Jacqueline Susann accurately be described as a highly effective sedative, a living doll." Despite the poor reviews, the book was a commercial juggernaut. On May 8, 1966, in its ninth week on the list, the book reached #1 on the "New York Times" Best Seller List, where it remained for 28 consecutive weeks. With a total of 65 weeks on the list, the book became the best selling novel of 1966. By the time of Susann's death in 1974, it had entered the "Guinness Book of World Records" as the best selling novel in publishing history, with more than 17 million copies
Jacqueline Susann Mathews (1919–1999), she began to adapt into book form letters she had written about her beloved poodle, Josephine. Published by Bernard Geis Associates on November 14, 1963, "Every Night, Josephine!" sold 35,000 copies in hardcover, and by 1973 sold 1.7 million paperbacks. This affectionate account of Josephine's hijinks earned positive reviews and appeared briefly on "Time" magazine's best seller list, peaking at #8. In support of "Josephine!", Susann undertook her first book tour, on which she was accompanied by the subject herself; often she and Josephine wore matching outfits. Even after publishing her novels, Susann cited "Josephine!" as her favorite