Janet Dailey facts for kids

Janet Anne Haradon Dailey (born May 21, 1944 – died December 14, 2013) was a very popular American author. She wrote many romance novels using the name Janet Dailey. Her books were translated into 19 languages and sold over 300 million copies around the world. Janet Dailey was known for her writing and also for her business skills.

Early Life and Start in Writing

Janet Anne Haradon was born on May 21, 1944, in Storm Lake, Iowa. Her parents were Boyd Clayton Haradon and Lena Louise Haradon. She grew up in Iowa and finished high school in Independence, Iowa.

Janet always dreamed of being a writer and loved books. Her three older sisters often read to her. By the time she was four, she had her own library card. After graduating high school in 1962, she worked for a construction company. This company was owned by Bill Dailey, who later became her husband. They worked together for many hours each day and got married in 1964.

In 1974, Janet told her husband she could write a better romance novel than the ones she had read. He challenged her to prove it. Janet spent eight months writing her first book, No Quarter Asked. She sent a letter to Harlequin, a book publisher. They told her that at that time, they only reprinted books from Mills & Boon in London. So, she contacted Mills & Boon.

Mills & Boon bought her book and published it in 1974. This made Janet Dailey the first American woman to have a book published by Mills & Boon. Later, in 1976, Harlequin also released No Quarter Asked.

Writing Style and Success

Janet Dailey's books were special because they showed American characters and stories. Her novels were set in different parts of America. She helped create a new type of romance novel called "Western romance." These stories often featured strong women and took place in the American West.

She wrote 57 novels for Harlequin. Fifty of these were part of her "Janet Dailey Americana Series." In this series, each book was set in a different state of the United States. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized her for this amazing achievement. By 1998, her Harlequin novels had sold 80 million copies.

Janet Dailey was a very hardworking writer. She aimed to write 15 pages every day. She would often start writing at 4 a.m. On good days, she met her goal in 8 to 10 hours. Other days, it took 12 to 14 hours of work. Sometimes, her early novels for Harlequin took only eight days to write.

Best-Selling Novels

In 1979, Janet Dailey became the first romance author to move from writing "category romances" (shorter books in a series) to "single-title romance novels" (longer, stand-alone books). Her first big romance novel, Touch the Wind, became a New York Times Best Seller. Many of her later books also became best sellers.

More than 325 million copies of her books have been printed. They have been translated into 19 languages and sold in 98 countries. Her novel Foxfire Light was even made into a movie.

In 1993, Janet Dailey started "The Janet Dailey Award." This award gave $5,000 each year to an author. It recognized a romance novel that best talked about an important social issue.

Later Career and Personal Life

Janet Dailey faced a challenge in 1997. Another author, Nora Roberts, noticed that some parts of Janet's books were very similar to her own work. Janet Dailey admitted that some of her books, like Aspen Gold and Notorious, had passages that were very much like Nora Roberts' writing. These books were then taken out of print. The situation was resolved, and Janet Dailey later started publishing new books again.

In 2001, Janet Dailey signed a deal to publish four new books with Kensington Books. She wrote more books in her popular Calder series, which was about a ranching family in Montana. She also wrote books with holiday themes.

In 1978, Janet and her husband Bill moved from Council Bluffs, Iowa to Branson, Missouri. Bill helped promote and produce shows at the Americana Theater there. He passed away on August 5, 2005.

Janet Dailey thought Branson was a wonderful place to live. She said the weather was good, the country was beautiful, and the people were friendly. She passed away at her home in Branson on December 14, 2013.

See also

In Spanish: Janet Dailey para niños