Aspiring authors struggle to navigate agent submission process without paying predatory fees

Unpublished writers desperately need to find legitimate literary agents who don't charge upfront fees, but lack reliable ways to distinguish reputable agents from scams. Current solutions (agent databases, websites) are fragmented and don't clearly surface which agents accept unsolicited submissions for free, forcing authors to waste time on dead ends or risk losing money to vanity presses and fee-charging 'agents.'