I just found some very good advice re: getting a book published and finding an agent. (And yes, sometimes it actually goes in that order, believe it or not.)
On the Aspiring Author blog, Alexis Grant talks about a conversation she had on Twitter with an author who gave her a lot of good advice. It pretty much boiled down to
- Don’t spend all your time studying the publishing industry and trying to decipher the “tricks” to use to get in;
- Most agents don’t find clients through the Query pile, but through contacts, and especially if they see the author’s writing somewhere and like it;
- Have something to say; find your voice, and say it clearly.
Have a peek at the whole post; there’s a lot of meat there. And follow the blog! 
Thanks for that! Checking our your blog now…
Thanks for visiting! This blog is really just getting going, so there won’t be a huge amount to see. Yet.