First of all let me say I am so completely screwed, and I have no one to blame but myself. As some of you know, I have completed a novel that I hope to get published someday. Work has been particularly hard these past several months, and my search for a literary agent has slackened off. Fortunately my dad has offered to help. He asked for a copy of my story, which he then sent to an agency. An agency which I just now found out today through my own research to be fradulent.

My story is copyrighted - that's not the issue. How can I enforce that copyright when I never know if my book has been published under another author/title? My anguish is beyond words. The only course of action I see is to go on with my agent search and publish my story through a reputable agency. And if the people at the non-reputable agency come back with a lawsuit saying that I've copied their book, then I sue them right back, armed with all my drafts and research that go back five years, proving my ownership of the work. I don't know - I'm open to any suggestions now.