Elaine Koster

[lagilman]

Via Sarah Weinman, news that literary agent [and former NAL publisher] Elaine Koster passed away last night.


I honestly thought that she was indestructible.

Anyone who worked for/with Elaine has Stories - with a capital S, yes -- but she had a hell of an eye for writers, and I learned a lot, those years at NAL/Penguin, not the least of which was how to stand up for what I believed, and look someone in the eye when I told them to go to hell.

Godspeed, Elaine.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Elaine was my agent and I have cried a million tears this morning. She's been my agent for my entire career and I don't know what I'm going to do without her! I agree with you, Godspeed, Elaine!

[editrx.livejournal.com]

Wow, I'm glad you posted this or I never would have heard (I am so out of touch with everyone nowadays...). Crazy Elaine, who for some reason adored me and spoke of me in meetings (when referring to freelancers), though she never met me and never spoke to me once. INORITE?!

I once got a phone call from an assistant I never met in the production dept. at NAL, asking me if I knew someone who did voodoo. Why? She had just gotten back from the ladies room and Elaine had blotted her lipstick and left the tissue on the countertop. I assured the assistant that while I did actually know someone who practiced voodoo, it was very bad juju to do what she was contemplating. o_O

[lagilman]

As I said, everyone has an Elaine Story. Or three.

She knew and respected my uncle, who is also in publishing, and I think that protected me a bit from her temper. But I also was very up front about the fact that my job was to make my imprint look good, which made her-as-Publisher look good, and I could do that best if she left me alone to do my thing. And, for the most part, she did.

But man, she could reduce people to tears, and often did.