Truth, Fiction and Frey

As the Smoking Gun website reported, and as legions of commentators have argued, James Frey, the discredited author of the faux memoir A Million Little Pieces, is a liar and a fraud. But he still doesn't deserve to take all the blame for pulling a fast one on the public. His publisher should come in for a few insults too. Venal and foolish would do.

It's no secret that as book publishers struggle to maintain levels of growth even television networks can't achieve, editors increasingly crave titles that come with marketing plans built in. Yes, worthy books get published--quality has a market too--but corporate publishers keep the lights on, or try to, seeking out authors with their own media "platforms" or back stories ready-made for Hollywood and the press.

A Million Little Pieces displays a clumsy beginner's prose style, and its overblown story of addiction and recovery aroused suspicions long before thesmokinggun.com revealed that, contrary to what Frey wrote, the author did not serve time in jail and was never wanted in three states. But Frey wasn't without cunning or foresight. He built the book with an essential piece of marketing bait at its center: It's true! As in any good con, greed made his publisher bite.

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