David Vigliano is an American literary agent. He is the founder and head of Vigliano Associates, a boutique literary agency. He is best known for working with "headline-making" authors and for negotiating record-setting advances. Since 2002, 112 of his projects have appeared on

The New York Times Best Seller list ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...

, with 22 hitting the #1 position.

Early life and education

Vigliano was born in New York. His mother, Barbara Murphy Vigliano, was an actress who starred in live television shows in the 1940s, and his father Eli was a lawyer, as is David's brother Dean. Vigliano attended

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...

, where he graduated

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

with a degree in communications, and earned an

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

from

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

in 1983.

Career

Following college, Vigliano returned to New York, where he was hired as the Director of Packaging at

Warner Books Grand Central Publishing is a book publishing imprint of Hachette Book Group, originally established in 1970 as Warner Books when Kinney National Company acquired the New York City-based Paperback Library. When Time Warner sold their book publis ...

. There, Vigliano moved beyond the traditional practice of passively acquiring new properties, and instead generated book ideas and pursued new authors. In 1986, with no experience as a literary agent, he founded Vigliano Associates. While he represents both fiction and non-fiction, Vigliano has received significant attention for securing substantial advances for celebrities, including a reported $4,000,000 advance for

Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – ) was an American musician. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and a founding member of the grunge band Nirvana (band), Nirvana. Through his angsty songwriting and anti-establis ...

's journals in 2000. His notable clients have included

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

, George Noory

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

Joanna Gaines Joanna Lee Stevens Gaines ( Stevens; born April 19, 1978) is an American interior decorator, television personality, and author. She co-hosted the home renovation show '' Fixer Upper'', which began airing on HGTV in 2013, alongside her husband Ch ...

Chip Gaines Chip Carter Gaines (born November 14, 1974) is an American actor, producer, television personality, contractor, and author who, along with his wife Joanna Gaines, stars on the show ''Fixer Upper (TV series), Fixer Upper'', which began airing on ...

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

David Blaine David Blaine (born David Blaine White; April 4, 1973) is an American magician, mentalist, and Endurance art, endurance performer. Born in New York City, Blaine became interested in magic at a very young age. He gained prominence in 1997, when h ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. One of the key bands in the grunge, grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, ...

Scott Weiland Scott Richard Weiland (, ; né Kline; October 27, 1967 – December 3, 2015) was an American singer and songwriter. He was best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Stone Temple Pilots from 1989 to 2003 and again from 2008 to 2013, r ...

Rocco DiSpirito Rocco DiSpirito (born November 19, 1966) is an American chef and reality television personality based in New York City, known for starring in the series '' The Restaurant''. Early life and education DiSpirito was born in Queens, New York. He gra ...

Courtney Love Courtney Michelle Love (née Harrison; born July 9, 1964) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actress. A figure in the alternative and grunge scenes of the 1990s, Love has had a career spanning four decades. She rose to promi ...

Anthony Kiedis Anthony Kiedis ( ; born November 1, 1962) is an American musician and lead vocalist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis and his fellow band members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Kiedis spent his youth in ...

Suzanne Somers Suzanne Marie Somers (; October 16, 1946 – October 15, 2023) was an American actress, author, and businesswoman. She played the television roles of Chrissy Snow on ''Three's Company'' (1977–1981) and Carol Foster Lambert on '' Step by Step' ...

, and

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

. His roster also includes

Bob Greene Robert Bernard Greene Jr. (born March 10, 1947) is an American journalist and author. He worked for 24 years for the ''Chicago Tribune'' newspaper, where he was a columnist. Greene has written books on subjects including Michael Jordan, Alice C ...

Melody Beattie Melody Lynn Beattie (née Valliancourt; May 26, 1948 – February 27, 2025) was an American author of self-help books on codependent relationships. Early life and education Melody Lynn Valliancourt was born in Ramsey, Minnesota, on May 26, 19 ...

Nicholas Perricone Nicholas Perricone is an American dermatologist and author. His self-help books about weight loss and maintaining the appearance of youth have been criticized for making controversial and unsupported claims. Perricone earned his medical degree ...

Jerry Jenkins Jerry Bruce Jenkins (born September 23, 1949) is an American writer. He is best known for the ''Left Behind'' series, written with Tim LaHaye. Jenkins also writes the novels following the TV series about Jesus, ''The Chosen''. Jenkins has writte ...

