Morton L. Janklow

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 literary agency. His clients included Barbara Taylor Bradford, Thomas Harris, Judith Krantz, Pope John Paul II, Nancy Reagan, Anne Rice, Sidney Sheldon, Danielle Steel, Barbara Walters, and four U.S. presidents.

Early life Janklow was born in Queens on May 30, 1930. His family was Jewish. His father, Maurice, worked as a lawyer; his mother was Lillian (Levantin). Janklow attended Far Rockaway High School, where he was editor of the 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. eventually becoming a partner. He also established a company called Trans-Video, which purchased a San Diego–based cable television franchise before selling it to Cox Broadcasting in the mid-1960s for a considerable return. This enabled him and his fellow partner at Spear, Jerome Traum, to start their own law firm, Janklow & Traum, in 1967. 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." 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. She yielded clients such as Toni Morrison, Robert Caro, Tom Wolfe, John le Carré, and Nora Ephron. Judith Krantz Pope John Paul II Ronald Reagan Anne Rice William Safire