Donald H. Rumsfeld, the powerful defense secretary and architect of the Iraq War who left office two years ago as he faced ever-rising criticism, is working on a memoir to be published by Penguin Group (USA) in 2010.
Fake memoirs are de rigueur these days, it seems, but some publishers take fact checking very seriously. Tom Sykes says, “my publisher made me send my manuscript to anyone who was mentioned in the book. Even my drug dealer.”
In light of the rash of fake memoir confessions these days, it’s a fair question. The answer? 1) It’s not economically feasible—unless you feel like paying $100 for a book. 2) They don’t have to. Publishers aren’t legally responsible for the accuracy of the books they publish. 3) The author as a contractor makes representations and warranties that the material is original.
I suppose we could have used the title 'not safe for anyone' many times already, but I thought it would be especially pertinent here because in this show Richard and Hans illustrate the many situations in which the C-word is perfectly appropriate.
