About Claire...

Claire Gerus has been Editor-in-Chief of two publishing houses, worked for seven major publishers, including Harlequin, Rodale, Random House, Doubleday, John Wiley, Kensington, and Adams Media, written articles for U.S. and Canadian magazines and newspapers, and taught corporate communications to such clients as IBM, Kelloggs, Mutual of Omaha, and Procter & Gamble.

In 1996, she established a thriving business as a New York literary agent, selling publishers books on a variety of subjects: business, history, memoirs, religion, health, spirituality, psychology, politics, pop culture, and women’s studies.

She sold a 3-million copy health bestseller and brought film star Esther Williams’ story to Simon & Schuster. It went on to become a New York Times bestseller.

In 1999, she joined Kensington Publishing in New York and founded TwinStreams Books, a complementary healing imprint. Later, as Executive Editor at Citadel Press, she acquired and edited titles on celebrity biography, self-help, relationship, spirituality, new age, diet, Judaica, and health.

From 2001-August, 2002, she was Executive Editor at Adams Media, where she published the first biography of Laura Bush. She also published a wide range of new age, business, self-help, and inspirational books.

She is presently working as a literary agent and book development consultant. Among her clients are an ex-CIA agent, three psychologists, a policewoman, a District Attorney, an Assistant Attorney-General, a business communication consultant, a women's safety advocate, a best-selling psychologist,the Wall Street Journal's Soviet specialist, a former Miss Connecticut and inspirational columnist, a diabetes spokesperson and many more with equally fascinating backgrounds!

What Claire Is Looking for in Book Projects

Claire is always interested in projects that can change readers’ lives for the better, whether fiction or nonfiction. She is open to assisting authors as an agent, a book developer, or an editor.

“Claire Gerus has amazing insight into the creative and commercial potential of authors in all genres. A sympathetic yet savvy editor and a well-placed agent, she supports all her clients with a loyalty and relentless focus that is rare in the publishing industry.”
-New York editor Paul Dinas, Penguin/Putnam

“In the ever-teetering pile of submissions, I read Claire Gerus’ first because I know that whatever the subject, it will be something that intrigues, challenges or inspires me. Her breadth of knowledge, passion for her clients, and creativity are unsurpassed.

“I have also seen her work as an editor transforming promising raw material into published gold. All who work with her benefit from her expertise, not just in the mechanics of writing, but even more importantly, in the communication of ideas. As both an editor and an agent, Claire combines her professional skills with such wonderful personal strengths as warmth, integrity and authenticity to offer unparalleled partnership to writers and publishers.”
-New York editor Tracy Bernstein, New American Library

"I found an angel in Claire. Six months ago I was an unpublished author who had just split with her second agent. Within those six months, Claire has acquired four book deals for me, I've appeared on CNN, and my life has completely changed. She is on a first-name basis with most of the editors and they all respect her; however, none more than I. She has also become a dear friend. She is simply amazing!"
-Stacy Dittrich, Author "The Cee-Cee Gallagher Series" (Dorchester)

“To say that Claire is beyond amazing would be a gross understatement. As a first-time author, I had no clue what I was doing or how to do it. But Claire walked me through every step of the challenges, frustrations, and stresses of the process and made it manageable, understandable, and truly enjoyable.

Claire puts her heart and soul into every one of her clients. She takes an interest in more than just their writing. She cares about her authors’ projects, their professions, and their lives. One must not confuse Claire’s immense care and compassion with being soft or wimpy. On the contrary, Claire is an amazing advocate and is tenacious in representing the best interests of her clients.

I really don’t know what I would do without Claire. She is the best agent, editor, literary advisor, and now friend that one could ask for.”
-First-time author Robin Sax, Deputy District Attorney, Los Angeles County

"I am the author of nearly 15 non-fiction books, and most of them would not have come to fruition without the able assistance of my agent, Claire Gerus. Titles include "Yes, Lord, I'm Coming Home: Country Music Stars Share their Stories of Knowing God," Doubleday, and "Make a Joyful Noise: My 25 Years in Gospel Music: Bobby Jones," St. Martin's Press.

