense relationships, often very sexual, often reflecting shared feelings and desires.
|Modern Romance (2000–2007)
|-
|True Love
|2018
|Warm and emotional novels that focus on capturing the feeling of falling in love.
|N/A
|}
e-book only imprints
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Name
!Description
|-
| Vintage
| Backlist titles from the Modern, Desire and Historical imprints published in e-book format.
|-
| American Romance
| Themed around classically American heroes such as cowboys.
|-
| Historical Undone
| Shorter length historical editorial of greater sensuality in general than the Historical series.
|-
| Kimani
| African-American romances.
|-
| Love Inspired
| Inspirational romance.
|-
| Love Inspired Suspense
| Inspirational romance containing themes of intrigue or thriller titles.
|-
| Love Inspired Historical
| Inspirational romance containing historical themes and settings.
|-
| Nocturne Cravings
| shorter length titles dealing with darker and paranormal themes.
|}
Defunct
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Name
!Introduced
!Discontinued
!Description
!Former name(s)
|-
| Blaze
| 2001 (Sensual Romance)<br>2005 (stand-alone)
| 2015
| Very sexual novels featuring couples in contemporary romantic relationships. It was originally introduced as a supplement series to the Sensual Romance imprint before folding the former.
| N/A
|-
| By Request
| 1995
| 2018
| Reissues of novels mainly from Modern or Cherish and associated imprints.
|-
| Cherish
|2010
|2018
|Warm and emotional novels that focus on capturing the feeling of falling in love. It was created as a merger between the Special Moments and Romance lines, and later replaced with True Love.
|N/A
|-
| Dare
| 2018
| N/A
| Sexually explicit novels akin to the former Blaze series.
| N/A
|-
| Author Duet
| 1983
| 1995
| A reissue series consisting of two different stories by the same author. It was merged with the Favourites imprint to create By Request.
| The Best Of... Author (1983–1986)<br>Author Collection (1986–1992)
|-
| Enchanted
| 1996
| 2000
| A mystery-themed series. It was created as a split of the long-running Romance imprint and was replaced with Tender Romance.
|-
| Favourites
| 1977
| 1995
| A reissue series featuring previously released books. It was merged with the Duet imprint to create By Request.
| Classics (1977–1981)<br>Best Seller Romance (1981–1993)
|-
| Harlequin Love Affair
| 1984
| 1988
| The UK version of the Harlequin American Romance imprint used in the United States. It was later replaced with the Silhouette Sensation imprint.
| N/A
|-
| Heartwarming
| 2016
| 2020
| Books that celebrate traditional values and love.
| N/A
|-
| Intrigue
| 1994
| 2018
| Romance mixed with the suspense or thriller genre. Originally introduced as a Silhouette imprint in 1994, with the Silhouette Sensation theme merging into it in 2007 and was discontinued in 2018.
| Silhouette Intrigue (1994–2007)
|-
| Love Inspired
| 2018
| 2020's
| Books about faith, hope and the power of love itself.
| N/A
|-
| Modern Extra
| 2004
| 2007
| Sister series to Modern. Originally a two-in-one imprint consisting of a reissue and a new book, but transitioned solely to new stories in 2006. It was replaced with Modern Heat.
| Modern Romance Extra (2004–2007)
|-
| Modern Tempted
| 2008
| 2015
| Novels aimed at younger readers.
| Modern Heat (2008–2010)<br>Riva (2010–2013)
|-
| Nocturne
| 2008
| 2018
| Paranormal romance imprint, mixing romance with genres such as horror, science fiction and fantasy. It was originally introduced as a sub-theme to Intrigue before being split as a standalone imprint in 2010.
| Intrigue Nocturne (2008–2010)
|-
| Packs
| N/A
| N/A
| Three to four books released in a slipcase.
| N/A
|-
| Presents
| 1996
| 2000
| More explicit titles. It was created as a split of the long-running Romance imprint and was replaced with Modern Romance.
|-
| Romance
| 1960s
| 1996
| Mills & Boon's first ever and oldest running imprint, featuring traditional romance stories. It was split up into the Presents and Enchanted imprints.
|-
| Romance
| 2006
| 2010
| A revival of the Romance theme, replacing Tender Romance, and later merged with Special Moments to create Chrish.
|-
| Silhouette Sensation
| 1988
| 2007
| A replacement to Love Affair, this theme consisted of UK reprints of Silhouette American Romance and Romantic Suspense books from the United States. It was merged into Intrigue following Mills & Boon retiring the usage of the Silhouette brand in the UK.
|-
| Sensual Romance
| 2000
| 2005
| Very sexual novels. It replaced the Temptation before being merged into its own Blaze sub-imprint following the discontinuation of its US counterpart Harlequin Temptation.
| N/A
|-
| Special Edition
| 1983
| 2009
| Compelling love stories that capture the intensity of living, loving and family in today’s world. It mainly consisted of books from the US version of the imprint. It was merged with Superromance to create the Special Moments imprint.
| Silhouette Special Edition (1983–2007)
|-
| Special Moments
| 2009
| 2010
| It replaced the Special Edition and Superromance imprints before merging with Romance to create the Cherish imprint.
|-
| Special Releases
| N/A
| N/A
| A generic name used to describe seasonal collections and reissue anthologies.
| N/A
|-
| Spice
| 2009
| 2015
| An erotic fiction imprint, featuring casual sex and bondage. The most explicit imprint published by Mills & Boon.
|-
| Spotlight
| 2003
| 2011
| A reissue series consisting of past Silhouette books. It was later merged into By Request in 2011.
| Silhouette Spotlight (2003–2007)
|-
| Supernatural
| 2018
| 2020's
| Stories focusing on paranormal romance, similar to the Intrigue line.
|-
| Superromance
| 2001
| 2009
| Consists of Realistic, passionate, contemporary novels, normally sourced from the US Harlequin Superromance imprint. It was merged with Special Edition to create the Special Moments imprint.
| Silhouette Superromance (2001–2007)
|-
| Tender Romance
| 2000
| 2006
| Standard Romance novels. It replaced Enchanted, and was replaced with the revived Romance.
|}
See also
- Lawrence Heisey
- Margaret Pargeter
- Mills & Boon Monographs and Technical Library
References
Further reading
- McAleer, Joseph (1992). Popular Reading and Publishing in Britain: 1914–1950, Oxford University Press.
External links
- Mills & Boon official website
- Official website Mills & Boon Australia
- A fine romance: a history of Mills & Boon, reading.ac.uk.
- Mills & Boon - Archive and Library - University of Reading
- Romance by the Numbers - a numerical listing of titles published under the Mills & Boon Romance imprint