Ben Parr Ben Parr (born February 12, 1985) is an American journalist, author, venture capitalist and entrepreneur. He is the author of ''Captivology: The Science of Capturing People's Attention'', a book on the science and psychology of attention and ho ...

, and

Blake Mycoskie Blake Mycoskie (born August 26, 1976) is an American entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist. He is the founder of Toms Shoes and co-founder of Madefor. Early life and education Mycoskie was born in Arlington, Texas, to Mike Mycoskie, an or ...

. Vigliano's literary projects include artist

James Rosenquist James Albert Rosenquist (November 29, 1933 – March 31, 2017) was an American artist and one of the proponents of the pop art movement. Drawing from his background working in sign painting, Rosenquist's pieces often explored the role of advert ...

's autobiography,

Eddie Little Eddie Little (August 25, 1954 – May 20, 2003) was a widely acclaimed American author. He wrote ''Another Day in Paradise'', later made into a film of the same name directed by Larry Clark. Little was also the author of "Outlaw LA" an ongoing art ...

's ''

Another Day in Paradise "Another Day in Paradise" is a song written and recorded by English drummer and singer Phil Collins. Produced by Collins along with Hugh Padgham, it was released as the first single from his number-one album '' ...But Seriously'' (1989). As w ...

,'' and

Douglas Coupland Douglas Coupland (born 30 December 1961) is a Canadian novelist, designer and visual artist. His first novel, the 1991 international bestseller '' Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture'', popularized the terms Generation X and McJob. He ...

's ''

Generation X Generation X (often shortened to Gen X) is the Demography, demographic Cohort (statistics), cohort following the Baby Boomers and preceding Millennials. Researchers and popular media often use the mid-1960s as its starting birth years and the ...

'', which sold more than 1,000,000 copies. Vigliano has negotiated film rights for several of his books.

Ben Mezrich Ben Mezrich ( ; born February 7, 1969) is an American author. He has written well-known non-fiction books, including '' The Accidental Billionaires'' and '' The Antisocial Network'', which have been turned into the films ''The Social Network'' ...

's '' Bringing Down the House'', was the source material for MGM's '' 21'', and ''The Oldest Rookie'', by Jim Morris and Joe Engel, was adapted into the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

movie '' The Rookie'', starring

Dennis Quaid Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his starring roles in '' Breaking Away'' (1979), '' The Right Stuff'' (1983), '' The Big Easy'' (1986), '' Innerspace'' (1987), '' Great Balls of Fire!'' (1989), ' ...

. An article by

Mike Sager Mike Sager (born August 17, 1956) is an American author, journalist, and educator. A former ''Washington Post'' staff writer, ''Rolling Stone'' contributing editor, and writer at large for '' GQ'', Sager has been a contributing writer for ''Es ...

in '' GQ'' was adapted into the Touchstone film ''

Veronica Guerin Veronica Guerin Turley (5 July 1959 – 26 June 1996) was an Irish investigative journalist focusing on organised crime in Ireland, who was murdered in a contract killing believed to have been ordered by a South Dublin-based drug cartel. Bor ...

'', starring

Cate Blanchett Catherine Élise Blanchett ( ; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor and producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognised for Cate Blanchett on screen and stage, her versatile work across stage and scre ...

. In 2012, he started Vigliano Books, an electronic book publishing venture that has worked with authors such as

Tim Cowlishaw William Timothy Cowlishaw (; born March 31, 1955) is an American sportswriter. He is a columnist for ''The Dallas Morning News'' and a regular panelist on the ESPN sports talk show '' Around the Horn.'' Career Cowlishaw attended the University ...

Richard Belzer Richard Jay Belzer (August 4, 1944 – February 19, 2023) was an American actor, comedian, and author. He was best known for his role as BPD Detective, NYPD Detective/sergeant and investigator John Munch, whom he portrayed for 23 years in the NBC ...

, Linda Davies, and

Jerry B. Jenkins Jerry Bruce Jenkins (born September 23, 1949) is an American writer. He is best known for the '' Left Behind'' series, written with Tim LaHaye. Jenkins also writes the novels following the TV series about Jesus, ''The Chosen''. Jenkins has writt ...

. Although he continued to run it, in 2014 Vigliano sold the company to Y Entertainment. He reacquired it in April 2020.

Personal life

Vigliano lives in New York City. He has performed as a stand-up comic at clubs in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York.

References

External links

Vigliano Associates
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vigliano, David 1959 births Living people American literary agents Hunter College alumni Harvard Business School alumni