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Harlequin acquires Barbour’s Heartsong Presents Book Club Print Email
Written by Christine D. Johnson   
Friday, 03 February 2012 01:05 PM America/New_York

Harlequin has acquired the Heartsong Presents Book Club from Barbour Publishing. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

A Christian romance book club founded in 1992, Heartsong Presents will enhance Harlequin’s direct-to-consumer channel, said the new owner. Club members receive four novels a month, with a focus on inspiration, hope and faith.

“Our subscribers trust us to provide compelling stories that are delivered to their doorstep monthly,” said Donna Hayes, publisher and CEO, Harlequin. “The Heartsong Presents editorial dovetails perfectly with that of Harlequin—women's fiction and inspirational publishing—making it a natural fit.”

Barbour declined comment on the acquisition.

Heartsong Presents authors have included Yvonne Lehman, Rachel Hauck, Kristin Billerbeck and Susan Page Davis. Club members also voted for their favorite authors, books and covers each year.

Since 1997, Harlequin—owned by media company Torstar Corp., with flagship newspaper the Toronto Star—has published its Love Inspired Books, inspirational fiction for women with traditional values. Fourteen mass-market titles are released every month in the three series: Love Inspired, Love Inspired Suspense and Love Inspired Historical. Overall, Harlequin publishes more than 110 titles monthly and more than 1,200 authors.

Click here to learn about Harlequin’s Heartsong Presents.