Querying Publishers/Do I still need an agent?

It's generally a bad idea to query publishers and agents at the same time. If you sumbit your novel to a publisher and receive a rejection, that's it. The agent can't resubmit it.

You can sometimes get an agent once the deal is in hand; it's sometimes easier to get an agent at that point. However, the editor may not appreciate it, and if the agent tries to change the deal significantly, the publisher may back out.

So, it's best to just query agents. Let them submit to publishers. If you are unable to find an agent, then you can query publishers yourself.

Good luck!

I don't see why you would need an agent if you sold the book on your own. If you have serious questions about the offer, don't take it. Simple as that. You can certainly try to get a bigger advance or higher royalties. Publishers expect to negotiate, and they usually are somewhat flexible.

Also, there are dozens of books on publishing you can get and read from cover to cover. These books always have sample contracts with advice on how to handle them. Worth the expense for sure.

Okay, I'm sure the non-agent route works well for some people, but from what I've heard I prefer the agented path. I have heard good (i.e. ethical) literary agents (Kristin Nelson, for one) say that they've NEVER seen a contract from a publisher that they didn't redline and get changed before letting their author sign. It's the safety of knowing someone is on your side, getting you the best deal possible (which would, in turn, ensure the agent the best deal, too), just as you would use a realtor to buy a house, or use a lawyer to defend yourself in court. Sure, maybe you could work through all of that with the publishing books you could read (and it's never a bad idea to be informed), but without having actual experience, I think I'd prefer to exhaust my agent-query supply first.

Just my two cents, anyway.

Yes, you still need an agent. It's never, ever as simple as "sample contracts." There's much, much more to the process. Even looking at sample contracts gives you no clue whatsoever about selling a book, and the last thing you want to come away with is a "sample contract." You also do not want to walk away from a good publishing house becasue you have concerns. Darned few writers anywhere know enough to tell a serious concern from a rabbit.

The thing to remember is that a good agent makes you far, far more money in the long run that you'll ever be able to make for yourself. An agent may charge fifteen percent, but she'll earn that fifteen percent a hundred times over.