Basics every aspiring author should know
How do people become authors?
What, or how should I write?
How do I get myself published?
How do I get paid as an author?
Who owns the copyright to the book?

How to write a book?
How to write a fiction novel?
How to write non-fiction?
How to write a children’s book?
How to write an auto-biography?
How to write science fiction?
How to write a romance novel?
How to write a short novel?

How to get published?
What is the difference between a Publisher & Literary Agent?
How to find a Publisher/Literary agent?
How to publish a poem?

How to self-publish & sell your books?
How to decide whether to self-publish?
How to self publish a book?
How to self-publish without spending a cent!
How to market a book?
How to get an ISBN and barcode?

Useful Resources and Links
Warning on scams for aspiring authors
List of Literary Agents' Websites
Facebook Poets & Writers Registry
Literary magazines directory

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How to find a Publisher/Literary Agent?

Search on the Internet. Many literary agents now have websites. The most reliable source for international publishers & literary agents: search in Frankfurt Book Fair’s website – the world’s largest and main book industry convention. Everyone who's anyone in the book business will be there every year! (http://www.frankfurt-book-fair.com/en/portal.php).
Here’s a list of major literary agents we have compiled from the Frankfurt Book Fair's directory and their websites.

Some lists found on the internet (not always reliable agents as the listings are not screened):

Agent Query
WritersNet Literary Agent List
WritersServices Literary Agent List
Everyone who's Anyone in adult trade publishing, newspapers, magazines, and tinseltown

To find publishers & distributors in Singapore, National Book Council’s website has the most comprehensive list (http://www.bookcouncil.sg/swc/pbd.htm).

Look in literary magazines. (Libraries will stock them if you can’t afford to buy or subscribe). They usually have advice or contact information for agents/publishers. Some online writers’ magazines you can explore are:

The Writer, Writers News, Writer’s Digest

Wikipedia has a dedicated entry to this at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_magazine. They also have a comprehensive list of literary magazines around the world at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_literary_magazines.

Go to a bookstore. You can find most major publishers’ information on the second or third page of books where they usually print the publishers and cataloguing information. Addresses and websites are always listed there. A few hours spent at the bigger bookstores will tell you exactly which publishers are publishing what genre of books!

Tips

Note that different publishers and literary agents have different preferences in genre, so don’t send them anything they aren’t interested in. Check first!
Different publishers/agents have different submission guidelines. You are well advised to check their guidelines and submit accordingly, instead of sending a standard package to everyone. A good agent gets about 1000 submissions a month so they throw things into the wastepaper basket pretty fast if they don’t like it.
Some literary agents ask for exclusivity in reading your manuscript. If you have submitted or are submitting to other agents, they want to know upfront.
Agents and Publishers will usually ask for a query letter – in which you introduce yourself, explain briefly what your book is about and how it will appeal to readers. This letter is REALLY important. Most writers think their work will speak for itself, but publishers and agents will look at the query letter first and if, as an aspiring writer, you cannot write succinctly and capture attention with this short document, they’ll conclude your work probably isn’t worth reading.

Important warning!

A genuine publisher or agent will never ask you to pay a single cent for any reason. Anyone who asks for a reading fee or require you to buy a certain quantity of the books yourself is fleecing you. They make a business out of preying on aspiring writers and NOT selling books.

Authors who intend to self-publish or look for publishers/literary agents are well advised to read this excellent website by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc's excellent website on scams, frauds, dodgy publishers/literary agents, writer services, writing contests, copyright issues and other important information. http://www.sfwa.org/beware