Wieser Dead at 68
-- Publishers Weekly, 7/5/1999
George Wieser,the founder and chairman of the Wieser & Wieser literary agency, died June 22 after a three-year battle with cancer. He was 68. Wieser was known for his knack with male adventure and military fiction, and among the many literary careers he helped launch were those of Dale Brown, Steve Martini and John J. Vance. He began in publishing by selling ad space for Library Journal and School Library Journal in 1955, then in 1966 became East Coast story editor for Paramount, where he tapped Mario Puzo's The Godfather and Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby for the movies. He joined his first wife, Olga, in founding the agency in 1975, and the two continued to run it until his death. Olga will now run it with agent Jake Elwell, named a partner last year. A memorial will take place at a later date.
