Article

Harlequin Enterprises

Published Online April 21, 2009

Last Edited March 7, 2014

Harlequin Enterprises, the world's largest publisher of romance fiction, was founded in Winnipeg by Richard H.G. Bonnycastle. The company originally published westerns, thrillers, cookbooks, etc, but by 1964 was exclusively publishing romances because they were the strongest sellers.

Harlequin Enterprises

Harlequin Enterprises, the world's largest publisher of romance fiction, was founded in Winnipeg by Richard H.G. Bonnycastle. The company originally published westerns, thrillers, cookbooks, etc, but by 1964 was exclusively publishing romances because they were the strongest sellers. In 1968 the company went public and in 1969 headquarters were moved to Toronto. In 1975 the company was purchased by TORSTAR CORPORATON, a broadly based media company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. In Sept 1984 Harlequin acquired Silhouette, a major US publisher of romance fiction formerly owned by Simon & Schuster. Sales soared from 19 million in 1970 to more than 200 million by the mid-1980s. Harlequin Enterprises has offices in 19 countries, including offices in Toronto, New York and London. Its titles are published in 28 languages and sold in 114 international markets. The company produces over 110 titles monthly and publishes more that 1100 authors from around the world.