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James Frey: A Million Little Pieces

novella said:
Moto, being that My Friend Leonard's supposed 'real life' protagonist is a completely invented fictional entity that Frey lied about meeting in jail he lied about being in, I think it will sink like a stone. I think the publisher will probably be pulling back on production and forecasting dropping sales.
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Yes, one can only hope...I just wonder if sales will spike first from the people who want to see what all the fuss is about?

As I stated earlier, I hope he's bussing tables a few years from now.
 
In a perfect world he'd have to give most of that back. The two million copies sold since the first Oprah show should be recalled and refunded.

The thing is, no matter what happens directly from this book fiasco, he'll be able to parlay this whole thing into public speaking gigs, and other things to make millions off of again.

It's not a perfect world.
 
It's all grist for the mill.

In other words, there's nothing we can't learn something from. In other words (I'm laughing) it wasn't a complete waste of our time.

I didn't even buy the book, although I kinda liked the cover!

Edit: Oh, wait! Maybe I did buy the book. I must have a, I mean my, receipt around her e someplace ... ;)
 
Motokid said:
Yes, one can only hope...I just wonder if sales will spike first from the people who want to see what all the fuss is about?

As I stated earlier, I hope he's bussing tables a few years from now.
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they already have. people want to know what the big deal is, and now they're gonna want to read the book that pissed Oprah of.

And he won't be bussing tables. The only book that sold more copies than his last year was the new Harry Potter.
 
venusunfolding said:
they already have. people want to know what the big deal is, and now they're gonna want to read the book that pissed Oprah of.
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And if you go back to post number 47 of this thread and read forward a handfull of posts you'll see that that is exactly what I feared would happen. ;)
 
Motokid said:
And if you go back to post number 47 of this thread and read forward a handfull of posts you'll see that that is exactly what I feared would happen. ;)
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out of all the customers I've helped there has only been 1 who was upset that he made stuff up. she was livid that we were displaying the book. (she was also a little crazy though)

and OT - what part of Delaware are you in? I was born in Wilmington :)
 
I saw a small part of the Oprah show yesterday with the author, and he is still hedging about what is true and not true. He still, as far as I could see shows no remorse of even embarassment about the situation. Now maybe he is the type of person that cannot show his feelings very well, thats possible, but he seemed way out of his depth up there on stage.

Did anyone else see the whole thing? I wondered if he actually apologized to anyone about this. 'Cause if he did, I missed that part.

The editor's comments are what really irritated me though, talking about the difference between a memoir and an autobiography. Sounded like big time back pedaling to me.

Glad I didn't buy the book though. But in all reality, who thinks all memoirs we read are gospel? :rolleyes:
 
Here's another author's response to this whole Frey mess.

This is so wrong, but very funny in a very sick way.

http://www.chrisgenoa.com

You might not want to view this at work. There's a spoof on the A Million Little Pieces cover that is a bit naughty. The title is A Million Little Penises. LOL. The rest is kind of self-explanatory.
 
venusunfolding = out of all the customers I've helped there has only been 1 who was upset that he made stuff up. she was livid that we were displaying the book. (she was also a little crazy though)
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We're all a little bit crazy. Next time you see her direct her over here. :D
 
venusunfolding said:
she was crazy in a bad way :)
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Unlike us? ;)

The questions about how publishers should deal with the truth or falsity of the books they publish are likely to continue to resound through the book business. Yesterday, publishers, literary agents and booksellers said that, in the wake of Ms. Winfrey's condemnation of Mr. Frey and Doubleday, they expected memoirs and other works of nonfiction to come under increasing scrutiny before and after publication.
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read NYT ...
 
News from the front!

This might cause someone to feel vindicated.

Just got back from Borders and the young man at the next cash register was filling the place with enthusiasm.

"I read about the book in the paper, and decided to read it and see what it was all about! I haven't read a book in 5 or 6 years. But ya' know?! If it gets two people to stop drugs, it's worth it!"
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Not a coment, a-tall,
Peder
 
StillILearn said:
Good for you, Peder. That reticency from me would have required more duct tape than I normally have access to when away from home. ;)
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Still,
I am still completely boggled what to say.
Silence seems best, so I have just plain put it out of my mind
Peder
 
James just over-exaggerated, correct? And quite honestly, after this whole scandal, his books are still being bought because people are curious now.
 
Doozer said:
James just over-exaggerated, correct? And quite honestly, after this whole scandal, his books are still being bought because people are curious now.
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He just has a very good memory. He remembers things that never happened.
 
What happens to Frey in the future is beside the point. The real story here, and the one that will impact publishing, is whether publishers and agents have a responsibility to ensure the factuality of something presented as nonfiction.
 
novella said:
What happens to Frey in the future is beside the point. The real story here, and the one that will impact publishing, is whether publishers and agents have a responsibility to ensure the factuality of something presented as nonfiction.
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Novella,
Much as I wish it were to be, and little though I wish to bring a doubting face to the party, doesn't the Commercial Code recognize that companies selling products can make exaggerated statements like "Whiter than white," "Cleaner than clean," "Never a stain again" "Not a cough in a carload," etc because everyone recognizes they are just hyperbole. The outcome of the Frey affair might simply be to move publisher's claims toward a similar category -- "Oh, memoirs? We know what they are!" -- and veering more towards requiring the ages-old caveat emptor: Let the buyer beware.
Is there a force other than the marketplace that will bring them into line with truth?
Peder
 
The way I see it is that every big publisher of memoirs has their legal dept. review the MS for potential liable. Now they have one more thing to worry about. They will probably ask their authors to sign legal waivers (disobliging the publisher of any responsibility) and also sign something on the veracity of the memoirs' content.
 
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