Early Super Agent, Owen Laster, Dead at 72

Though he at one time represented Judy Blume, James Michener and Gore Vidal, late in life, Owen Laster said he was less enchanted with the publishing industry than he had been early in his career. From The Huffington Post:

After stepping down from William Morris, where he had served as head of worldwide literary operations, Laster said he had become less “enamored” with the business because profit had become more important than quality, even if he was among the enriched.

“The dollars have changed -- I retired a much wealthier man than I would have under the old system,” he said in an interview with The Editorial Department, an industry consultant firm. “James Michener, when I became his agent was doing $600,000, $700,000 a year. Now it would be more like $10 million. I have to say, I went with it, I benefited from it, my big authors were huge, the hits were megabits.”

Laster died at home in Manhattan after a brief illness.