Title.
Querytracker is pretty good, and so is publisher's marketplace (find either through a quick google search). Just remember to always visit the agent's/agency's official homepage once you become interested in them so you can go by the most updated submission guidelines. Much luck in finding representation!
Why get an agent? I see that your goal as a writer is to get published - nowadays, with self-pubbing as a viable option, what is the draw to getting an agent? Not being facetious - I run a indie author services company that works with self/small publishing authors to create and sell their books. I'm always curious why writers today still see value in agents.
That being said, +1 on querytracker. Also, good ole Writer's Digest still has agent listings, AFAIK.
There's The Writers' Market, but I don't know if it's as good as it used to be.
I'm with Jeff. There's so many options these days for achieving your goal of being published, and an agent isn't always required, as was traditional thought. Self-pubbing is a viable option, and there are tons of great and accessible indie publishers.
Also, consider what Stephen King has to say:
I tried sending some stuff to agents about this time last year. Being in the UK, I used the Writers and Artists Yearbook as a starting point.
If I'm honest about it, I wasn't that bothered that I didn't get anywhere with it because writing a sales letter to go with the novel I sent them was a good exercise in me working out what the appeal of the book might be and learning how to write a dynamic pitch. I got enough feedback saying words to the effect of 'Good effort but it's not what I'm looking for' to make me think I could sell my own work without one.
I'm with Jeff and Tim on this one, even though self publishing isn't everyone's thing. If you want to stick at the agent route then go for it, but I would suggest trying direct to publishers as well. If you're going to be traditionally published, the publishing house will take a pretty big cut. Why give another cut to an agent?
One thing I did find curious was an article I read about how to write an effective pitch to agents, which under one heading went into how self-publishing was a good way to prove there is demand for your work by quoting an agent your downloads and sales figures. All I could think was that if I'd achieved figures that might impress an agent, what would I need the agent for? Perhaps to take some of the workload off me, but apart from writing the books, the rest of the self-publishers work is largely marketing, and agents market to publishers rather than readers.
Maybe just being published isn't enough. Anyone can just be published. Get an agent.
Depends on what your writing goals are. If you just want to publish, look at smaller presses that don't require agents. If you want to go bigger, stop by the liquor store before querying.
I used a combination of agentquery.com, querytracker.com and publishersmarketplace.com. I think I found my (former) agent through querytracker. Don't overlook taking to friends who have agents as well. It's helpful to have "So-and-so suggested I contact you" in the subject line, at least to get a response. Good luck!
