So you’ve just finished the latest offering by James Patterson, Robert Ludlum, or Pitticus Lore, and you’re wondering if it was traditionally authored, co-written, ghosted, or something else entirely. Good question. In the case of Patterson, who has put out 140 novels thus far – 15 in 2014 alone – he pays others to write the books for him. These writers don’t receive royalties, but their names are listed on the cover below their boss’s. Patterson’s process is to come up with the vision and a detailed outline for each book. He also edits. Robert Ludlum acknowledges his co-writers openly (on the covers), but an as yet unnamed writer has written at least five Ludlum books since the master’s death in 2001. The story goes that Ludlum left unpublished and/or partial manuscripts and detailed notes for the books; his estate then found a writer to edit and complete them. And then there’s James Frey, who survived an Oprah bashing for his alleged memoir, A Million Little Pieces, only to embark on a venture he refers to as his fiction factory, whereby he scouts promising MFA students and pays them $250 for completing a commercial novel on spec. If any of the novels are published, the authors get 30 – 40% of revenues, depending on whether the concept was theirs or Frey’s. Frey’s company, Full Fathom Five, has the right to decide whose name is listed on the cover, and a significant penalty applies if the author speaks up about it.…
Since Lance Armstrong’s confession of blood doping and use of other performance-enhancing substances, the publishing industry finds itself tripping over the distinction between fiction and non-fiction. In January a lawsuit filed by two California men claims Armstrong’s two books, It’s Not About the Bike (2000) and Every Second Counts (2003) were categorically dishonest: marketed as non-fiction when they were fiction. Jonah Lehrer published How We… [Read More]
Filed Under: Ben Greenman, James Frey, Jonah Lerner, Lance Armstrong, New York Review of Books, New Yorker, True Lies
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Some professional writers have a Facebook Page. Others use Twitter or Tumblr. Many non-fiction authors have a profile on LinkedIn. But every author needs a website under their own domain name. “Why, oh why, must I also build a website and blog, too?” I often get this question from clients who seek publication of their book manuscripts. Here’s why. You don’t own your own real… [Read More]
You’ve heard about the mechanic who never has time to change the oil, bang out the dings, clean out the pop cans or repair the ripped upholstery in her own car? I’m behind the dashboard seven days a week. I drive at high speeds and over rough terrain on the electronic byways of the internet. I keep clients’ motors running smooth and fix them when… [Read More]
Filed Under: Blog, Cadillac, Car Talk, maintenance, makeover, oil changes, redesign, social media metrics, updates, Website
Memoir is not fiction, yet some of the literary conventions used in the genre of memoir are the same as those used in novels. Plot, dialogue, and character are three shared devices. Fiction and memoir share a structural emphasis on narrative arc. In fiction, this is called a plot line. After setting the scene and introducing the characters through some dialogue and action, there is… [Read More]
Sitting down to start one’s memoir is a daunting task. Remember memoir is a slice of life, not your entire biography. But where to begin? It’s not always obvious where to start. So finding a way to slip into your story might be easier if you find a side entrance. These memoir prompts are intended to stir up your memories and get you to set… [Read More]