Claire is responsible for having my proposals accepted and books published by such publishers as Doubleday, Simon & Schuster, and St. Martin's Press. In addition to simply agenting my books, she also was instrumental in suggesting editorial changes that improved the work significantly.

Best of all, Claire is low-key, easy-to-get along with, and never yelled at me when I misspelled a word or two."
-Multi-published author Les Sussman

"Claire is a gifted agent, insightful book developer, and skilled negotiator. Her extensive knowledge of the publishing industry and what it takes to create successful books is evident immediately. She has a keen sense of what editors want, knows how to allay their potential concerns, and is superb at crafting proposals that sell!

Over the many years I’ve worked with Claire, I have immensely benefited from Claire’s exceptional skills. I am grateful for the wisdom and insights she lends to all my publishing projects. Claire is like a gifted sculptor, able to see the masterpiece contained within the stone. She helps me turn my projects into saleable and published works that I can be proud of.

Plus, she’s a joy to work with, a wonderful person and a great ally in a fiercely competitive publishing world.

My only hesitation in recommending Claire as an editor, agent, and book developer is that I’d like to keep her all to myself. She’s truly a gem!"
-Bestselling author Michelle Schoffro Cook

“Book making is a challenging task. Publishing Bnei Baruch books on Kabbalah is even more so due to the strict demands concerning content accuracy. Many editors tried to handle the demanding task of making Kabbalah material translated from Hebrew flow as though it were originally written in English. Only Claire hits the bull’s eye, every single time.

“Claire has the gift of a one-in-a-million combination of good nature, meticulousness, and loyalty to the integrity of the material (even when she does not agree with what is written). She is so communicative that the most perplexing problems seem to somehow dissolve over one or two e-mails with her.

“I feel fortunate to have found her, but I hope not many people read this review, so I can keep her available for my projects!”

-Tel Aviv editor Chaim Ratz, Director, Kabbalah Education and Research Institute, English Books Department

Dr. John Carlson
Michelle Schoffro Cook
Stacy Dittrich
Catherine Galasso-Vigorito
Riva Greenberg
Joel Jacobson
Dr. Jeffrey Kottler
Taylor LeBaron (with Jack and Mary Branson)
Dr. Larry Morris
Robin Sax
Judge Irene Sullivan

"Million Dollar Mermaid" (bio of Esther Williams) S&S
"Laura" (bio of Laura Bush) Adams Media
"Fat-Burning Foods"(diet) Ottenheimer
"The Search for Joyful:The Story of Mrs. Mike Continues"(fiction) Berkley

Dr. George Cunningham, "The Language of God: Lost in Translation," Prometheus (Spring, 2010)

Jessica Denay, "The Hot Mom's Handbook," "The Hot Mom's Handbook: Womb With a View," "Untitled Hot Mom's Handbook," HarperCollins (2009-2010)

Stacy Dittrich, "The Devil’s Closet," "Mary Jane’s Grave," "The Body Mafia," "The Rapture of Omega" (Books 1-4 in the CeeCee Gallagher Detective Series), Dorchester Publishing, "Murder Behind the Badge: True Stories of Cops Who Kill," Prometheus Books (September, 2009)
"Stumbling Along the Beat: A True Story of a Policewoman's Journey," Kaplan Books (Spring, 2010)

Catherine Galasso-Vigorito, "God Will Do the Rest," Hachette Faithwords, Fall, 2009)

Riva Greenberg, "50 Diabetes Myths That Can Ruin Your Life: And the 50 Diabetes Truths That Can Save It," Perseus Books (Spring, 2009)

Joel Jacobsen, "Whatever Happened to Justice?" Kunati Books (Fall, 2009), "For the Sake of Argument," Kaplan Books (Fall, 2009)

Jack Jacobson, "The Sky Blazers: Dodging Bullets and Entertaining the Troops During WW2," Potomac Books (Spring, 2009)

Dr. Jeffrey Kottler/Dr. Jon Carlson, "Creative Breakthroughs in Therapy: Tales of Transformation and Astonishment," Wiley (Fall, 2008)

