Search the InterNIC Whois database to find out whether a domain name is already taken.

Basic Domain Name Rules:
You can search for .com or .net domain names.
You cannot use any punctuation aside from the period in the suffix.
You can use hyphens, if they are not at the beginning nor the end of the domain name.

Type in the name of a domain you would like information about, e.g. authorsguild.net

Note: don't include “www” before the domain name.