Sterling Lord Literistic Inc

What Sterling Lord Literistic Inc does

Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc. is a privately held New York City-based literary agency founded in 1952 by Sterling Lord, merged in 1987 with Peter Matson's Literistic firm, and led since 2024 by President Philippa Brophy and Executive Vice President Laurie Liss following Peter Matson's retirement. The agency represents a roster of approximately 19 employees operating out of a Soho headquarters at 594 Broadway and an Austin, Texas office, serving authors across literary and commercial fiction, nonfiction, journalism, children's and YA literature, memoir, political figures, and literary estates. Its business model is commission-based, generating revenue through (i) domestic and international book publishing deals negotiated with major trade publishers, (ii) film and television adaptation rights sold in collaboration with major film, television, and talent agencies, (iii) foreign translation rights facilitated through a network of roughly 18 territory-specific co-agents spanning Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, and (iv) reprint permissions fees. The agency's underlying technology is minimal; it operates as a services business whose core assets are agent expertise, long-standing publisher and studio relationships, and brand prestige built over seven decades, evidenced by representation of National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winners and authors whose works have been adapted into films including Goodfellas, Silver Linings Playbook, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Name

Sterling Lord Literistic Inc

Legal name

Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc.

Website

https://sll.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sterling Lord Literistic is a privately held New York City literary agency, founded in 1952, representing bestselling and award-winning authors in book publishing, film/TV adaptation rights, foreign translation rights, and permissions across global markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Literary Agency Services

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Self-Publishing & Author Platforms (BPAMAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Literary & Classics Publishing (MPAJAAAC)

Keywords

• Literary representation
• Book publishing rights
• Foreign rights sales
• Film television adaptation
• Author agency services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Author Representation and Commission: The agency earns commissions on book deals negotiated on behalf of authors. Agents represent clients in publishing contracts, selling rights to publishers domestically and internationally.
2. Film & Television Rights: The agency earns fees from selling film and television adaptation rights for their clients' books. They collaborate with major film, television, and talent agencies for these transactions.
3. Foreign Rights Sales: The Foreign Rights Department aggressively markets translation rights and earns commissions on international book deals facilitated through co-agents in various territories.
4. Permissions: The agency handles requests for reprint permissions, charging fees for non-exclusive reuse of their clients' work.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sterling Lord Literistic is a traditional literary agency that represents authors in negotiating domestic publishing contracts, selling film and television adaptation rights, and managing foreign/translation rights through a network of international co-agents. The agency also handles reprint permission requests on behalf of its clients and develops long-term author careers. Founded in 1952, it operates from New York City with 19 employees and a roster that includes National Book Award winners, Pulitzer Prize winners, and #1 New York Times bestselling authors.

Product overview

Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc. is a New York City-based literary agency founded in 1952, offering literary representation services rather than a technology product. The agency's core services include representing authors for book publishing rights, managing foreign/translation rights through dedicated international co-agents across multiple territories (including China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Turkey, EU countries, UK, Brazil, and Scandinavia), handling film and television adaptation rights, managing permissions for reprint portions, and processing manuscript submissions. The agency represents a diverse roster of authors including National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winners, New York Times bestsellers, journalists, novelists, politicians, and children's literature authors. The agency does not offer a software product, platform, API, or technology-based service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Literary Representation and Publishing Contract Negotiation Full-service literary representation for authors covering negotiation of publishing contracts with major publishers, career development, and ongoing author support. Authors are signed as clients of the agency and represented by individual senior agents (including Philippa Brophy, Laurie Liss, Doug Stewart, Robert Guinsler, and Jim Rutman) across literary and commercial fiction, nonfiction, memoirs, and children's literature.
• Film and Television Adaptation Rights Sales Sale of film and television adaptation rights on behalf of author clients, executed in collaboration with major film, television, and talent agencies. The agency has a documented track record of book-to-screen deals including Goodfellas, Silver Linings Playbook, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Disaster Artist, Secretariat, American Gangster, The Cider House Rules, and The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry.
• Foreign Rights and Translation Sales Marketing and sale of translation rights for client works through a network of international co-agents covering Mainland China, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Turkey, the Balkans, Czech Republic, France, Germany and Austria, Greece, Hungary and Croatia, Italy, the Baltic states, Ukraine, Poland, the Netherlands, Catalonia, Latin America, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, and Hebrew-language markets.
• Permissions and Reprint Licensing Handling of reprint permission requests from third parties seeking to reuse portions of client work, granting non-exclusive reuse rights for fees administered through the agency.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple #1 New York Times bestsellers
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and standard.

