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7/2/2009:  From Publisher's Weekly:  Nancy Yost is leaving Lowenstein-Yost Associates Inc. to start up her own literary agency. She may be reached at nancy@nyliterary.com.

6/29/2009:  From Publisher's Weekly:  Stephanie MacLean has been promoted to literary agent at Trident Media Group, where she started in 2007 as Dan Strone's assistant. She is specializing in romance, women's fiction and YA.

6/24/2009:  Publisher's Weekly announced that by popular request of Dealmakers, they have added a sub-category breakout for "Paranormal" romance/fantasy books in their Fiction section. Feel free to use the new designation appropriately in your future reports.
 

6/15/2009:  From Publisher's Weekly:  This week's New Yorker profiles Nora Roberts, "America's most popular novelist"--whom the magazine explains to its readers is like "the Raymond Carver of romance," at least in her "choice of milieu." (They note that the Times Book Review has reviewed just one of her books.)

They say that in 2008, Penguin shipped 8 million copies of new books by Roberts, along with 5.5 million copies of Roberts' backlist and 4.5 million copies of books under her pen name J.D. Robb. At Barnes & Noble, Roberts is the top romance writer and Robb is second only to Janet Evanovich.
6/10/2009:  From Publisher's Weekly:

Top Ten Romance/Women's Fiction Agents

1.  Roberta Brown
2.  Kimberly Whalen
3.  Laura Bradford
4.  Jennifer Schober
5.  Kevan Lyon
6.  Natasha Kern
7.  Pamela Harty
8.  Emily Sylvan Kim
9.  Deidre Knight
10.  Karen Solem

Top Ten Romance/Women's Fiction Editors

1.  Cindy Hwang
2.  John Scognamiglio
3.  Deb Werksman
4.  Kate Seaver
5.  Audrey LaFehr
6.  Diana Ventimiglia
7.  Melissa Endlich
8.  Susan Pezzack-Swinwood
9.  Ann Leslie Tuttle
10.  Kate Duffy

3/19/2009:  From Publisher's Weekly:  Jenny Bent has left Trident Media Group to form The Bent Agency. (Her 15 years in publishing included a stint at Cader Books.)

2/25/2009:  From Publisher's Weekly:  Agents Jill Marsal and Kevan Lyon have left the Sandra Dijkstra Agency to form the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. Marsal was at the Dijkstra agency for eight years and practiced as an attorney representing authors prior to that. Lyon spent four years at Dijkstra and worked in the wholesale and distribution side of the publishing business for over 17 years before becoming an agent.

2/13/2009:  From Publisher's Weekly/MSNBC:  Two writers (a man and a woman) teamed up to write romance novels that they customize for customers--and it's a pretty good business: "Fifty bucks for a paperback. Eighty-five for a hardcover. More, if you want your pictures on the cover." The partners sell about 2,000 copies on Valentine's Day alone. And half of the buyers are men.

1/30/2009:  From Publisher's Weekly: Sandy Lu of the Vanguard Literary Agency is joining Lori Perkins at the L. Perkins Agency as an associate agent.

1/21/2009:  From Publisher's Weekly: At Bantam, Nita Taublib is promoted to evp, publisher and editor in chief, directing the hardcover and mass-market publishing programs and continuing to edit Danielle Steel and Luanne Rice. Gina Wachtel has been promoted to associate publisher and Kate Miciak moves up to editorial director, both reporting to Taublib.

1/15/2009:  From Publisher's Weekly: At Bantam, Nita Taublib is promoted to evp, publisher and editor in chief, directing the hardcover and mass-market publishing programs and continuing to edit Danielle Steel and Luanne Rice. Gina Wachtel has been promoted to associate publisher and Kate Miciak moves up to editorial director, both reporting to Taublib.

1/9/2009:  From Publisher's Weekly:  Vivian Chum has joined Prospect Agency as an agent. She is seeking romance, young adult fiction, literature, thrillers, and science fiction, as well as nonfiction projects.
 

11/17/2008:  From Publisher's Weekly: Jenny Rappaport has parted ways "amicably" with Lori Perkins after two-and-a-half years and has started her own literary agency, The Rappaport Agency. She will specialize in science fiction and fantasy, as well as YA, and romance.

9/5/2008: From Publisher's Weekly:  Melissa Jeglinski, who was senior editor of Harlequin's Silhouette Desire line (after 17 years with the company in all), has joined The Knight Agency as associate agent/submissions coordinator.

9/4/2008:  From Publisher's Weekly:  Hollan Publishing's principals Holly Schmidt and Allan Penn have joined with literary agent Lori Perkins to form Literary Partners Group, which is launching an online publishing company called Ravenous Romance. They will publish daily novel-length erotic romances, as well as lunchtime short stories, in e-book and downloadable MP3 format, starting December 1.
 
Schmidt says in an announcement "we will succeed by producing exceptionally high-quality erotic fiction by award-winning writers and their protégées, and offering it to our readers at an extremely competitive price point."