Harlequin

The Frugalista Files, written by former Miami Herald personal finance blogger Natalie McNeal, captures a 34-year old's attempt to pay off her credit card debt -- "without giving up the fabulous life." But will women really buy it?

Why did News Corp. bury the earnings of its book publishing unit HarperCollins? Does the media giant view the publisher as merely an afterthought -- or could Rupert Murdoch be contemplating a sale?

Book publisher Simon & Schuster did not have the greatest of first quarters, according to the report released Wednesday: Sales and earnings dropped or were flat compared to a year ago. The bright spot, however, came on the digital side, with e-book sales zooming up.

Two prominent book publishers reported first quarter earnings this week. For HarperCollins, the news was much better than this time last year. But for Harlequin, the fluctuating Canadian dollar exchange rate created a paradoxical situation: Sales dropped, but profits jumped.

When romance publisher Harlequin announced last month it was getting into the pay-to-publish game with a new imprint, it hit a real raw nerve. It unwittingly exposed that in publishing, money always talks first -- and the money is increasingly flowing toward the pay-to-publish model.

For a publisher celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, Harlequin has been thinking ahead. Much of the voluminous catalog from the romance publisher is available for digital download in multiple formats, so fans of steamy novels can access all they want on their Kindles, iPhones, and netbooks...

Media and newspaper companies have had dismal fortunes last year, and book publishing is no exception. Layoffs, mergers of imprints, declining sales, rising costs -- all put the biggest publishing houses deep in the red in the last two quarters of 2008. But the latest quarterly numbers coming in...

Everyone's favorite moderately-priced peddler of trashy romance is having a giveaway. According to the website, "To celebrate 60 years of pure reading pleasure, you can download, read and share 16 full books - a total value of $60USD!"And what titles they have: Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch, a...

Whenever I spend a Saturday yard saling, there is always that one house with boxes -- and boxes -- of used Harlequin romance novels. Hundreds and, at some sales I've seen, thousands.I've never read one and hope that I never will but I'm well aware of the strong following that they have and, if...