Fake "Memoirs"

Are any of the following books familiar?

All were presented as really interesting autobiographical memoirs written by people who had some amazing experiences. There's only one problem: all three were fiction. They were hoax memoirs. The first one (Frey) was exposed in January 2006 and the last two in February and March 2008. The degree of fictionalization varies, but none are truly autobiographical.

In the last case, author Margaret Seltzer (writing as Jones) executed an elaborate hoax, proving bogus materials, photos, letters and "siblings" to the publisher's fact checkers. On 5 March 2008 the Los Angeles Times said "No nonfiction publisher can afford serious fact-checking anymore; most do none at all." They also note that a simple novel (fiction) does not attract anywhere near the publicity and promotion that such a "memoir" will. The economics of the business provide a motivation for fakery.






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