There are lots of businesses, in all fields, that charge you for information you could get yourself for free. Publishing is no exception. There are firms that will research potential agents or even potential publishers whose interests match your manuscript; you pay for their list of recommended places to submit your work. These businesses aren't necessarily scams. Sometimes it's easier and more effective to pay someone else to do the research for you, especially if you have more money than time. But it's important to understand that you could get this information on your own.

It's also important to know what you're purchasing. Does the person offering this service have experience and contacts in publishing? Does she know what the current trends in publishing are? How many potential agents or publishers will she identify for you? Does she have access to resources that are not available to you?

As always, be wary of any person or business that “guarantees” results. There are no guarantees in publishing; even publishers don't know what the hot title or genre will be in any given season. Also be on the lookout for a possible scam. An agent finder may claim a 90 percent success rate in matching writers with agents, but if all those matches are with the same agent, this easily could be a clever mining operation for an unscrupulous agent, designed to lure unsuspecting writers into a fee-charging scheme.