Capitalism is extending a helping hand to enlarge that circle of morality to bring in the dogs - here. Yes, we co-evolved with dogs for thousands of years but make no mistake humans with their irresponsible omnipotence, still torture dogs under the name of research and at worst case eat them as well. Marley and Me did help lot of us to come out of the "closet" and show the world what this oxytocin driven bond of love can do. Max and I had the pleasure of meeting John Grogan last year. It's no surprise that great things happened for the prefect gentleman like him. Thank you Marley and John for making this planet a better place for dogs. The invisible paw of Marley will embrace this planet with love for eternity.
The literary world is lapping up dog books, with a record number of volumes on bestseller lists in 2010. A search on Amazon.com turns up three dozen first-person dog narratives published in 2010. This new genre even has a name: the “dogoir.” That’s in addition to the countless doggie children’s books, training books, breed books, cookbooks, even psychology books. In the past, “dog books didn’t get on national bestseller lists,” says Publishers Weekly senior editor Dick Donahue, who wrote a column about the phenomenon in November, noting seven recent fiction and nonfiction bestsellers. “That is something we can credit Marley with.”
The literary world is lapping up dog books, with a record number of volumes on bestseller lists in 2010. A search on Amazon.com turns up three dozen first-person dog narratives published in 2010. This new genre even has a name: the “dogoir.” That’s in addition to the countless doggie children’s books, training books, breed books, cookbooks, even psychology books. In the past, “dog books didn’t get on national bestseller lists,” says Publishers Weekly senior editor Dick Donahue, who wrote a column about the phenomenon in November, noting seven recent fiction and nonfiction bestsellers. “That is something we can credit Marley with.”
He’s referring to Marley & Me, John Grogan’s dogoir from 2005 about his relationship with a hyper yellow lab. The book went on to sell a staggering 6 million copies and was made into a hit movie with Jennifer Aniston. “People came out of the woodwork with their own dog stories,” says Susan Canavan, executive editor of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, who published two dog books this year. “And it made editors, writers, and publishers think they can cash in on the popularity of dog stories.”
The core audience for these books—dog owners and lovers—is a dream demographic. Americans own 77.5 million dogs and, despite a bad economy, most pet owners have not cut down on spending for their pooches, according to the Pet Products Manufacturers Association 2009-2010 National Pet Owners Survey. “I think dogs in our lives have taken the avenue kids have 20 years ago, where we’re much more involved in our kids’ lives,” Canavan says. “I feel like that’s what’s happened with dogs.”
Grogan is well aware now how influential his book has become. “No one was more surprised than me,” he says, adding that he’s used the paycheck from his book to buy an 18-acre farmhouse in Pennsylvania. “There are a lot of [dogoirs] out there right now,” he says. “When I wrote Marley & Me, I didn’t think of it as a pet book. It was really my family’s story with this dog—I never thought of it being in that genre, let alone creating a genre.”
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