Compile a list of literary agents who may be interested in your type of women's fiction. If you don't know where to start, look in the acknowledgments section of books similar to yours; authors often thank their agents here, and these agents might be interested in representing you, too. If you are personally acquainted with any established writers, you might be able to get a referral to an agent from one of them.
Look up the literary agent's submission requirements using an Internet search for the agent's name. The submission guidelines will tell you how many pages to send, whether to send the query by e-mail or mail and the submission address. Generally, agents accept queries by e-mail but may want you to send the physical manuscript.
Send the query letter to the literary agents of your choice.
Wait for a response. If the agent is interested in seeing your work, he will write back or phone with a request to read the manuscript.
Send the manuscript or the number of pages the agent asked for. The agent may require an "exclusive," which means you are not to send the manuscript elsewhere while the agent has it. As a courtesy, note in the letter if you are doing a "simultaneous submission." This simply means you are submitting the manuscript to more than one agent at a time.
Wait again. A few months is normal for simultaneous submissions; an exclusive should take less time. If a few months have passed and you have not heard anything, e-mail the agent. It may be that he was simply too busy to read it. If the agent is interested in representing you, he will call you.
Select the agent you wish to work with, if you have more than one positive response. If you are rejected, submit to more literary agents, beginning the process over again.
Make changes to your manuscript, as requested by your literary agent. The literary agent will then submit your manuscript to appropriate women's fiction editors at publishing houses. The agent will likely submit to large publishing houses first, then move down the list to small publishing houses.
Interview the editor or editors who are interested in purchasing your women's fiction novel; these phone interviews are set up by your agent. The editor should tell you why you should choose her publishing house over the others. Ask any questions you have about what changes the editor might require to your novel.
Your literary agent negotiates a sale price, which will be your advance. If there is more than one publisher interested in buying your work, then your novel may go to auction, which will drive up your advance price. If one publisher is interested, the price will be lower. You will receive your advance up front. After the novel makes more than the advance, you will earn additional money.
Discuss the contract terms with your agent, including: the due date of the manuscript, when the advance payments will be made (payments are usually spread out over the course of the first year or two) and who gets the rights to things such as foreign sales and movies. This is where your agent earns his commission. You may also want to employ a literary attorney to look over your contract.