The fact checking should have been done by the editor of the book. The publishing company is the big fool here, not Oprah.
Good point.
Except that who remembers which book came from what publishing company except for those New York elbow-patch-wearing tail party-goers?The publishing company is the big fool here, not Oprah.
There is no Church of Random House.
Well, I doubt Oprahco takes anything resembling a hit from this. She might start doing a little research of her own for nonfiction authors, I suppose, but victimhood of any kind might even bring more solidarity between Oprah and her viewers.Except that who remembers which book came from what publishing company except for those New York elbow-patch-wearing tail party-goers?
Nice NPR interview with Smoking Gun editor.
Well, they might get a little more notice considering this turn of events....
Readers Offered Refund for 'Million Little Pieces'
Facts Surrounding James Frey's Controversial Memoir Disputed
By Mark Egan, Reuters
NEW YORK (Jan. 11) - Random House will refund readers who bought James Frey's drug and alcohol memoir "A Million Little Pieces" directly from the publisher, a move believed to be unprecedented, after the author was accused of exaggerating his story.
Readers calling Random House's customer service line to complain on Wednesday were told that if the book was bought directly from the publisher it could be returned for a full refund. Those who bought the book at a bookstore were told to try to return it to the store where it was bought.
"If the book was bought directly from us we will refund the purchase price in full," one Random House customer service agent told Reuters, noting readers would have to return the book with the original invoice. "If you bought it at a book store, we ask that you return the book to the book store."
Asked why the publisher, which normally sells books directly to consumers as nonrefundable, would offer refunds, the agent said, "because of the controversy surrounding it."
In the book, Frey runs down a cop in a small Ohio town and a wild melee ensues. The Granville Police Department report on the 1992 incident tells a different story.
-- TheSmokingGun.com
Several customer service agents called by Reuters reporters also agreed to pay refunds. A Random House spokeswoman said the company would issue a formal statement about returns later.
Frey's memoir of alcohol and drug-induced mayhem sold 1.77 million copies last year after being chosen by Oprah Winfrey's book club in September. But investigative Web site The Smoking Gun on Sunday reported the book, published by Random House's Doubleday division, was full of exaggeration and inaccuracies.
Frey, who will appear on Larry King Live on Wednesday to discuss the controversy for the first time, has called the accusations "the latest attempt to discredit me."
"I stand by my book, and my life, and I won't dignify this bull with any sort of further response," Frey wrote this week on his personal Web site bigjimindustries.com.
01/11/06 13:35 ET
Hokey smokes. Unprecetended is right.
And when I said "Church of Random House", I was just using the first publishing company that popped into my head. I didn't know that was actually the right one.
That's crazy that people are demanding their money back for the book. It's a freakin book. So who cares if the details weren't as accurate as the author thought? Wasn't the guy on drugs and alcohol during those times? Obviously, he remembers stuff differently!
Oprah Dismisses Claims About Frey Memoir
NEW YORK - Oprah Winfrey broke her silence about James Frey's disputed memoir of addiction, "A Million Little Pieces," dismissing allegations of falsehoods as "much ado about nothing" and urging readers who have been inspired by the book to "Keep holding on." "What is relevant is that he was a drug addict ... and stepped out of that history to be the man he is today and to take that message to save other people and allow them to save themselves," Winfrey said Wednesday night in a surprise phone call to CNN's Larry King, who was interviewing Frey on his live television program.
http://news.yahoo.com/fc/Entertainme...re_and_Authors
That's cool of Oprah, I must admit.
It doesn't say how she knows it's "much ado about nothing". Has she actually checked the facts herself, or is she just invoking Ophral Infallibility?
Maybe she's optioned the movie rights....
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