Author Claire Cook Attests to the Power of Book Sense

September 04, 2003

Claire Cook, whose novel Must Love Dogs (Onyx Books) is a top ten pick on the Summer Paperback Book Sense 76, recently wrote to Dan Cullen, editor-in-chief of the Book Sense 76 lists, to express her appreciation for independent booksellers' support of her work and to acknowledge the power of the Book Sense 76 lists.

Must Love Dogs was nominated for the Summer Paperback Book Sense 76 by Jill Milner of Saturn Booksellers in Gaylord, Michigan, who said, "This book has one of the funniest first chapters I've ever read, and the hilarity mounts from there. A recently divorced preschool teacher is reentering the dating scene at the behest of her large, Irish-Catholic family, who try to set her up with someone ... anyone. Zany, colorful characters and a plot with a Murphy's Law kind of inevitability make this a great, fun read."

Cook, who is working on a new novel due to be published next summer, said in an e-mail to Cullen:

"There are just so many books out there, and the Book Sense 76 pick is one of the best legs up an author can get. There's certainly the collective clout, knowing your book will be suddenly, magically visible -- ordered by booksellers who might have missed it otherwise, prominently displayed in fabulous independent bookstores across the country, and purchased by the many readers who count on the Book Sense flyers to help them find their next book.

"But it's also more personal. Book Sense has helped me to connect with so many wonderful individual booksellers. They have invited me into their stores, have graciously handsold Must Love Dogs in hardcover and continue to do so in paperback, and have assured me they can't wait for my next novel. It doesn't get much better than that."

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