After I finished the first draft of Rising Shadow last year, I embarked on the well-worn path of trying to find an agent and a suitable publisher to handle the book. I had visions of perusing the web sites of agents, finding that perfect someone who was going to believe in my project and work as my partner to get my books into the light of day. In short, I figured it would be similar to hiring a colleague at work. Or finding a spouse.

What I quickly discovered was that submitting queries was...