Owen Laster, a literary agent at William Morris Endeavor Talent Agency (WME), has passed away. He was 72-years-old.
Laster began his career in the mail room at WME. He started as a film and television agent, but his passion for books compelled him to switch to the literary side. Laster became head of the agency’s worldwide literary operations in 1989.
Here’s more from The New York Times: “In 1977, in an unusual two-for-one deal, he sold the memoirs of former President Gerald R. Ford and the first lady, Betty Ford, for $1 million to Harper & Row and Reader’s Digest. As the agent for the estate of Margaret Mitchell, he sold two sequels to Gone With the Wind for fabulous sums. The first, Scarlett, by Alexandra Ripley, went to Warner Books for $4.9 million in 1988. The second, sold to St. Martin’s Press in 1995 for $4.5 million, was published in 2007 as Rhett Butler’s People, by Donald McCaig.”
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Add a Comment