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musings, thoughts, and writings of Barbara W. Klaser


March 9, 2008

Memoir fraud

A few days ago the New York Times ran a story headlined Gang Memoir, Turning Page, Is Pure Fiction, about Margaret Seltzer, alias Margaret B. Jones, and her memoir that wasn’t a memoir at all. She has admitted it was fiction. Today Alternet reports on yet another memoir writer who lied, in Literary Frauds Strike Again … and Again.

So, let’s see if I understand this. We’re supposed to sell our fiction as memoir now? Is that what I’ve been doing wrong? Is this what they mean by creative nonfiction? I’m confused.

I guess the little hand slap mainstream media gave James Frey, not to mention his second book contract, weren’t very good deterrents to the hot new trend in books — memoir fraud.

Readers expect a memoir to be true, if from a limited perspective of the writer’s personal experience and memory of events, which can of course be slightly skewed. We don’t all remember events that happened when we were growing up the same way our siblings or parents remember them. Obviously a lot of other nonfiction is opinion, or facts mingled with theories, presented from a single biased viewpoint. But a memoir isn’t supposed to be deliberately made up and then presented as the author’s own story. That’s called fiction.

These so-called memoir authors sold what they wrote as their own life stories, when they knew the stories either weren’t true or weren’t their experiences. They could’ve called their stories novels, or fictionalized accounts, but they didn’t. They called them memoirs. Some of them (Frey, at least) made a lot of money.

I don’t know about you, but when I spend hard-earned money on a book, my expectations are still pretty high. Those expectations are being fulfilled by books less and less often these days. I’m starting to think it’s no wonder people are reading fewer books, and I think the problem boils down to simple greed.

We all need to make a living. But most of us try to work hard and put in an honest effort at something for our living. We don’t resort to cheating, theft, fraud, and sloppy ethics. So who’s to blame here? Are these people just laughing at all us dummies who bother to actually be honest about our work? Laughing all the way to the bank?

The LA Times has published another opinion on why this type of thing happens in Why we fall for the fakes, an editorial that blames not just the writers, but the publishers, and finally the readers who keep purchasing these books.

What do readers think about this? If you pick up a memoir to read, do you want to know the person is at least attempting to be honest and accurate? Do you want to believe the publisher did their part in making sure they weren’t helping to perpetrate a fraud, or even instigating it? Do you think the writer is making a promise he or she is responsible to keep? Or when you pick up a memoir do you expect a certain amount of fiction?

What do you consider getting your money’s worth from a book? What are your expectations of authors and publishers as far as honesty? Are consumers partly to blame when we keep buying and don’t demand quality and integrity from the companies selling us products? Are we the readers to blame for books that fall below standards in either quality or integrity? Are we voting with our dollar for dishonesty? Or is that just an easy excuse for those who knowingly sell us shoddy or misrepresented products? Isn’t that blaming the victims, something like the purse snatcher saying, “Well she was just walking along the sidewalk. What was she doing there if she didn’t want it stolen?”

Perhaps most important of all, how does this make you feel about telling young people they should read more books?

— Barbara @ 11:40 am PST, 03/09/08

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8 Comments

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  1. 1.

    I don’t blame them for trying; reality’s the hot trend, fiction’s only for the proven money-makers as far as the publishing companies are concerned. And as they say, even bad press is better than no press these days.

    It wouldn’t prevent me from pushing literature and non-fiction as vital to young folk to read. There’s taint everywhere-sports, plagiarism, cheating in schools and on the job-too much to avoid. I’d simply point it out for what it is and warn that these folks are to be avoided. I’m actually surprised that people will buy a book by let’s say Frey for example. I don’t like being made a fool and especially won’t support anyone who was responsible for trying to do so.

    Comment by susan — March 9, 2008 @ 12:14 pm

  2. 2.

    “So, let’s see if I understand this. We’re supposed to sell our fiction as memoir now?”

    Yeah, it seems that way. It’s reprehensible isn’t it? I think the idea is that fiction is…well…real, and real is better. Real is intrinsically more important, interesting and worthy of attention because it is real. It is the same sort of attitude, I think, that leads to so-called reality TV which, of course, is carefully set up and orchestrated.

    But when you stop to consider things, a writer who creates a fictional work, honestly, filled with the writer’s authentic view of the world, the writer’s actual philosophy, insights into people, etc etc is actually offering readers something “real”. The writer’s own real experiences and observations presented in the form of fiction.

    Publishers are the ones responsible for publishing this garbage though. Like other corporations they have totally lost the idea that one can make money by presenting a better product. Now the idea is simply to make money by hooks or by crooks.

    Comment by Eric Mayer — March 9, 2008 @ 2:17 pm

  3. 3.

    Of course, our fraudulant writer lives in Eugene, Oregon. Move over Tanya Harding, you have competition on the media front as the worst Oregonian ever.

    Comment by violetismycolor — March 9, 2008 @ 7:27 pm

  4. 4.

    It’s just another way that people aren’t getting what they bargained for. I would expect a memoir to be true as the author remembers it.

    If a book is fiction, I’d prefer if they would call it fiction. I’m pretty gullible, and if someone tells me that what they said is true, I tend to believe them.

    Cas
    High standards don’t always get you the highest paycheck, but nevertheless, they are always commendable.

    Comment by cassie-b — March 11, 2008 @ 9:30 am

  5. 5.

    My guess would be that fiction is sold as memoir because of the voyeurism that seems to be prevalent in humans. The sleaze is fun to read, but it’s even more attention-getting if it supposedly happened to the author him/herself. It may be that the author is a narcissist, unable to talk or write about anybody but him/her self. Or, a third possibility, the author may be truly delusional.

    Still, though, voyeurism is what sells, no matter how couched in self-help or relevatory language. And selling is what publishers are all about.

    Comment by Sarah — March 13, 2008 @ 9:54 am

  6. 6.

    Well, let me try leaving a comment again. I said it so much better the first time. Trying to reconstruct something you’ve written is like trying to put on a too-tight pair of pantyhose.

    I think the effort to clothe fiction in the memoir trappings is an effort to appeal to the voyeurism in people. Something sleazy is fascinating; but if it’s “reality” writing, it sells even better. And selling is what publishers are all about.

    Comment by Sarah — March 13, 2008 @ 10:01 am

  7. 7.

    These frauds make me wonder about other memoirs I’ve recently read - like “The Glass Castle” or “Running with Scissors” or even “Eat Pray Love.” I’m gullible, too, and if a book is sold as a memoir, that’s what I expect. *sigh*

    Comment by Reenie — March 14, 2008 @ 5:22 pm

  8. 8.

    Just seeing if I can leave a comment on this entry. Can’t seem to leave one on the new entry!

    Comment by Eric Mayer — March 15, 2008 @ 9:07 am

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