• The Grayhawk AgencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Mainland China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. Gray Tan handles Mainland China/Taiwan inquiries, while Itzel Hsu handles Southeast Asia. They facilitate the sale and production of translated editions in these territories.
• The Deborah Harris AgencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Hebrew language rights. Geula Geurts handles inquiries for Hebrew translations of SLL client works.
• Tuttle-Mori Agency, Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Japan. Team includes Ken Mori, Manami Tamaoki, Misa Morikawa, Fumika Ogihara, and Asako Kawachi who handle translation rights sales and production in Japan.
• Danny Hong AgencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for South Korea. Danny Hong and Avery Kim facilitate Korean translation rights and publishing for SLL authors.
• The Van Lear AgencystandardChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Russia. Liz Van Lear and Julia Demchenko handle Russian translation rights for SLL clients.
• AnatoliaLit AgencystandardChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Turkey. Amy Spangler manages Turkish translation rights and publication partnerships.
• Andrew Nurnberg Associates SofiastandardChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Balkans region including Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania, and Serbia. Mira Droumeva handles inquiries for these territories.
• Andrew Nurnberg Associates PraguestandardChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Czech Republic. Marta Soukopová handles Czech translation rights.
• Agence Eliane BenisticoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for France. Eliane Benisti and Noémie Rollet facilitate French translation rights and publication for SLL authors.
• Paul and Peter Fritz AgencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Austria and Germany. Christian Dittus and Antonia Fritz handle German-language rights for SLL clients.
• JLM Literary AgencystandardChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Greece. John Moukakos manages Greek translation rights.
• Andrew Nurnberg Associates BudapeststandardChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Hungary and Croatia. Judith Hermann handles rights for these territories.
• The Italian Literary AgencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Italy. Claire Sabatiegarat and Mariavittoria Puccetti facilitate Italian translation rights.
• Eastern European and Asian Rights Agency (EEARA)standardChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Baltic region (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia) and Ukraine. Tatjana Zoldnere handles these territories.
• BookLab LtdstandardChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Poland. Piotr Wawrzeńczyk handles Polish translation rights.
• MB Agencia LiterariacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Catalan, Latin America, Portugal, and Spain. Mònica Martín and Txell Torrent manage rights across these Spanish and Portuguese-speaking territories.
• Marianne Schönbach Literary AgencystandardChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for The Netherlands. Diana Gvozden handles Dutch translation rights.
• Agência RiffstandardChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Brazil. João Paulo Riff and Laura Riff handle Portuguese translation rights for the Brazilian market.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• William Morris Endeavor (WME): Largest global talent and literary agency, representing authors alongside film, TV, and music talent. Provides integrated book-to-screen packaging capabilities that exceed SLL's boutique offering.
• CAA (Creative Artists Agency): Top-tier global talent agency with a robust literary division representing bestselling authors and integrated book/film/TV deals. Operates at significantly greater scale than SLL with cross-industry capabilities.
• United Talent Agency (UTA): Major global talent and literary agency with a publishing division representing authors in book deals, film/TV adaptations, and brand partnerships. A larger, full-stack competitor with significantly greater resources than SLL.

Direct peers

• The Wylie Agency: Premier New York literary agency founded by Andrew Wylie, representing major literary and nonfiction authors. Direct comparable to SLL in boutique scale, prestige clientele, and full-rights representation model.
• Trident Media Group: Literary agency offering full-service author representation including foreign rights, film/TV, and audio. Comparable to SLL in service breadth and mid-sized boutique structure.
• Foundry Literary + Media: New York literary agency representing literary and commercial fiction, nonfiction, and children's authors. Direct competitor to SLL in boutique positioning and rights representation.
• InkWell Management: Literary agency representing bestselling and award-winning authors in fiction and nonfiction. Closely comparable to SLL in boutique size, range of represented authors, and full-service rights offering.
• Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents: Established New York literary agency representing literary and commercial authors across adult and children's categories. Comparable boutique competitor with similar service model to SLL.
• Writers House: One of the largest literary agencies in the U.S., representing a broad roster of children's, YA, and adult authors. Comparable to SLL in core agency model with significantly larger headcount and broader segment coverage.
• Janklow & Nesbit Associates: Long-established New York literary agency representing literary fiction, nonfiction, and select children's authors. Comparable to SLL in boutique size, prestige roster, and comprehensive domestic and foreign rights representation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/sll.com
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sterling-lord-literistic-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sterling Lord Literistic Inc