Sterling Lord was born in Burlington, Iowa, on Sept. 3, 1920. A number of things about this business have really caught me and made it a compelling interest, Mr. Lord told the AP in 2013. Sterling Lord, who started his own agency in 1952 and later merged with rival Literistic to form Sterling Lord Literistic Inc., was a failed magazine publisher who became, almost surely, the . But he quickly added a caveat: Never, he said, could he have sold it. Lord oversaw Kerouac's numerous posthumous releases even as he battled the authors family for control of the estate. Over the next few years he either worked on or edited several magazines, including True and Cosmopolitan. Mr. Lord ignored him. Johnsons The Vantage Point, ultimately published in 1971, was dismissed by critics as bland and uninformative. He also became a tennis star at Grinnell College and later became a good enough player to compete with Don Budge, among others. As a matter of longevity, at least, its pretty safe to say that no other literary agent anywhere at any time could have assembled such a group. He represented former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara and Judge John J. Sirica of Watergate fame and worked often with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis during her time as an editor with Doubleday and Viking. Mr. Giroux had not quite rejected On the Road, but he wouldnt handle it in the form in which Kerouac had famously written it and tendered it to him: on a 120-foot scroll of architectural tracing paper. He was born in Sterling, Illinois, on April 19, 1936, to Read More, Mark Hamstra Born: September 9, 1958 in Morrison Died: January 16, 2023 in Sterling, IL MARK HAMSTRA, 64, of Sterling, IL, died Monday, January 16, 2023 at Allure of Sterling. Lord achieved rapid success by selling the film rights to two popular sports books, Rocky Graziano Somebody Up There Likes Me and Jimmy Pearsella Fear is knocked out. But Lords quest On the Road will prove to be more uneven. Fond as I was of Jack, I was only his literary agent, not his life agent, he wrote. "Hey, I'm. His first marriage, he admits, inspired him to start his own business. He had just turned 102. He had just turned 102. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Johnsons The Vantage Point, ultimately published in 1971, was dismissed by critics as bland and uninformative. He found a publisher for Nicholas Pileggis short story Wiseguy and helped arrange a deal for his famous adaptation of Goodfellas.. Beulah was born on May 3rd, 1934 in Sterling Illinois, Read More, Loren W. Ekquist Born: September 16, 1933 in Drakesville, IA Died: January 26, 2023 in Sterling, IL Loren W. Ekquist, 89 of Sterling, died Thursday, January 26, 2023 at Rock River Hospice and Home in Sterling. He had a good death and died peacefully of old age, she told The Associated Press. His death was confirmed by his daughter, Rebecca Lord, his only immediate survivor. Johnsons book, The Vantage Point, finally published in 1971, was dismissed by critics as bland and uninformative. A memorial service will take place at 11AM Tuesday February 7, 2023 Read More, Sarah E. Orrender Born: March 13, 1932 in Chilhowie, VA Died: February 1, 2023 in Sterling, IL Sarah E. Orrender, 90 died Wednesday February 1, 2023 at Rock River Hospice & Home in Sterling, IL Sarah (Porter) Orrender was born March 13,1932 in Chilhowie, Virginia to Coy And Read More, Patricia Simester Born: February 17, 1943 in Sterling, IL Died: February 1, 2023 in Rock Falls, IL Patricia S. Simester, 79, of Rock Falls died Wednesday February 1, 2023 at her home surrounded by family. Early life and education [ edit] Lord was born in Burlington, Iowa, [1] [2] on September 3, 1920. Though nearly the same age Kerouac was 29 at the time, Mr. Lord two years older the two men shared little else; Mr. Lord was an urbane man who favored jackets, foulards and tennis whites, spoke almost inaudibly, and had no apparent vices. But it is not a well-made novel, not a marketable one, or even, I think, a good one.. And third, Ive been able to meet some extraordinarily interesting people.. Hes OK., Mr. Lords clients appreciated his gentility, which appeared in ever-sharper relief as the book business became increasingly commercial and cutthroat. Friends may visit family Monday, February 21, 2022 at Lindquist's Bountiful Mortuary, 727 N 400 E. from 6-8 pm and Tues. Feb 22rd from 9:30-10:30 am at the Church prior to services. Mr. Lords long string of successes began with Jack Kerouacs novel On the Road, which he sold for $1,000. Sterling Lawrence. Fame magnified a drinking problem that killed him by 1969. These guys bad guys have unbelievable antennae, Mr. Pileggi said. In a 1983 article in The Globe and Mail of Toronto, Mr. Colbert said that it was to him that Mr. Giroux had sent Kerouac, and that it was he who had first spotted him an imperfect body with neck too long and legs too short in the office doorway. The agent eventually sold excerpts to The Paris Review and the periodical New World Writing. Lord died Saturday in a nursing home in Ocala, Florida, according to his daughter, Rebecca Lord. All told, when they toasted Mr. Lord that afternoon, it was for more than two centuries of representation. He stayed with the company he founded until almost 100 years old, and then decided to open a new one. In his 2013 memoir Lord of Publishing, Lord remembered first meeting Kerouac in 1952. And third, Ive been able to meet some extraordinarily interesting people.. It took Mr. Lord four years to sell the book, for a measly $1,000. 