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James Frey: A Million Little Pieces

BTW, Shelf, given that the publisher is offering refunds to dissatisfied customers, I seriously doubt they staged this as a profit-making stunt. They are looking pretty bad right now, with their integrity in nonfiction being called into question.
 
I heard that rumor wasn't true. It's pretty hard to give refunds on books. They're like cars and underwear. Once you buy them, they're not new anymore.
 
Random House is only refunding directly to those who bought the book directly from Random House. Otherwise, they are directing anyone who wants a refund to go to the retailer where they bought the book and they will be refunded there. Ultimately Random House will eat the cost, though.
 
Preliminary Oprah Report

Frey Acknowledges Mistakes on Today's Oprah

"Now like many of you, I have a million little questions," Oprah Winfrey says of James Frey at the top of today's show--an evolution of the viewpoint she expressed in a phone call to the Larry King Show. An ABC news report says that on the broadcast, Frey admits, "I think I made a lot of mistakes in writing the book and promoting book."

Winfrey asks, "Do you think you lied or do you think you made a mistake?"

"I think probably both," he said.

Appearing on the show with Frey are publisher Nan Talese and some journalists.
 
Oprah says...

"It is difficult for me to talk to you because I really feel duped ... but more importantly I feel that you betrayed millions of readers," Winfrey said to Frey, who wrote the hugely popular "A Million Little Pieces."
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So now everybody is back peddling to save face....this has gone overboard silly. Oprah stands behind this clown last week, then gets emails gallore from angry fans and now she wants answers....

I say it's time to leave this whole mess alone and stop giving it any press or attention at all.

I hope this dude is bussing tables in a few years.
 
Motokid said:
I say it's time to leave this whole mess alone
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I find it interesting that the most talked about book in the world isn't being heavily talked about here.

Does that mean that we're smarter than everyone else? (Except for me of course; I can't shut up.)
 
Motokid said:
Oprah says...



So now everybody is back peddling to save face....this has gone overboard silly. Oprah stands behind this clown last week, then gets emails gallore from angry fans and now she wants answers....

I say it's time to leave this whole mess alone and stop giving it any press or attention at all.

I hope this dude is bussing tables in a few years.
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I really disagree with this entirely.

Like Oprah, I first thought that Frey's book was probably somewhat inaccurate but overall a fair reflection of his experience, so my view was, "Seems okay to me. What autobiography/memoir hasn't come under this kind of criticism. Everyone's memory is a bit faulty, everyone's story is slightly different."

Then . . . when the extent of his intentional deception became clear, I changed my mind. I think it's wrong to pass fiction off as fact. I can clearly understand why Oprah has changed her view and now feels duped.

Aside from that, I don't see why the issue should be 'laid to rest.' It's a really important issue in publishing and writing--do we accept that nonfiction now has only 'truthiness' or are our standards higher? Does a person have a right to expect publishers to fairly represent fiction and fact and opinion for what they are?

I think Frey acted unethically and I think his publisher looked the other way, at the very least.
 
novella said:
I really disagree with this entirely.

I think Frey acted unethically and I think his publisher looked the other way, at the very least.
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Novella,
I totally agree with your disagreement! This really shouldn't 'go away.'
And, at the least, somebody's head should roll at the publisher and probably also at Oprah. It is impossible that any observant editor wouldn't have smelled a rat, especially with all the experience they have of books crossing their desks. I'm no genius in reading people, or books, but even I thought it smelled exceedingly funny by the end, and not ha-ha funny either.
Sacking somebody won't solve the problem, but it is at least the conventional punishment and ought to be implemented.
Peder
 
I think it should be left alone to die because by affording it press you are advertising the book. Has all this "bad" press really done anything to hurt Frey, or the publisher?

Frey and his publisher should be dying from embarrasment, not getting TV time with Larry King and Oprah and everybody else.

The only bad press is no press. By constantly having this in the lime light there are how many thousands of people buying this book just to see what all the hub-bub is about.

I only wish there would be a massive crush of customers demanding their money back. That's the only way any of this will change anything. Otherwise it's been a masterful marketing strategy.
 
Peder said:
Novella,
I totally agree with your disagreement! This really shouldn't 'go away.'
And, at the least, somebody's head should roll at the publisher and probably also at Oprah. It is impossible that any observant editor wouldn't have smelled a rat, especially with all the experience they have of books crossing their desks. I'm no genius in reading people, or books, but even I thought it smelled exceedingly funny by the end, and not ha-ha funny either.
Sacking somebody won't solve the problem, but it is at least the conventional punishment and ought to be implemented.
Peder
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Placing a lot of stock in publishers huh Peder? I had to go find this post from Stewart in another forum, but it sure shows what publishers are capable of, or not these days. Thanks for this Stewart :D

Publishers toss Booker winners into the reject pile
Jonathan Calvert and Will Iredale

THEY can’t judge a book without its cover. Publishers and agents have rejected two Booker prize-winning novels submitted as works by aspiring authors.


One of the books considered unworthy by the publishing industry was by V S Naipaul, one of Britain’s greatest living writers, who won the Nobel prize for literature.

NI_MPU('middle');The exercise by The Sunday Times draws attention to concerns that the industry has become incapable of spotting genuine literary talent.

Typed manuscripts of the opening chapters of Naipaul’s In a Free State and a second novel, Holiday, by Stanley Middleton, were sent to 20 publishers and agents.

None appears to have recognised them as Booker prizewinners from the 1970s that were lauded as British novel writing at its best. Of the 21 replies, all but one were rejections.

