Quote:
Originally Posted by desertgrandma
Seabound, "interviewing them twice over the years" is not what I meant by research.
Any book written as non fiction demands to be verified, does it not?
This quote, by the publishers
Even after such fabrications as James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces," another Winfrey favorite, publishers have said that with more than 100,000 books coming out each year, fact-checking is too time-consuming and too expensive.
is shameful. But, encouraging others to buy the book, without checking it out herself, is as bad.
If you are going to sell a book, you must take responsibility for the contents.
I know I just lost a lot of faith in so called "non-fiction".
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ProfJulie
That statement seems overly broad to me. Or do you really believe Amazon.com and every other store that sells books should take responsibility for the contents of the books they sell?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by desertgrandma
We're not talking Amazon. We're talking a powerful talk show host that pushed a book without verifying its truthfulness.
And yes, its called integrity and responsibility.
"Non-Fiction"
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Now, see, I would disagree with that. My view is that Oprah Winfrey is nothing more or less than a person who, having read a book and enjoyed it, recommends it to someone else. And, that person is not responsible for what is written in the book, whether it is fact or fiction. That person is only responsible for forming their own opinion of the book.
When Ms. Winfrey recommends a book, she is not "selling" the book. I really doubt that she is making a profit off of every book sold, as are the author and the publisher.
The fact that she has a lot of clout because she has a large audience (I'm not one of them, but I understand her audience is HUGE) does not alter her responsibility regarding the contents of any book she might enjoy and recommend.
I think what got her incredibly upset (and rightly so), was that the author came on to her show and lied to her and her audience. The book is probably a good read whether it is entirely true or not.
But, in the end, it really is the responsibility of the publisher to verify the facts in a work of non-fiction. Certainly not that of the bookseller, and absolutely not of the reader ... whether or not the reader is Oprah Winfrey.