Agent Sara Megibow is looking for romance novel queries.

Agent Rachelle Gardner gives advice on writing one-sentence pitches.

She also gives advice on Sussing Out Legitimate Publishers.

Harlequin announced a new licensing deal with a Russian publishing house. Good news for Harlequin writers and readers as Harlequin expands their market.

Harlequin recognizes a rapidly growing market in Europe and Asia. In 2008, the publisher launched an office in Mumbai, India, to print and distribute books locally. In the first half of 2010, the women’s publishing giant has already opened an office in Turkey and acquired full ownership of their German operation. In the past 18 months, Harlequin has also signed new licensing deals in Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand. Harlequin currently has licensees in 15 countries.

AmazonEncore Announces Fall 2010 Publishing List. One of the 10 books is women’s fiction:

A Scattered Life” by Karen McQuestion has already attracted the praise of author Delia Ephron, who calls the book “an emotional and engaging novel about family.” Throughout one pivotal year in the life of three women–free spirit Skyla Plinka, her neighbor Roxanne, and her intrusive mother-in-law, Audrey–each will learn what it means to love unconditionally. McQuestion’s essays have appeared in Newsweek, the Chicago Tribune, the Denver Post, the Christian Science Monitor and several anthologies. Originally published through the Kindle Digital Text Platform, “A Scattered Life” is the first self-published Kindle book to ever be optioned for film. McQuestion lives with her family in Hartland, Wis. “A Scattered Life” will be published on August 10.

Trouble is brewing between Bloomberg Press and the Authors Guild. John Wiley & Sons, which acquired Bloomberg Press recently, is trying to amend the way they pay royalties to their authors. The Authors Guild is saying the royalties will be sliced up to 50%. Wiley claims they “believe[s] former Bloomberg authors will be paid higher royalties in most instances.”

On the IPS news site, writer and critic Louise Doughty talks about gender bias in awarding prizes. She says this and more:

“Things are definitely improving. But the improvement is still very slow. I think we’ll all know we have reached equality in literature when nobody thinks it is remarkable when a woman wins a prize. But at the moment, when a woman wins a prize, it is still a story.”

In the same vein, Charlotte Abbott at Follow the Reader blogged about How to Elevate Women Writers? A #FollowReader #FemBook Recap. This was a Twitter topic started by Follow the Reader blog. I missed the party! If you missed it, the blog contains highlights from the Twitter discussion.

If you’re looking for an agent, Sara Megibow from the Nelson Literary Agency blogged about TIPS FROM THE SLUSH PILE. I thought I knew it all, but she had one tip on resubmitting a query that surprised me.

Happy writing! I’ll be back next week with more news.