We are delighted to share that Mills & Boon has been shortlisted for two FutureBook Awards in both the Discover category for Romance Includes Everyone, and in the Team category!

The FutureBook Awards run by The Bookseller celebrate:

World-beating campaigns to pioneering startups, brave & tireless teams to soul-stirring events, each of these unique stories points the way towards an exciting publishing future.

See the full shortlist here.

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Team Award

In recognition of the team’s commitment to diversity and inclusion to ensure romance is for everyone. Focusing on our recent initiatives such as Romance includes Everyone and Love to Write to create opportunities for aspiring authors facing traditional barriers into publishing. We published. Amber Rose Gill’s debut novel, Until I Met You. Amber said ‘For me this project is so much more than just a love story. It’s about bringing more representation and inclusivity to the romance genre.’ We partnered with Whizzkids to ensure accurate representation of a wheelchair user in Georgia Toffolo’s 100k selling Meet me… series and hosted an accessible launch event for Her Heart for a Compass PB which included live transcription and digital streaming. We entered the world of TikTok and gained over 5k followers on TikTok in a matter of months including some viral videos. It is our ambition to move with a changing society to offer the perfect romance for every reader. We’re extremely proud of everything the team has achieved and delighted that we’ve been recognised by the Bookseller with their FutureBook shortlisting!

Discover Award

Romance includes Everyone

Mills & Boon’s Romance Includes Everyone campaign was launched in partnership with the RNA to discover and celebrate LGBTQI+ protagonists in romance. Our inspiring and inclusive campaign embraced social media with an online pitch event over 24 hours as an inclusive entry mechanic, allowing aspiring authors to enter who may not have completed a full manuscript but who might have an important and compelling story to share. We received almost 100 entries and discovered Emma Denny’s winning novel, One Night in Hartswood, a medieval m/m romance which will be published in hardback in January 2023.

By Lauren Gardiner