Audio Up To Dramatize Harlequin Books As Podcasts

Renowned romance publisher Harlequin has teamed with the premium podcast studio Audio Up to adapt a slate of its popular romance novels into podcast dramatizations. The pioneering deal marks a first for romance novels in an inventive audio format that will adapt 52 of Harlequin’s most popular titles into captivating, scripted audio entertainment. 

In its marketing for this announcement, Audio Up claims, "The red-hot audio market is about to get a whole lot hotter."

And they're absolutely right. While some readers and those in the general population look down on romance novels, this market is huge and growing. 

 In fact, romance novels generate over $1.44 billion in revenue, making romance the highest-earning genre of fiction. Romance reached 19 million printed units sold over the last 12 months as of August 2022. Sales of printed romance novels have increased by 36 percent compared to 2021.

 Romance readers are avid readers and read across genres; 50 percent of them will try a new author—a much higher percentage than readers of other genres. Largely because of the might of romance, women have been the driving audience for mass market publishing.

For those who scoff and write off romance novels as the purview of women, think again. One in every seven romance novel reader is a man. What do think ebooks are good for?

The podcast series will be executive produced by Audio Up’s CEO Jared Gutstadt and curated and adapted by Audio Up's Chief Creative Officer Jimmy Jellinek, President David Thwaites, along with EP Brad Pelman, Phil Alberstat and Centinel Media CEO Craig Cegielski.

“By unlocking stories from their wildly popular Montana Mavericks series and books like Rogue Stallion, we’re creating an entire Harlequin Audio Universe that will do for podcasting what Yellowstone has done for cable television,” said Jellinek. “There are tens of millions of listeners out there who have never heard a podcast before who will tune in to hear these stories and only these stories.”

"When Craig asked me if we wanted a bite of this juicy apple, we didn’t flinch and simply said ‘yes.’ We see this as a watershed moment for Audio Up,” said Gutstadt. “We have built an incredibly powerful content funnel powered by some of the biggest media lanes across the audio universe. With these partners, we can fully take advantage of the massive and devoted audience funnel that Harlequin provides. Simply put, this is the largest scale book IP to podcast adaptation of all time. To my knowledge, no one has ever taken on a catalog of this scope and size all at once. ”

Harlequin Executive Vice President and Publisher Brent Lewis said: “Harlequin is the world’s largest romance publisher, selling two books every second worldwide. We’re expanding into additional formats to bring the uplifting and entertaining stories Harlequin is known for to new audiences and current fans. This collaboration with Audio Up and Centinel Media presents the perfect opportunity to enhance our brand by reaching out to podcast listeners.”

In recent years, Harlequin has expanded from books to other media platforms, including television and film, in partnership with production company Centinel Media. The company publishes more than 100 titles a month, in both print and digital formats, that are sold around the world. Encompassing highly recognizable imprints that span a broad range of genres, the publisher is home to many award-winning New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling authors. Harlequin is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, the second-largest consumer book publisher globally, with operations in 17 countries and 16 languages.

Cegielski, who is responsible for this development and will also help curate stories for podcast dramatization, said: “This endeavor signals the passion for Harlequin’s content across all media platforms. Audio Up’s pedigree in the soundscape arena makes them the perfect partner to captivate Harlequin’s fan base of over 50 million global readers who are hungry for more.”

Harlequin’s announcement cements the company’s first mover status in the dramatic podcast realm and comes on the heels of a flurry of activity for Audio Up, which includes the company’s high-profile adaptations of Stephen King’s Strawberry Spring and the upcoming, and highly awaited, American Tabloid, adapted from the bestselling James Ellroy novel, in addition to its recently announced partnership with authors Bret Easton Ellis and Irvine Welsh to produce The Reckonings.

“With the rise of the smart homes, smart speakers, and smart cars, the world of audio is expanding like never before. ,” says Gutstadt. “For the right partner, this is a no-brainer. The combination of a massive built-in audience with quality, content tonnage will drive both subscriptions and guaranteed tune-in.”