Lord of Publishing: A Memoir

Lord of Publishing: A Memoir
by Sterling Lord

Overview
A frank and insightful memoir of a life spent in publishing, by one of literature’s most legendary agents
Sterling Lord has led an extraordinary life, from his youth in small-town Iowa to his post-war founding and editing of an English-language magazine in Paris, followed by his move to New York City to become one of the most powerful literary agents in the field. As agent to Jack Kerouac, Ken Kesey, and countless others—ranging from Jimmy Breslin and Rocky Graziano to the Berenstains and four US cabinet members—Lord is the decisive influence and authors’ confidant who has engineered some of the most important book deals in literary history. In Lord of Publishing, his memoir of life and work (and tennis), Lord reveals that he is also a consummate storyteller. Witty and wise, he brings to life what was arguably the greatest era of book publishing, and gives a brilliant insider’s scoop on the key figures of the book business—as well as some of the most remarkable books and authors of our time.
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Editorial Reviews
Publishers Weekly
A high-profile literary agent for 60 years, Lord’s roster of clients reads like a Who’s Who of postwar American belle lettrists. This chatty, enjoyable memoir provides the backstories for some of the more renowned authors and books whose success he helped to engineer, and through them, a tutorial on the mechanics of effective agenting. Recognizing the merits of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, the first novel submitted to him, Lord shopped the book around for four years until it found the right publisher—and instant literary immortality. He sold Judge John J. Sirica’s Watergate memoir, To Set the Record Straight, to the one publisher (Norton) that didn’t balk at waiving its contract’s indemnification warranty. He was instrumental in landing deals for Peter Gent’s North Dallas Forty and other sports-themed books because (in his opinion) he didn’t have the same disdain for athletics as most publishing literati. Lord attributes much of his success to his adventurousness and understanding that reader tastes shifted significantly after WWII: “Americans were becoming less parochial, more sophisticated.” Robert McNamara, Pierre Salinger, Jackie Onassis, Jimmy Breslin, LBJ, Ken Kesey, and others make cameos that support this contention, in stories about the books Lord landed and the ones that got away. Any reader interested in American literary culture of the last half-century will find something to savor. Agent: Peter Matson, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
“Sterling Lord has always seemed to me one of the last real gentlemen in the book publishing business, so courtly, gracious and calm that it’s hard to believe that any author ever screamed at him, but this and many other revelations in his book, prove that he is a consummate storyteller as well as a virtual institution after more than sixty years of agenting. Anyone who wants to know how the book business works (or used to work) ought to read this book. I had a great time reading it.” —Michael Korda

“Sterling Lord has been giving a masterclass in shepherding authors through the forests of publishing for fifty years. In Lord of Publishing he tells us how he did it. A revelation even for those of us lucky enough to have been with him all those years.” —Nicholas Pileggi

“This is a rare—if not unique—in-depth chronicle of a life spent with great determination and success in helping writers chart their often difficult way to publication. Lord of Publishing takes us behind the scenes, unfolding dozens of fascinating stories that reveal the challenges not only of launching a writer’s first book but perhaps as important shepherding his career, sometimes for decades. To my mind there’s nothing else quite like this rewarding chronicle. Writers—and editors too—who came to know Sterling Lord can thank their lucky stars.” —Robert Loomis
“Fifty years ago when I was the Articles Editor of Life, I bought a number of properties from Sterling Lord to excerpt in the magazine. I was so impressed by his professional judgment and I so much enjoyed his friendship that I asked him to be my own literary agent, which he has been for many years. Today I am no longer writing books, but as you will see from his delightful and zingy memoir, Sterling is still going as strong as ever.” —Ralph Graves

“Recognizing the merits of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, the first novel submitted to him, Lord shopped the book around for four years until it found the right publisher—and instant literary immortality . . . Any reader interested in American literary culture of the last half-century will find something to savor.” —Publishers Weekly

Kirkus Reviews
In his debut, the nonagenarian founder and co-chairman of Sterling Lord Literistic remembers his youth, the founding of his literary agency, some literary lions (and bears), his four wives, success and failure. It's not a bad idea to start with a chapter about Jack Kerouac, so Lord begins in 1952 with On the Road, animating the story with an account of his easily defeating Kerouac in a one-on-one basketball contest. Lord tells about his childhood home in Iowa, his early influences (the local library), his considerable tennis skills, his beginning in the bookbinding business before heading off to World War II and meeting his first wife in Paris. After the war, he tried magazine journalism and then took a shot at becoming a literary agent, a job about which he knew little. Good things happened quickly. Rocky Graziano's Somebody Up There Likes Me did well--as did the subsequent film with young Paul Newman--and soon Lord was representing Kesey, Breslin (one of the only big-time authors to leave the agency) and Southern. There is a touching chapter about his long relationship with Peter Gent (North Dallas Forty), his involvement with political figures and their memoirs, and his good relationship with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. He writes about the struggle to sell David Markson's The Ballad of Dingus Magee (everyone eventually profited handsomely) and the early success of Quotations from Chairman LBJ, a volume that tanked when, shortly after publication, the president said he would not run for re-election. A significant chapter considers the major success of the Berenstain Bears franchise, which is, oddly, followed by one about his four failed marriages. Near the end come tributes to Kesey and Bill Nack and a few superficial observations about the evolving book business. Anecdotal and occasionally self-admiring--but some affecting episodes sprinkled throughout.

Contents

1. KEROUAC AND ME,
2. FROM IOWA TO NEW YORK CITY—VIA PARIS,
3. STARTING FROM SCRATCH,
4. INVADING THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY,
5. FIRST NOVEL, FIRST DOWN, FIRST FEATURE FILM,
6. FROM OUR NATION'S CAPITAL,
7. THE FIRST AMONG FIRST LADIES,
8. THE BELLS DON'T RING ALL THE TIME,
9. DIFFERENT HOOKS FOR DIFFERENT BOOKS,
10. UNIMPRESSED BY POWER AND PRESTIGE,
11. THE MOST PROLIFIC BEARS,
12. THE WOMEN IN MY LIFE,
13. THE KEN KESEY I KNEW,
14. A WRITER'S TRIPLE CROWN,
15. CHANGING WITH THE TIMES,
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS,

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