NEW YORK (AP) Sterling Lord, the uniquely enduring literary agent who worked for years to find a publisher for Jack Kerouacs On the Road and over the following decades arranged deals for everyone from true crime writer Joe McGinniss to the creators of the Berenstain Bears, has died. NEW YORK (AP) Sterling Lord, the uniquely enduring literary agent who worked for years to find a publisher for Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" and over the following decades arranged deals for everyone from true crime writer Joe McGinniss to the creators of the Berenstain Bears, has died. Even younger editors who could relate to Kerouacs jazzy celebration of youth and personal freedom turned him down. One editor wrote to Lorde that Kerouac really does possess a tremendous talent of a very special kind. 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He negotiated terms between McGinniss and accused killer Jeffrey MacDonald, later convicted, for the true crime classic Fatal Vision. He found a publisher for Nicholas Pileggis mob story Wiseguy and helped arrange the deal for its celebrated film adaptation, Goodfellas., In the early 1960s, Viking had asked Lord to get a blurb from Kerouac for One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Keseys first and most famous novel. Sterling Lord, uniquely enduring literary agent, dies at 102 Sterling Lord, Jack Kerouac's Literary Agent, Dies at 102 He had a good death and died peacefully of old age, she told The Associated Press. In his 2013 memoir Lord of Publishing, Lord recalled his first meeting with Kerouac in 1952. Kerouac declined, but Lord was so impressed by the book that he ended up representing Kesey for his next work, Sometimes a Great Notion.. And they prized his equilibrium, which reassured them when things seemed to be flying apart. His upbringing, he later wrote, was the kind of pleasant, orderly world the Beats were trampling on in the fifties and sixties.. Fame magnified a drinking problem that killed him by 1969. Lord instead found a deal for Quotations from Chairman LBJ, a bestselling parody. James Lord Obituary (2003) - Miami, FL - the Miami Herald - Legacy.com He was the last link to what we can now see not so much as a Golden Age, but as a brief, shining moment when long-form journalism mattered in a way it no longer does and may never again.. One editor wrote to Lord that Kerouac does have enormous talent of a very special kind. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, file), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. His full list of clients produced works about sports, politics, murder and the suffering of illustrated animals. Sterling Lord, uniquely enduring literary agent, dies at 102 Ports, age 83, of Sterling, died Monday, February 6, 2023 at CGH Medical Center in Sterling. By 1955, Kerouac was ready to give up but Lord was not. Back in the U.S., he served as an editor at True and Cosmopolitan, from which he was fired, before founding the Sterling Lord Literary Agency. Thanks to his friendship with Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, Lord helped launch Stan and Jan Berenstain's multimillion-selling books about an anthropomorphic bear family. He got Erica Jong $1.2 million for her novel Fanny and Judge John J. Sirica $500,000 for the paperback rights to his Watergate memoir. One editor wrote to Mr. Lord: Kerouac does have enormous talent of a very special kind. Judy was born on May 13, 1948 in Dixon, the daughter of Wilbur and LaVon (Maxwell) Mackey Read More, Lorraine Kunde Born: February 26, 1935 in Milledgeville, IL Died: January 29, 2023 in Crystal City, MO Lorraine Kunde, 87, formerly of Sterling, passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 29, 2023, with family by her side, at Crystal Oaks Skilled Care in Crystal City, MO. Fond as I was of Jack, I was only his literary agent, not his life agent, he wrote. [3], Open Road published Lord's memoir Lord of Publishing in 2013. Menu. A native of Miami, FL. Books and tennis were lifelong passions for Lord, born in Burlington, Iowa, in 1920. His first marriage, he would acknowledge, helped inspire him to go into business for himself. Lord would also speak proudly of a project he declined: Lyndon Johnsons memoir. He also prided himself on his sympathy for writers who lived far more wildly than he did. Lord would also speak proudly of a project he turned down: a memoir of Lyndon Johnson. In 1952, he launched his literary agency, later merging with another agency, Literistic, to form Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc.[5] Kerouac entrusted him with his novel On the Road, and after more than four years Viking Press bought and published it. After years of failed attempts, a filmed version of On the Road was released in 2012. Lord had met many agents during his magazine years and believed they failed to understand that the American public was becoming more urban and sophisticated. Sterling Lawrence. . The baby in the group was the political analyst Jeff Greenfield. Frankly, I didnt want to deal with the situation at home, he told the Des Moines Register in 2015. But this is not a well-made novel, nor a saleable one nor even, I think, a good one.. Alice was born April 15, 1939 in Dixon, the daughter of Clifford "Bill" and Harriet (Smith) Read More, Marcia Fields Born: February 23, 1946 in Sterling, IL Died: January 30, 2023 in Sterling, IL Marcia L Fields, age 76, passed away peacefully, after a courageous battle with cancer, on January 30th, 2023. He also became a tennis star at Grinnell College, and later a good enough player to compete against Don Budge, among others. An editor from Viking Press contacted Lord, offering an advance of $900. Lord held out for $1,000. Lord held out for $1,000. Dale was born March 11, 1944 in Greenville Township, the son of Delmar and Esther (Schrader) Sugars. The article reported that Lord was living in a Lower Manhattan home for seniors, and he was starting a new literary agency at 99 years old. Lord oversaw