This book collects the most significant literature on agents in an attempt top forge a broad foundation for the field. Includes papers from the perspectives of AI, databases, distributed computing, and programming languages. The book will be of interest to programmers and developers, especially in Internet areas.

Nineteen Eighty-Four meets Tron, via The Office, in this boldly dystopian novel The agents don’t know what they’re agents of, but they’re very busy agenting, which means watching endless data feeds in their cubicles, cubicles that are piled one on top of another in a massive tower in which the agents both live and work. Empty floors serve as battlefields where different guilds of agents fight for territory. It seems that defenestration is the only way out, the ‘ballet of suicides.’ It is here we meet Théodore, who has amputated his own toes and must maintain a 30-degree angle to keep his balance. And Solveig, who is pregnant, though agents don’t usually have sex, as well as the artist Lazslo and self-mutilating Clara. And then there’s Hick, the new agent, who seems strangely happy and occupies a cubicle that is strategically very important. The battle for key territory is heating up, and the agents aren’t sure which of them will make it out alive. If, indeed, that’s what any of them want… The author of the acclaimed The Laws of the Skies turns his hand from literary horror to futuristic dystopianism in this unforgettable marriage between The Office, Nineteen Eighty-Four, and Tron. “Unflinching in its savagery, the nightmarish poetry of this modern Lord of the Flies is undeniable.” —Publishers Weekly starred review on The Laws of the Skies “A haunting book, if you can keep reading.” —LitHub on The Laws of the Skies “The Law of the Skies is not an easy book to digest . . . but I found it exhilarating to read a novel that’s this unflinching, this nihilistic, and also this deeply profound.” —Locus Magazine

Dozens of industry professionals provide writers with essential information about a variety of important topics--everything from preparing a manuscript, getting it into the hands of an editor, how to market their books and gain publicity, plus what they should know about sub rights.

Actors at every stage of their careers have a lot of questions, and Ask an Agent gives a lot of answers. Do I need an agent? How do I get one? What will an agent do for me? When is it time to switch agents? Help is on the way! Author Margaret Emory--a talent agent for more than fourteen years--writes Ask an Agent, the most popular column in America's foremost publication for working actors, Back Stage. In clear, straightforward text, she gives the agent's spin on everything from headshots and resumes to auditions, casting directors, and managers. Ask an Agent offers real help for the real world of acting.

First Published in 2006. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.