LeBaron, Taylor (with Jack and Mary Branson), "Cutting Myself in Half: How One Teenager Took Control of His Weight,His Health and his Future," HCI Books (Fall, 2010)

Kerry-Ann Morris, "Living Well with Chronic Kidney Disease," Prometheus (Fall, 2009)

Dr. Larry Morris, "Dangerous Women," Prometheus Books, (Fall, 2008)

Brian O'Mara Croft, "Lost in the Hive", PublishingWorks, 2010

Allie Phillips, "Defending the Defenseless" Rowman&Littlefield, 2010
Allie Phillips, "Pound Seizure: America's Dirty Little Secret" Rowman & Littlefield, 2010

John Quinn, "Someone Like Me: An Unlikely Story of Challenge
and Triumph over Cerebral Palsy" History Publishing, 2010

Robin Sax, "The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Criminal Justice System," Alpha Books (Spring, 2009), "Everything Parents Need to Know about Predators and Molesters" Prometheus Books (Spring, 2009), "It Happens Every Day: Inside the World of a Sex Crimes D.A.," Prometheus Books (Fall, 2009), "Everything I Know About Parenting I Learned in Court," Amacom Books (Spring, 2010)

Michelle Schoffro Cook, "The Life Force Diet," "The Life Force Prescription," Wiley (Fall, 2009, Spring, 2010)

Mary Hanlon Stone, "The Invisible Girl," Philomel Books (Spring, 2010)

Judge Irene Sullivan, "High On Kids" (tent.title),Kaplan (Fall, 2010)

Ryan VanCleave, "Unplugged:My Journey into the Dark World of Video Game Addiction" HCI, 2010

FOREIGN RIGHTS AVAILABLE:

Michelle Schoffro Cook, “The Life Force Diet” and “The Life Force Prescription,”Wiley (health): foreign rights

ALL RIGHTS AVAILABLE:

Sherry Amatenstein: "Screwing Up" (humor)

Laura Ambler, "The Pink Dolphin" (young adult fiction)

Candy Chand: “Confessions of a Republican Environmentalist”
(environmentalism), “High Maintenance: We Know We Are, But So Are You”(humor)

Maril Crabtree: “Sacred Cloth,” "Time Peace"(inspiration)

Stacy Dittrich: “Submerged” (thriller), "Healer By Day, Killer by Night" (true crime), "Deadly Triangle" (true crime)

Dr. Joseph Dooley: “The Coming Cancer Breakthroughs”(health)

Riva Greenberg: “The ABCs of Loving Yourself with Diabetes” (health/insp.)

Mike Henderson: "The Obligatory Year" (fiction)

Darrell James: "Gone to Hell" (thriller)

Mary Ann Marshall: "Haven't We Met?" (essays)

Reina Menasche: "Nearly Beloved" (fiction)

Laura-Lynne Powell: “The Other Mother: A Memoir of Open Adoption” (parenting/memoir)

Melissa Knox-Raab: "Fertile over 40" (memoir/parenting)

Jennifer Robinson: "Easily Influenced" (Y/A)

Robert Ronning, Ph.D: “The Reinvention of Rod Whitaker” (literary)

Mary Hanlon Stone: “Who is John Jinkle?” (teen)
"I can Feel the Echoes" (memoir)

Donna Weaver and Bob Norman: Untitled (A wife turns private investigator searching for her husband, possibly murdered by an FBI agent) (true crime/memoir)

Donna Yates-Adelman, R.N.: “Hospital Horrors: 101 Scary Scenarios that Can Keep You From Getting Well" (health)

literary agent, author, editor, magazine writer (30 years in NY and Toronto publishing), ghostwriter, corporate communications consultant (9 years)

National Magazine Award nominee, Toronto, "Rising Above it All," Maclean's Magazine

Conference speaker, seminar leader: "Understanding the Changing Publishing Industry"

Restaurant reviewer, film reviewer

Lora Rivera, Assistant to Claire Gerus
Contact at gerus.claire@gmail.com

Please contact Claire at: gerus.claire@gmail.com
Online submissions in Microsoft Word only, please