Kerouacs numerous posthumous releases even as he battled the authors family for control of the estate. Lorraine Read More, Mary Ferris's passing has been publicly announced by Schilling Funeral Home - Sterling in Sterling, IL. FILE - In this Jan. 8 2013 file photo, literary agent Sterling Lord speaks during an interview in his New York office. Visiting Ken Keseys farm just outside Eugene, Ore., Mr. Lord fell off a wagon while tossing hay. Frankly, I didnt want to deal with the situation at home, he told the Des Moines Register in 2015. Lord died Saturday in a nursing home in Ocala, Florida, according to his daughter, Rebecca Lord. Iowa native and agent to Kerouac, Kesey, McNamara: Sterling Lord dies Fame magnified a drinking problem that killed him by 1969. [3] Aldo Leopold, a scientist and writer, was his uncle. He became a tennis star at Grinnell College in Iowa and later was a good enough player to compete against Don Budge, among others. He edited his high school newspaper and was a sports stringer around the same time for the Des Moines Register. Sterling . Sterling Lord cause of death Sterling Lord wife and children Sterling Lord net worth Sterling Lord funeral Sterling Lord cause of death Lord died Saturday, Sept 3, 2022 in a Skilled Nursing home in Ocala, Florida, according to his daughter, Rebecca Lord. It began when his mother would read to him after dinner; he went on to edit his high school newspaper and work as a sports stringer around the same time for the Des Moines Register. Beloved husband of JoAnne and devoted and loving father of Tamara (Raymond). He was well-spoken and athletic, a most able negotiator who dressed in tweed and avoided most vices. After serving in the Army Air Force during World War II, Lord co-owned the Germany-based magazine Weekend, which soon folded. She was born on December 12, 1928 in Rock Falls, the daughter of Ernesto and Maria (Bologna) Bellini. Mr. Lord held out for $1,000. Lord turned them down, much to their surprise and anger. They can walk down the street, and tell that the little old lady with the shopping cart is a cop. Mr. Lord turned them down, much to their surprise and anger. [3] He died in Ocala, Florida, on September 3, 2022, his 102nd birthday. [6], In 2015, the city of Burlington held its first Sterling Lord Writers and Readers Festival to honor him. Friends may call 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Saturday, April 2, at Bethel Pentecostal Church, Oakfield with a funeral service being held at 1 p.m. For a complete obituary and to share condolences and memories, please visit bowersfuneral.com. Even younger editors who may have related to Kerouacs jazzy celebration of youth and personal freedom turned him down. Thanks to friendship with Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, Lord helped launch Stan and Ian Berenstains multimillion-dollar books about a family of anthropomorphic bears. Johnsons The Vantage Point, ultimately published in 1971, was dismissed by critics as bland and uninformative. According to Mr. Lord, Kerouac had come to him at the suggestion of Robert Giroux, then at Harcourt Brace. This material may not be published, broadcast, copied or distributed without permission. But Lord had little involvement in the project, directed by Walter Salles and starring Sam Riley and Kristen Stewart. Returning to the US, he worked as an editor for True and Cosmopolitan magazine, from which he was fired, before founding the Sterling Lord Literary Agency. Lorde even hired a doctor who unsuccessfully tried to get Kerouac to come clean, but the businessman eventually refused because he was his literary, not life agent., Lord attended Kerouacs funeral, riding with him in a limousine his client Jimmy Breslin and standing by the grave next to Allen Ginsberg, sunlight filtering through the trees, the leaves turning brown after losing their autumn color.. HENRIETTA L. LORD, died at her home in Columbus on April 9, 2002. . The Plain Dealer. He had one daughter. Sterling Lord, premier literary agent, is dead at 102 He died on Saturday in Ocala, Florida. Sterling Lord, uniquely enduring literary agent, dies at 102 are running fundraising campaigns to support Turkey and Syria after the deadly earthquake, At least 10 dead as winter storm hits South and Midwest, embrace Kerouacs unconventional narrative. Lord even recruited a doctor who attempted to get Kerouac to clean up, but the businessman eventually backed away because he was his literary agent, not his life agent., Lord attended Kerouacs funeral, sharing a limousine ride with his client Jimmy Breslin and standing by the grave alongside Allen Ginsberg, the sunlight filtering through the trees, the leaves brown after losing their fall colors.. Carrie was born July 28, 1937 the daughter of Carl and Roda (McPherson) Blankenship. He stayed with the company he founded until he was nearly 100 and then decided to launch a new one. He represented former U.S. defense secretary Robert McNamara and Judge John Sirica of Watergate fame, and he often worked with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis during her time as an editor with Doubleday and Viking. The Plain Dealer Homepage . One author represented by his new agency was Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Books and tennis were lifelong passions for Lord, born in Burlington, Iowa, in 1920. Those experiences convinced him that literary agents were not serving magazine writers well and that they had failed to spot changes in the postwar literary marketplace. After years of failed attempts, a filmed version of On the Road was released in 2012. Sterling Obituaries | Local Obits for Sterling, IL - Legacy.com Sterling Lord, the literary agent who worked for years to find a publisher for Jack Kerouacs On the Road and over the following decades arranged deals for a roster of clients that ranged from true-crime writer Joe McGinniss to the creators of the Berenstain Bears, died Sept. 3 at a nursing home in Ocala, Fla., on his 102nd birthday.