It could happen to you.
Paulia Belgado became a romance novelist by posting 280 characters on Twitter and less than 500 characters on Facebook. The global publishing company Harlequin was holding a pitch event on social media, and so Belgado decided to try her luck. Her story pitch caught the attention of the editors, who initially asked for a partial draft manuscript.
That was in December 2020. Exactly one year later, the writer got the call that her submitted manuscript had been selected for publication, and signed a two-book deal with Harlequin/Mills & Boon.
Belgado’s debut novel, May the Best Duke Win was released in August 2022, with an Italian version published in September 2022. She is the first self-identifying Filipino to write for Harlequin Historical—published in both print and digital formats—and only the second Filipino romance author to be supported by the publishing company (the other is a contemporary romance author published under their digital-first imprint ). Since then, Belgado has completed her second book, due to be released in March 2023, and her growing fanbase will be pleased to know that she recently signed another two-book deal with Harlequin Historical to extend the series.
Accidentally in romance
Love may be universal, but it’s no mean feat for a fledgling romance author—and a person of color, to boot—to get the attention of an international publishing giant. It helps that Harlequin is intentional and innovative in its approach to authorship. Besides providing mentorship and scholarship programs targeting diverse voices, Harlequin also runs the #RomanceIncludesYou pitch events twice a year to bring in story pitches from authors in underrepresented communities. Typically, editors receive around 140 to 150 story pitches, and request 30 to 40 completed manuscripts from select authors, per event.
Belgado has worn many professional hats: singer, PR assistant, flyer distributor, nanny, farm worker and ghostwriter. She is an avid reader who has always loved the world-building in romance and how it transports readers to a different time and place. Writing romantic fiction under her own name, however, seemed an unattainable dream. But in the midst of the pandemic, when she saw Harlequin’s #RomanceIncludesYou call-out, she figured: why not just go for it?
“Most people probably have a completed manuscript, but I didn’t because I wasn’t even sure it was going to get picked,” she tells Esquire Philippines in an email interview. “I decided to enter at the very last minute, actually. I had a lot of self-doubt, like why would they pick me—a Filipina who has never even been to England—to write a historical romance? But then I thought, what have I got to lose? It’s 280 characters and, if I fail, it’s not like falling flat on my face in the middle of a crowded room (or worse—onstage!). The gutsy move paid off, and so she became “your friend who wrote a book during the pandemic.”
Historical romance continues to be a very popular romance subgenre according to Harlequin, which has offices in 15 countries and is marking 72 years of publishing romance novels this year. The company sells more than two books per second on average, .
“We select stories for publication from pitch events the same way we do for all acquisitions—we look for talented authors with strong, vibrant voices who write compelling romance stories with characters that readers will love,” said Carol Dunsmore, manager of author communications and events at Harlequin (Toronto), also via email. In Belgado’s case, she quotes acquiring editor Bryony Green who spoke of “being captivated by Paulia’s lively writing style and her unusual characters, particularly her heroine who is a Victorian railway engineer.”
Why representation matters
The distilled premise of May the Best Duke Win paints the portrait of a proto-feminist with a dilemma: Kate Mason, a brilliant engineer, gets caught in the machinations of her industrialist father who intends to ease his American company’s expansion into the English market by brokering a ducal (or one relating to a duke) marriage. As the reluctant bride, Kate intends to seize control of her life (and take her rightful place in the family business, Mason Railroad & Locomotives’ being her happy place) by choosing the optimal groom. Proper Edward Philipps, the Duke of Seagrave, seems perfectly suitable, albeit a bit of a dunce. Whereas the handsome, antisocial, and anti-marriage Sebastian Wakefield, the Duke of Mabury, threatens to derail her plans. Two rival dukes, a family scandal, a secret, a clash of temperaments, and a deadline make for good romance.
Based on a study commissioned by the Romance Writers of America in December 2017, romance is most popular among women (82%), but also enjoys patronage from men (18%). The study revealed that a significant percentage of romance readers are younger and becoming more diverse. To cater to these new audiences, historical romance is evolving to include more diverse voices. Harlequin’s #RomanceIncludesYou, for one, seeks out writers who identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), biracial or multiracial; authors in LGBTQ+ communities; members of marginalized ethnic and religious cultures; writers living with disabilities; and writers who identify as neurodiverse.
As a new writer, Belgado felt compelled to create what she calls an “unconventional heroine,” while staying true to the conventions of the historical romance subgenre. From the outset, she envisioned a book series about women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
“So, it wasn’t just about clothes and titles and ballrooms, but there was a scientific aspect to it because my heroine was a train engineer,” she says. “I not only had to research about how locomotives work(ed) in 1842, but they had to be historically accurate. I couldn’t describe things or processes that hadn’t been invented yet.” Her upcoming books, she assures, would feature even more unusual heroines.
It was also important for the erstwhile ghostwriter to use her real name and not a pseudonym. First, to honor her parents, to whom her book is dedicated. And secondly, to serve as a touch-point for fellow Filipinos.
“When I started reading romances in the ’90s, I would go to National Bookstore and browse the shelves, but I never see Filipino-sounding names on the covers. That’s probably why I never thought I would ever get published, because to a teen living in Manila in the Philippines (pre-internet, mind you), an international book deal seemed like such an unachievable dream. So I thought, what if I did see last names like mine or other Filipino authors on the book shelves? Would I have decided to pursue my career earlier? Would I be a successful writer right now? I’d like to think that another young Filipino romance writer would see my name on a book cover and think to themselves, ‘If she did it, so can I.’”
For more information on the next #RomanceIncludesYou pitch event, visit the Harlequin website. Get to know more about Paulia Belgado through her pages on Twitter and Facebook. May the Best Duke Win may be purchased via these links.
Originally published on 7 November 2022 in Esquire Philippines.
Photos were provided by the Harlequin author.