Only Barbara Levy, a London literary agent, expressed an interest, and that was for Middleton’s novel.

She was unimpressed by Naipaul’s book. She wrote: “We . . . thought it was quite original. In the end though I’m afraid we just weren’t quite enthusiastic enough to be able to offer to take things further.”

The rejections for Middleton’s book came from major publishing houses such as Bloomsbury and Time Warner as well as well-known agents such as Christopher Little, who discovered J K Rowling.

The major literary agencies PFD, Blake Friedmann and Lucas Alexander Whitley all turned down V S Naipaul’s book, which has received only a handful of replies.

Critics say the publishing industry has become obsessed with celebrity authors and “bright marketable young things” at the expense of serious writers.

Most large publishers no longer accept unsolicited manuscripts from first-time authors, leaving the literary agencies to discover new talent.

Many of the agencies find it hard to cope with the volume of submissions. One said last week that she receives up to 50 manuscripts a day, but takes on a maximum of only six new writers a year.

Last week, leading literary figures expressed surprise that Naipaul, in particular, had not been talent spotted. Doris Lessing, the author who was once rejected by her own publishers when she submitted a novel under a pseudonym, said: “I’m astounded as Naipaul is an absolutely wonderful writer.”

Andrew Motion, the poet laureate, who teaches creative writing, said: “It is surprising that the people who read it (Naipaul’s book) didn’t recognise it. He is certainly up there as one of our greatest living writers.”

While arguing that the best books would still always find a publisher, he added: “We need to keep the publishers on their toes as good books are as rare as hens’ teeth.”

Middleton, 86, whose books have a devoted following, wasn’t surprised. “People don’t seem to know what a good novel is nowadays,” he said. Naipaul, 73, said the “world had moved on” since he wrote the novel. He added: “To see that something is well written and appetisingly written takes a lot of talent and there is not a great deal of that around.” “With all the other forms of entertainment today there are very few people around who would understand what a good paragraph is.”
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Motokid said:
Placing a lot of stock in publishers huh Peder?
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No, not a lot more faith in publishers than say in media networks or the NYT both of whom do exact some penalty from employees who impact their image (known as profits), including people going out the door.
As far as more severe punishments that might have greater effect, one might dream about a good solid class action law suit brought by a merciless lawyer. Of course you'll say I'm visionary there also. But if there were money to be had, the lawyer wouldn't call it visionary. On behalf of whom? On behalf of aggrieved readers. You, I and all the others get a penny refund, and the lawyer gets the ten million.
Did you think I thought publisher or Oprah would be doing it for nobleness of purpose? Or goodness of heart?
peder
 
Moto, I think this particular publicity is hurting both Frey and his publisher. As a credible author, he will be hurt beyond redemption. I think he's the Milli Vanilli of publishing--a fraud who will not be able to recover from this. Remember Jason Blair? Ditto for Frey. People don't like liars, especially arrogant self-righteous liars.
 
I guess we shall see. As of January 22, 2006 this is the New York Times best seller list for non-fiction:

HARDCOVER NONFICTION
Top 5 at a Glance
1. FOR LACI, by Sharon Rocha
2. MARLEY & ME, by John Grogan
3. MY FRIEND LEONARD, by James Frey
4. THE WORLD IS FLAT, by Thomas L. Friedman
5. THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING, by Joan Didion
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Will number 3 climb or fall in the coming weeks?

Since the main book in question here is currently number one there's no where for it to go but down. The only question is how long will it stay number one before it falls?
 
That article about the Booker rejects that Moto posted is disheartening for beginning writers. It seems if you aren't already a celebrity, or have something that marketers can seize on, you don't have a prayer of being published by the big houses.
 
I just heard all about this. I'm shocked and disappointed and feel personally betrayed. I'm one of the people who thought the book was excellent and that its story was deeply inspiring and important. Now it turns out Frey made it up.

On the other hand, I cannot deny Frey's talent as a writer. The fact that he imagined all of these events and characters makes them no less poignant, at least in hindsight. I'll have to consider this matter further.
 
I'm an admirer of Oprah Winfrey. She's a (very) visible representative of what is good about millions of Americans today.

No debate about the meaning of memoirs and memory will clear the air around James Frey, the author of "A Million Little Pieces," and his publisher, Nan Talese of Doubleday. But what happened yesterday on Oprah Winfrey's couch came close. In a remarkable moment of television, Ms. Winfrey did what we have so often waited for public figures to do: she admitted openly that she had made a mistake in supporting Mr. Frey. Then she did her best to force him, and Ms. Talese, to admit the extent of his deception and the publisher's failure.
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NYT/Oprah Winfrey link
 
Miss Shelf said:
That article about the Booker rejects that Moto posted is disheartening for beginning writers. It seems if you aren't already a celebrity, or have something that marketers can seize on, you don't have a prayer of being published by the big houses.
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While anecdotally amusing, the Booker manuscript episode is faulty in lot of ways. For one thing, VS Naipaul is not popular now (how many TBF members have read him or recommended his work?) and probably would not do well in the market now. Times have changed a lot. Look at the bestseller lists from 1950--there are probably precious few books you would read from it. If you judge yesterday's prizewinners by today's standards, they will come up short. Writing has changed; the public perception of quality writing in popular books has shifted.

Aside from that, statistically there are many more first-novelists being published now than ever before. Big houses are making big money on first novels and have been for the past decade.

I think it's easy to draw false conclusions when you don't have enough information.
 
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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