Ever wish that in the afterlife you'll be able to exact revenge on the people who made your life so miserable? The Five Jerks You Meet on Earth takes on that sidesplitting premise. Loser Al Mitchell finally gets a chance to win-even though he's dead. Al Mitchell is middle-aged, divorced, childless, balding, unemployed, stoop-shouldered, and dead--but these are the least of his problems. When Mitchell dies in a chaotic merry-go-round wreck, he goes to Heaven hoping to discover the meaning of his sad-sack life by meeting the five most influential people he's known. But too bad they're busy meeting with more important people! In their place, Al meets his grade school lunch lady, family plumber, and a hairdresser who turned down all of his romantic advances. So much for peace in the afterlife! Intent to make amends, Heaven's powers-that-be allow Mitchell to return to Earth (with help from a bumbling angel named Adrian) to achieve a goal even better than enlightenment. He gets to exact revenge on the five jerks who made his life so miserable! Ray Zardetto's The Five Jerks You Meet on Earth hilariously--but respectfully--parodies Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven. It turns the premise of that inspiring best-seller on its head--and it speaks to the avenging loser in all of us! For more about the book visit www.thefivejerksyoumeetonearth.com

Winner of the 2016 Marfield Prize In 1902, Rainer Maria Rilke—then a struggling poet in Germany—went to Paris to research and write a short book about the sculptor Auguste Rodin. The two were almost polar opposites: Rilke in his twenties, delicate and unknown; Rodin in his sixties, carnal and revered. Yet they fell into an instantaneous friendship. Transporting readers to early twentieth-century Paris, Rachel Corbett’s You Must Change Your Life is a vibrant portrait of Rilke and Rodin and their circle, revealing how deeply Rodin’s ideas about art and creativity influenced Rilke’s classic Letters to a Young Poet.

Now in its 17th year, Guide to Literary Agents is a writers best resource for finding a literary agent or script agent to represent their work. As the market becomes more glutted while the number of major publishing houses shrinks, writers need someone familiar with the publishing scene to shepherd their manuscript to the right person. To help writers acquire an agent, this book provides names and specialties for more than 700 individual agents around the United States and the world. The book also includes a growing number of UK agents as well as Australian agents, and more than 90 pages of original articles on finding the best agent to represent your work and how to seal the deal. From editing your work to crafting a book proposal to making the most of your contract, Guide to Literary Agents will help writers deal with agents every step of the way.

The definitive guide to working with -- and surviving -- bullies, creeps, jerks, tyrants, tormentors, despots, backstabbers, egomaniacs, and all the other assholes who do their best to destroy you at work. "What an asshole!" How many times have you said that about someone at work? You're not alone! In this groundbreaking book, Stanford University professor Robert I. Sutton builds on his acclaimed Harvard Business Review article to show you the best ways to deal with assholes...and why they can be so destructive to your company. Practical, compassionate, and in places downright funny, this guide offers: Strategies on how to pinpoint and eliminate negative influences for good Illuminating case histories from major organizations A self-diagnostic test and a program to identify and keep your own "inner jerk" from coming out The No Asshole Rule is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Business Week bestseller.

No church is immune to the problems that can arise when parishioners behave in difficult ways. Responding to such situations with self-awareness and in a manner true to one’s faith tradition makes the difference between peace and disaster. In this must-read book, Boers shows how a better understanding of difficult behavior can help congregational leaders avoid the trap of labeling such parishioners and exercise self-care when the going gets rough.

AVOID THE JERKS AND FIND “THE ONE” WHO'S RIGHT FOR YOU "An insightful and creative contribution to managing the complexity of choosing a life partner. I heartily recommend it." --Harville Hendrix, Ph.D., author of Getting the Love You Want and Keeping the Love You Find "Don't be part of the 'where-was-this-book-when-I-needed-it?' crowd. It's not too late--read it now!" --Pat Love, Ed.D., author of The Truth About Love and Hot Monogamy Based on years of research on marital and premarital happiness, How to Avoid Falling in Love with a Jerk (previously published in hardcover as How to Avoid Marrying a Jerk) will help you break destructive dating patterns that have kept you from finding the love you deserve: Ask the right questions to inspire meaningful, revealing conversations with your partner Judge character based on compatibility, relationships skills, friends, and patterns from family and previous relationships Resolve your own emotional baggage so you're ready for a healthy relationship

The dumpster fire of life rages on, but you got this. Practice six rules to keep you grounded, weather the storm, and actually be a decent person. It may seem like the world is going to hell in a hand basket right now. Whether it's big stuff like politics and climate change, or just the daily spin of paying your bills, getting to work on time, and fending off social media trolls, we can all admit, modern life ain't easy. Here are six really good guiding principles, inspired from the ancient wisdom of Buddhism and mindfulness practice, to keep you anchored and steady amidst the chaos.