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. The agent sold excerpts to The Paris Review and the periodical New World Writing. All rights reserved. Lord died Saturday at a nursing home in Ocala, Florida, according to his daughter, Rebecca Lord. According to the funeral home, the following Read More, Carrie Anderson Born: July 28, 1937 in Princeton, West Virginia Died: January 12, 2023 in Sterling, Illinois Carrie Anderson, 85, of Sterling died Thursday January 12, 2023 at her home. Cynthia L. Dale Born: June 20, 1954 in Louisville, KY Died: March 2, 2023 in Sterling, IL Cynthia L. Dale, age 68, of Sterling, died Thursday, March 2, 2023 at her home. After an influential career in publishing books for young readers,. Lord held out for $1,000. 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. Sterling Lord, the uniquely enduring literary agent who worked for years to find a publisher for Jack Kerouacs On the Road and arranged deals for everyone from true crime writer Joe McGinniss to the creators of the Berenstain Bears, has died. Johnsons The Vantage Point, ultimately published in 1971, was dismissed by critics as bland and uninformative. 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. First, Im interested in good writing. First, Im interested in good writing. Leave your condolences and send flowers to the family to show you care. He stayed with the company he founded until almost 100 years old, and then decided to open a new one. What was your name before you changed it? a friend once asked Sterling Lord. Loren was born on September 16, 1933 in Drakesville, Iowa, the son Read More, Arvilla M. Siddens Born: November 1, 1926 in Sterling, IL Died: January 21, 2023 in Sterling, IL Arvilla M. Siddens, 96, of Sterling (formerly of Polo) passed away Saturday, January 21, 2023 with family by her side. Even younger editors who may have related to Kerouacs jazzy celebration of youth and personal freedom turned him down. He had one daughter. According to the funeral home, the following Read More, Valerie A. Hill Died: February 2, 2023 STERLING " Valerie A. Hill, age 63, died Thursday, February 2, 2023 at Loyola Medical Center in Maywood. Sterling Lord, who for more than 60 years was one of New York's most successful and durable literary agents, died September 3.He was 102. Sterling Lord, literary agent who shepherded 'On the Road,' dies at 102 His vast roster of clients included Jack Kerouac, true-crime writer Joe McGinniss, novelist Ken Kesey and journalist. [3] Some of the great sports books of the 20th century, from North Dallas Forty to Secretariat, were written by his clients. One early client was Al Hirshberg, who ghostwrote Fear Strikes Out, Jimmy Piersalls memoir of baseball and mental illness. [7][8], Lord's four marriages all ended in divorce. Lord died Saturday in a nursing home in Ocala, Florida, according to his daughter, Rebecca Lord. He had just turned 102. After several years of unsuccessful attempts, in 2012, a screen version of On the Road was released. Mr. Lord attended Kerouacs funeral, sharing a limousine ride with his client Jimmy Breslin and standing by the grave alongside poet Allen Ginsberg. Johnsons The Vantage Point, ultimately published in 1971, was dismissed by critics as bland and uninformative. 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 . Mr. Lord, who started his own agency in 1952 and later merged with rival Literistic to form Sterling Lord Literistic, was a failed magazine publisher who became, almost surely, the longest-serving agent in the book business. Lord was born in Burlington, Iowa,[1][2] on September 3, 1920. View Sterling obituaries on Legacy, the most timely and comprehensive collection of local obituaries for Sterling, Illinois, updated regularly throughout the day with submissions from newspapers, funeral homes, and direct from the community. He wished he had, he allowed, noting that an autographed copy of On the Road would have been worth $20,000 at the time. With a rare tenacity, he endured the initial reluctance of the publishers embrace Kerouacs unconventional narrative and later was a longtime agent for a poet and playwright Amiri Baraka, a novelist Ken Kesey poet and owner of the Lights of the City bookstore. Some of the great sports books of the 20th century, including North Dallas Forty and Secretariat, were written by his clients. Into his basement-level office on Park Avenue walked a young man wearing "a light weather . 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. After years of failed attempts, a filmed version of On the Road was released in 2012.