Frank Sennett of the Spokane Spokesman-Review takes issue with Amazon’s handling of books by fake writers. Sure, he says, Amazon’s posted Doubleday’s official statement regarding A Million Little Pieces, but where’s the revelations about My Friend Leonard? How come the catalog copy for Nasdijj’s The Blood Runs Like a River Through My Dreams still leads with the now-laughable claim that “the language and form of this searing book are as powerful as the life experience that inspired them?” And how about that JT LeRoy? (Although, frankly, Sennett’s pushing a little too hard there; the deceptions surrounding the real identity of “JT LeRoy” are entertaining, but the fiction isn’t undermined by that deception the way Frey and Nasdijj’s memoirs have been.)
Now, as a former Amazon copywriter, I had some experience in developing copy to keep up with current events (anyone remember Fortunate Son?), so it’s sad to see the current copywriting team isn’t matching the “Golden Age” crew in this regard, but you know what? Sennett’s taking an easy potshot. The Barnes & Noble website has taken the exact same approach, acknowledging Frey’s note on Pieces but keeping silent on the other books. Heck, Powells.com (with which I’m affiliated through my personal website, Beatrice) doesn’t even mention the Frey situation. For that matter, is there any brick-and-mortar establishment that’s put up a “Warning: Fake Writer” shelftalker below any of the books in question? So why single out Amazon, except that they’re an easy target? “Ultimately, I would put the onus on the publisher,” says my former colleague, James Marcus. “I believe the rule is the same whether you’re online or in a brick-and-mortar store: caveat emptor.”