To Agent or Not to Agent. That is the Question

I had an interesting conversation with Marlis Day, a children's writer, at a local book event. She has an agent, but he hasn't been able to sell any of her work, so she's working with a small publishing house which works directly with her. I still want the brass ring--the New York agent, the big book deal, the movie deal, the fame, the fortune--but I'm also aware that such things are extremely rare. So I'm prepared to look for a reputable small publisher, if necessary. Marlis loves hers, and says they have excellent editors and actively market her work.

What I WON'T do is work with any publisher who suggests that I share in the cost of publishing! I almost went that route, even had a signed contract, but that would have been a waste of time. Publishers are supposed to make money by selling books, not by collecting fees from writers. I'd heard it, I knew it, but they made it sounds so reasonable that I almost forgot it. Thank God we were so broke at the time that I couldn't afford it.