I need help finding an agent for publishing my second novel - how do I find a legitimate agent?

[S.K.]

Identify agents who have sold novels like yours by going to bookstores and writing down titles, authors, and publishers of the books in your genre. All of them.

Get online and try to determine which agent brokered the deal for each book. You can find other agents seeking work in your genre through “Writer's Market” and “Literary Marketplace” (US) or “Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook” (UK). Check the publisher listings, too, which will include “agented submissions only” or not. (Maybe you don’t even need an agent.)

Research each agent as extensively as you can. Find websites with career history, sales, personal bio, blogs and/or twitter, AAR membership, etc. Determine whether they prefer email or regular mail for queries. Check the client list and make sure you have at least a passing familiarity with the authors who write in your genre.

Your research should include a visit to Preditors and Editors and one to the Bewares and Background Checks board at AbsoluteWrite. Figure out who’s a good fit for you. Don’t be afraid to aim high. The worst that can happen is they say no--and most will.

Write a one-page query letter, tailoring it to individual agents based on the information you got from research, and send it to the few agents you'd most like to represent you, via the means they prefer (email, paper) and with the attachments or enclosures requested. If the query letter is really good and you've done your homework well, at least some will ask for a partial or full manuscript. If none does, rewrite the query before sending out the next batch.

Reputable agents charge the author nothing, so any agent who asks for a payment, for any reason whatsoever, is not legitimate.