The Word On The Street Blog

The Word On The Street Festival is a great way to get to know Canadian authors and our literary landscape. But the festival is also a great way to get to know the professionals who keep the publishing world turning. We sat down with Keely Kundell to talk about getting into editorial, romance books, and what advice she has for budding publishing folks in Toronto.

WOTS: Welcome to #WOTSTalks, Keely! First off, can you tell us a bit about the day to day at Harlequin? What’s the day in the life of an Editorial Assistant like?

Keely Kundell: Usually my morning is spent getting caught up on emails and doing second reads for editors that want another opinion on potential acquisitions. Every week is always full of meetings, working on edits, and doing my daily tasks, such as optimizing our books metadata. That involves updating the keywords, BISACs, and copy of books so that information stays relevant to market trends.

WOTS: Back as an undergraduate, you majored in Book & Media studies at the University of Toronto, and founded and ran the departmental publication The Foolscap. Now that you’re at Harlequin, how much influence do you think your education and university experience feature into finding a role? What academic choices do you think prospective publishing folk should keep in mind?

KK: I’ve wanted to work at Harlequin ever since I was 13, I kept this goal in mind while I was at school. When I sat on the student council for the Book & Media studies, I organized a lecture with a senior editor at Harlequin so that the student body could learn more about the publishing industry. At the time, so much of the program was focused on books in the past, rather than the present-day industry.

I think it’s important to make your own opportunities wherever you can, such as organizing a lecture or working on publications like The Foolscap. That way your time at university can better support your future goals.

WOTS: Being at Harlequin, that means all romance all the time. What draws you to romance, and what keeps you passionate about it? What do you wish more people knew about the industry?

KK: While Harlequin is certainly the premier publisher of romance, it’s not all we provide. We have several imprints that publish other genres. For example, women’s fiction focuses on the relationships between women, such as sisterhood, friendship, and even personal journeys. I think these kind of stories are so rewarding.

That said, romance is my favourite genre we publish. I wish people realized it’s not just about sex—our books empower women, as they enforce a woman’s right to choose, celebrate her sexuality, and that they are worthy of love. I think that kind of positive reinforcement is underrated in today’s society, and it should be celebrated rather than shamed.

WOTS: Harlequin takes unsolicited manuscripts, which is a rare and beautiful thing! What should a writer know before they send in an unsolicited manuscript? Any favourite stories about manuscripts that just weren’t a fit?

KK: While not all our imprints accept unsolicited manuscripts, many do. We have twelve series imprints and one digital-first imprint that accepts such submissions. Each imprint has various requirements for submissions, so it’s important to keep those guidelines in mind when choosing an imprint. For example, our new imprint, Dare, is looking for stories that push the boundaries of sexual explicitness while keeping the focus on the developing romantic relationship. A word count of 50,000 means stories must be fast-paced and plot-driven.

Often there will be a submission an editor with one imprint likes, but if it’s not right for them, they might recommend it to another imprint within Harlequin. I did a few reads for #DVpit recently, and while none were right for us, it was great to open a dialogue with those authors.

WOTS: Can you tell us a bit about how a book becomes a book at Harlequin? What are some tips writers can keep in mind to make the process as productive as possible, for both sides?

KK: I would suggest familiarizing yourself with our imprints and identify which one best matches your voice. Read some of the books from those imprints, and you can get a good idea of what we are looking for in a manuscript. Don’t submit a book that goes against the submission guidelines—if it doesn’t sound right for the imprint, it will get rejected.

You can check out www.soyouthinkyoucanwrite.com for tips and hints from editors and authors. Follow our blog for interviews with debut authors, feedback opportunities and interaction with editors. We also have several writing contests, submissions to a blitz receive a quick turnaround on feedback. Many of our editors are also on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms, and will post if they are looking for new content.

WOTS: And, finally—do you have any advice for anyone who’s just starting to get into publishing? Whether a writer, a potential Editorial Assistant, or otherwise.

KK: I would highly recommend pursuing a postgraduate publishing certificate if you want to break into publishing. There are many internships offered through those programs that will get you a foot in the door. A lot of publishers favour potential hires that have a publishing certificate.

If you are a writer I recommend joining a writing group—those writers are your future audience, and as fellow authors, they can provide great suggestions on how to improve.

Want to keep up with the WOTS blog? Sign up for our newsletter here!