[Kitsa]

I don't have a literary agent (not that it wouldn't be nice) and I stay far away from vanity publishers. In my experience, the editor (or the art director or whomever the grand poobah is in the department they want me for) contacts me directly, gives a brief overview, then mails a contract with all the terms laid out. If anything looks iffy, I have my lawyer look at it before I sign and return it. Usually they want you to also submit an invoice. Advance copies are normally mailed from the publisher directly a short time before the official "publication" date.