What is a reasonable length of time to expect a reply from this publisher? Has anyone on this board had dealings with them? Thanks for any input!
MayQueen
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If it's the Harlequin Steeple Hill, then Writer's Market should have the response time listed. There will be a copy in your library's reference section.
I couldn't find info on turnaround on the website, but I'm pre-coffee.
For a large house like HQ, then anything from 6 weeks to 6 months is the norm. If they say "6 weeks" double that time. It'll be more accurate.
If you didn't put in a SASPostcard with "Your MS (title) arrived on ___ at Steeple Hill" for the editor to drop in the out box, and you are worried that it never arrived, then a brief query is ok.
After about 6 weeks, you can send a snail mail with "I'm inquiring about the status of my MS, (title) that I sent in on (date). Did it get there? Thank you, ___. Put in a SASPostcard with a yes/no to circle on the reply side. Don't make them write you on their own.
This presumes your MS is not buried under 200 other MS stacked on the editor's desk that she has yet to read. Take it as a certainty that it IS.
I've had my MS on my editor's desk since last October--my 22nd book with her, so we're not strangers--and she's only gotten to it this last week! Six months I've been waiting--and I have an agent and a track record with this house!
Publishing is slow. Keep your head from exploding. Have your next book finished and ready to sell to them by the time they get back to you.
It's what I'm doing.
Good luck!
I couldn't find info on turnaround on the website, but I'm pre-coffee.
For a large house like HQ, then anything from 6 weeks to 6 months is the norm. If they say "6 weeks" double that time. It'll be more accurate.
If you didn't put in a SASPostcard with "Your MS (title) arrived on ___ at Steeple Hill" for the editor to drop in the out box, and you are worried that it never arrived, then a brief query is ok.
After about 6 weeks, you can send a snail mail with "I'm inquiring about the status of my MS, (title) that I sent in on (date). Did it get there? Thank you, ___. Put in a SASPostcard with a yes/no to circle on the reply side. Don't make them write you on their own.
This presumes your MS is not buried under 200 other MS stacked on the editor's desk that she has yet to read. Take it as a certainty that it IS.
I've had my MS on my editor's desk since last October--my 22nd book with her, so we're not strangers--and she's only gotten to it this last week! Six months I've been waiting--and I have an agent and a track record with this house!
Publishing is slow. Keep your head from exploding. Have your next book finished and ready to sell to them by the time they get back to you.
It's what I'm doing.
Good luck!
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Below are two links to Steeple Hill. One is an FAQ page about Steeple Hill and one is their call for submissions. While many know this is in inspirational branch of Harlequin, not many realize they adhere to strict CBA(Christian Booksellers Associations) conventions and are even stricter with this branch , if you can believe that. CBA still doesn't allow divorce and so many other things to be potrayed in their novel. If you don't know about this then perhaps that's why they're not responding to you submission. 
Here's an excerpt from what they won't allow:
"Because Steeple Hill sells to both CBA and ABA bookstores, we must adhere to CBA conventions. The stories may not include alcohol consumption by Christian characters, dancing, card playing, gambling or games of chance (including raffles), explicit scatological terms, hero and heroine remaining overnight together alone, Halloween celebrations or magic, or the mention of intimate body parts. Lying is also problematical in the CBA market and characters who are Christian should not lie or deceive others. Possibly there could be exceptional circumstances (matters of life and death), but this has to be OK'd by an editor."
I'm always amazed how those in the Christian publishing industry refer to Christian as CBA(a niche market) and use ABA to refer to "secular" works. Shouldn't it be Christian and general market instead? Just a personal gripe of mine. ABA is a goup of Independent booksellers not a market as such.
http://www.hodrw.com/inspirefaq.htm
http://www.eharlequin.com/articlepage.html?articleId=559&chapter=0
Here's an excerpt from what they won't allow:
"Because Steeple Hill sells to both CBA and ABA bookstores, we must adhere to CBA conventions. The stories may not include alcohol consumption by Christian characters, dancing, card playing, gambling or games of chance (including raffles), explicit scatological terms, hero and heroine remaining overnight together alone, Halloween celebrations or magic, or the mention of intimate body parts. Lying is also problematical in the CBA market and characters who are Christian should not lie or deceive others. Possibly there could be exceptional circumstances (matters of life and death), but this has to be OK'd by an editor."
I'm always amazed how those in the Christian publishing industry refer to Christian as CBA(a niche market) and use ABA to refer to "secular" works. Shouldn't it be Christian and general market instead? Just a personal gripe of mine. ABA is a goup of Independent booksellers not a market as such.
http://www.hodrw.com/inspirefaq.htm
http://www.eharlequin.com/articlepage.html?articleId=559&chapter=0
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Based on past experience, I would take any proposed length of time for MS review and double it. At least. In '07 they had a MS of mine, from first submission to "no-thanks", including requested revisions, for 11 months.
My experience only. If you're agented, and I wasn't at that time, it may be lots quicker.
My experience only. If you're agented, and I wasn't at that time, it may be lots quicker.
Harlequin looks to've dropped the Steeple Hill name in '10 (except for the forum). Updating submissions link for main division, Love Inspired: http://www.harlequin.com/articlepage.html?articleId=559&chapter=0
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They did drop that name, but it was just a cosmetic change. The lines are all now under the Love Inspired brand. The historical line is known as LI Historical. Their throughput time lately doesn't seem to be any better than earlier, though the Historicals editor told me in September that she had multiple slots to fill. IIRC it's because they're going from 4 historical releases a month to 5.
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Anybody out there submitting? I just emailed a revision on 2/12 and received a nice email this morning from the editor saying she hopes to reread it soon. I'll keep you posted on the response time.
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