Morton L. Janklow

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Morton L. "Mort" Janklow
Born
Morton Lloyd Janklow

(1930-05-30)May 30, 1930
DiedMay 25, 2022(2022-05-25) (aged 91)
EducationSyracuse University
Columbia Law School
OccupationLiterary agent
Spouses
Marjorie Perrin
(m. 1953; div. 1959)
Linda LeRoy
(m. 1960)
Children2
RelativesMervyn LeRoy (father-in-law)
Harry Warner (grandfather-in-law)

Morton Lloyd Janklow (May 30, 1930 – May 25, 2022) was an American literary agent, the primary partner in Janklow & Nesbit Associates, a New York–based

U.S. presidents
.

Early life

Janklow was born in

school newspaper and captain of its tennis team. He intended to study at an Ivy League school but went to Syracuse University, one of only a handful of colleges that would accept a 16-year-old high school graduate. He earned a degree in political science from Syracuse in 1950. He was subsequently admitted to Columbia Law School, where he obtained his law degree in 1953.[2]

Career

After practicing law in the

Cox Broadcasting in the mid-1960s for a considerable return.[6] This enabled him and his fellow partner at Spear, Jerome Traum, to start their own law firm, Janklow & Traum, in 1967.[5][6]

Janklow became a literary agent in 1972, when his friend and client, William Safire, asked him to handle a book he was writing about Richard Nixon.[2] Janklow successfully negotiated a $250,000 deal with publisher William Morrow and Company for Before the Fall (1975). He also ushered in a new era in authors' rights when he successfully sued William Morrow for violating their contract when it tried to abandon the book.[5] According to him, "they said, 'You can't force a publisher to print a book; that's never been done' ... we took the publisher out of the captain's seat and put the author in it. The publisher is replaceable; the author is not."[7] Another version of this story emphasized Janklow's role in changing the standard publishing agreement to be more fair for authors. Janklow is quoted as saying "I'm not trying to force the publisher to publish the book. I'm just trying to force the publisher to pay for it."[8] He ultimately recouped about one-third of his advance, a ground-breaking amount at a time when writers normally had to return all the money.[5]

Janklow formed Morton L. Janklow Associates in 1977, distinct from his law firm.

International Creative Management, to form Janklow & Nesbit Associates in 1989.[5][6][9] She yielded clients such as Toni Morrison, Robert Caro, Tom Wolfe, John le Carré, and Nora Ephron.[2][6]

In 1982, Janklow founded the Morton L. Janklow Program for Advocacy in the Arts at Columbia University and later established the Morton L. Janklow Professorship of Literary and Artistic Property Law; Janklow also taught in the program.[6]

Notable clients

Personal life

Janklow married his first wife, Marjorie Perrin, in 1953. They divorced in 1959.[2] One year later, he married Linda LeRoy, the daughter of Mervyn LeRoy and granddaughter of Harry Warner.[3][2] They had two children: Angela and Luke.[2]

Janklow died on the morning of May 25, 2022, at his home in Water Mill, New York, five days before his 92nd birthday. He had heart failure prior to his death.[2][15]

References

  1. ^ Marquis 1991, p. 521
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o McFadden, Robert D. (May 25, 2022). "Morton L. Janklow, Agent for Best-Selling Authors, Dies at 91". The New York Times. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Morrisroe 1987
  4. ^ Salzberg, Charles (2012). "Friendship Forged in Orange" (PDF). Syracuse University Magazine. Janklow wanted to go into the foreign service, but a professor warned him not to. "You're Jewish and there's a ceiling you won't be able to break through," he recalls being told.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Italie, Hillel (May 26, 2022). "Literary 'superagent' Mort Janklow dies at 91". Associated Press. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h "In Memoriam: Morton L. Janklow '53, Preeminent Literary Agent". Columbia Law School. May 26, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Columbia Law School Publishing". Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  8. ^ Gladwell 2010
  9. ^ Ferrari-Adler 2008
  10. ^ Colford, Paul D. (June 2, 1999). "Delacorte Expects Huge Appetite for 'Lambs' Sequel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  11. ^ My Protector | Ep. 243 Rumble with Michael Moore podcast, retrieved June 7, 2022
  12. ^
    ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  13. .
  14. ^ "Fall 2018" (PDF). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  15. ^ Cader, Michael (May 25, 2022). "Literary Agent Mort Janklow Dies at 91". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved May 26, 2022.

Bibliography

External links