Literary Lies: The Next Generation

Published Mar 05 2008, 05:10 PM by Sharon Steel

RECALLED.

Everyone is all in a huff over the "Margaret Jones" scandal. Her True Life story, Love and Consequences: A Memoir of Hope and Survival, was a fraud. She is not part Native American. She was not an abused foster child living on the streets of L.A., or a member of the gang the Bloods. She grew up with her biological parents in Sherman Oaks, CA, and went to a private Episcopal high school. While she did work with inner city kids, she interviewed a lot of them in L.A. coffee shops and pawned composites of their stories off as her own. Margaret Jones isn't even her real name. It's Margaret "Peggy" Seltzer.

So anyway, the main things that seem to be erupting from what has been deemd the Worst Week Ever in Publishing are:
1. Memoirs sell better than fiction (just like reality TV gets networks better advertising and bigger ratings). This, apparently, is something writers have caught on to. So they turn "novels" into "memoirs." Even if they aren't exactly true.
2. Publishers don't do deeper fact-checking because it could ruin the author-editor relationship.
3. Love and Consequences wouldn't have gotten the reception it did in the first place if it wasn't for the Charles McGrath connection.
4. Er, James Frey is still publishing a new book.

Frowny faces all around.

We think it would be nice if fiction wasn't so hard to sell anymore, if every woman writing about their coming-of-age experiences wasn't immediately categorized as chick-lit and designed a book cover featuring pink sparkly heels and a Cosmo, if publicists could somehow, magically, control positive hype before it resulted in hundreds of bloggers hating on talented writers, if writers could be championed without having to be Diablo Cody for it to happen, and if classic books we love weren't repackaged with stupid cartoons that look nothing like real characters just to appeal to new audiences, because it really undermines the intelligence of buyers!

These are just a few of our complaints. Margaret, we are sure, will be feeling the heat for quite some time.

Filed Under: Book Scandal, Galley Cat, Lit Gossip, NYT, Spin

Back to WordUp

Back to WordUp

2 Comments

Pete said:

Fair enough Sharon, but it doesn't matter. Because all said and done, you are really cute. I dig you in an un-stalkerish sort of way. :-)

March 7, 2008 1:50 AM
sharon said:

Oh. Er, thanks? But hey, let's try keep our commentary to literature, gossip, and literary gossip, please!

March 7, 2008 3:22 PM

Follow the Phoenix

All Blogs

On The Download (2,244)
Laser Orgy (86)
Phlog (1,510)
Dont Quote Me (561)
Talking Politics (1,599)
Outside The Frame (326)

Filed Under: Book Scandal, Galley Cat, Lit Gossip, NYT, Spin

Boston Phoenix
Lynne Spears memoir "will not be a parenting book."
Published 6/12/2008 by Importer
So says People, which delivered the news that Mama Spears's manuscript -- put on hold after the tee...

Boston Phoenix
Lynne Spears memoir "will not be a parenting book."
Published 6/12/2008 by Sharon Steel
So says People, which delivered the news that Mama Spears's manuscript -- put on hold after the tee...

more by Sharon Steel

Interview: Leanne Shapton | March 24, 2009

Interview: Joss Whedon | February 09, 2009

Review: Dollhouse | February 09, 2009

Faking it | January 06, 2009

Bad girls | October 16, 2008

See all articles by: Sharon Steel

Latest Comments

Tell us more about what happened to Phoebe Prince - Using Facebook is not illegal, but harassment is irregardless of what form. This girl was obviously trying...

By Camille Tuason Mata on 02-07-2010 in Dont Quote Me

The Touching Tale Of Labor And Scott Brown - Blocking nominations is a time honored tradition that both parties partake in, most recently by Barry...

By Fake Name on 02-06-2010 in Talking Politics

MP3 of the Week: Vikesh Kapoor, "Newspress Scare" - stream the 7" here: vikeshkapoor.bandcamp.com/.../newspress-scare-7-2 tickets to the show here:...

By hootenanny on 02-05-2010 in On The Download

Dear Rush Limbaugh: Please Drop Dead. Love, Twitter - Shows the kind of exemplary trash that festers under the banner of the Democrat party. Wishing ANYONE...

By pirogue on 02-05-2010 in Phlog

Thugs and goons: Howie Carr explains--updated! - Can someone please explain to me what the heck a "moonbat" is supposed to be - I know Carr...

By Derek on 02-05-2010 in Dont Quote Me

Latest Comments from WordUp

Literary Lies: The Next Generation

2 Comments

Pete said:

sharon said:

Leave a Comment