Mort Janklow, literary agent who brokered gargantuan advances, dies at 91
His clients included Ronald Reagan, Al Gore, David McCullough, Barbara Walters and Danielle Steel
By Associated Press
Mort Janklow, a former corporate lawyer who raised high the power of the literary agent as he brokered gargantuan advances for publishing political and entertainment leaders, including Ronald Reagan, Al Gore, David McCullough and Barbara Walters, died May 25 at his home in Water Mill, N.Y. He was 91.
His death, from a heart ailment, was announced by publicist Paul Bogaards, speaking on behalf of Mr. Janklow’s family and his literary agency, Janklow & Nesbit Associates.
Mr. Janklow was among the first of the so-called superagents, and became one by accident, stepping in to help with a book by a legal client and old friend, the speechwriter and columnist William Safire. Mr. Janklow was subsequently credited, and faulted, for the proliferation of blockbuster books and million-dollar deals in the 1970s and beyond, for jolting a gentleman’s trade with a lawyerly savvy about marketing, subsidiary rights and the fine print of a publishing contract.