Hi. I am writing a book about Trayvon Martin's murder and its cover-up. I know very little about book publishing. I am almost done writing the body of the book. Is there any advice you can give me as a writer of my first book and getting it published? Thank you.
Denis, there are lists of agents to avoid online, but generally speaking just avoid the ones who want money from you before you've earned any. The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook is the best place to start to find agents looking for authors of your genre. An agent will seek a percentage of your earnings. I believe most contracts are quite similar but they sometimes differ on things like what percentage the agent might earn if you found the work yourself (as opposed to through him/her.) I tend to look up the agent in Writers' and Artists', check their website for advice, and then write to them with my sample chapters. Some agents have particular good advice on their websites so always check. Good luck.
What are the usual terms an agent imposes ? Is there a list of agents to avoid ?
Well, publisher's usually value a piece coming from a good agent rather than a unknown author, so it's always best to get an agent first.