The authenticity of author James Frey s autobiography A Million Little Pieces, which details his travails as a drug addict, has been questioned by a Web site Thesmokinggun.
com, which says that many portions of the autobiography are exaggerated and false.
The book has heart-wrenching details of Frey s struggle with substance addiction, his experience in jail after a drunken driving episode led to the death of two youngsters and also his trauma when a friend committed suicide. The dark book, which was published in 2003, became a bestseller when popular talk show host Oprah Winfrey endorsed it on her show in September last year.
“His book has a lot of stuff in it – events and characters – that seemed implausible. We decided to focus on those events where we thought there should be a paper trail – court documents, law enforcement documents. What we discovered significantly calls into question things he has repeatedly claimed are accurate and truthful rendition of events,?
? said William Bastone, editor of Thesmokinggun.com.
The rights to A Million Little Pieces have been picked up for a film to be directed by Mark Romanek. Frey wrote a follow-up memoir, My Friend Leonard, which has also caught the fancy of readers and critics.
“Police reports, court records, interviews with law enforcement personnel, and other sources have put the lie to many key sections of Frey s book,?
? the investigative article published on the Web site said.
Meanwhile, Frey s publishers Doubleday and Anchor have stood by the author.
“We stand in support of our author, James Frey, and his book which has touched the lives of millions of readers,?? a joint statement released by the two publishers said.
“Memoir is a personal history whose aim is to illuminate, by way of example, events and issues of broader social consequence. By definition, it is highly personal. In the case of Frey, we decided A Million Little Pieces was his story, told in his own way, and he represented to us that his version of events was true to his recollections,?
? the statement added.
On his part, Frey defended his book on his Web site Bigjimindustries.
com. “I stand by my book, and my life. Let the haters hate, let the doubters doubt.
I won t dignify this bullshit with any sort of further response,?? he wrote, accusing Thesmokinggun of trying to discredit him.
A statement posted on Frey s site implies that his lawyer Martin Singer threatened to bring legal action against The Smoking Gun if it made its investigations public. Bastone sent a statement to Frey, the details of which Frey published on the site.
“Since you are now threatening legal action against us (and citing possible recoverable damages in the range of millions of dollars ) and questioning the accuracy, thoroughness, and fairness of our reporting, you should know that we are prepared to vigorously defend our work.
You told us that to a certain extent …details were embellished in the book for obvious dramatic reasons. …We consider a variety of statements you made to us during a previous interview to be fair game and now on the record,??
Bastone s statement said.
Opinions are divided over how much difference the alleged lack of truth would make to the reader. Peter Osnos, editor of PublicAffairs Books, a nonfiction specialist, said that nonfiction is meant to be that in every fundamental respect .
“It s dismaying that a book of this visibility and stature is clearly not up to the standards that any reader would expect it to be,?? he added.
But literary agent Alice Martell felt that the term memoir itself was a personal perspective and hence, skewed . “Who is to say what is the definitive account of an event? By calling it memoir, you are saying: It is my take.
I did not research this as a disinterested third party ,?? she said.
Frey is scheduled to appear on Larry King Live on Wednesday night, a CNN spokesperson said. 
Trump has dragged both the author and the publisher for publishing defamatory statements.
Rather than sitting back and letting false statements be published without challenge, I believe it is important to expose irresponsible, malicious and false reporting, Trump said in a statement.
The lawsuit filed in New Jersey seeks $5 billion in compensatory and punitive damages from Warner Books and O Brien. The book says that Trump is nowhere close to being a billionaire and that he was worth somewhere between $150 million and $250 million.
The statements apparently touched a nerve in Trump, who is also famous for his reality show The Apprentice. Trump said that the publisher and the author were both aware of what they were saying, The writer and publisher of this book knew full well that their statements were false and malicious, but in hopes of generating book sales, they did not care, he said. In so doing, they exposed themselves to this lawsuit.
He added that the book was terribly written.
But Rob Nissen, a spokesman for Warner Books said that Trump willingly collaborated in helping O Brien write the book, Mr. O Brien is an award-winning, veteran business reporter with The New York Times and his work, as does his book, TrumpNation, speak for themselves, he said.
But Trump s lawyers say that they have solid evidence of their client s wealth, courtesy, the Forbes magazine, Forbes Magazine rigorously analyzed the very same books and records and other financial data that O Brien and Warner chose to ignore, and concluded that Trump s net worth conservatively is at least $2.7 billion, they said in a statement. 
The realm of the make-believe Hogwarts School and Harry Potter has excited not only children but also publishers, who have realized the true power of children s literature. Just as JK Rowling is about to widen the repertoire of the phenomenally popular boy wizard with the release of her sixth book, leading booksellers in UK believe that Harry Potter has impacted publishing, tourism and business in a way that no other children’s book has done in recent times.
UK’s lead retailer of books, Waterstone believes that Harry Potter has contributed to a tenfold increase in the number of children s releases every month since 2000, contributing to a 2% increase in sales in the same category, which prior to 1997 showed a decline. JK Rowling has become a superstar of sorts, helping fellow authors by raising the category of children’s books to be important enough for publisher’s to take notice. Waterstone s believe that consequently new writers are being taken more seriously and given due recognition, with publishers willing to invest in bigger advances.
They also believe that retail spaces are changing with more window room and displays devoted to children’s books, owing to increased marketing and promotion.
Besides Rowling, the authors who have benefited from the Harry Potter phenomenon include Philip Pullman and Mark Haddon, who are considered to be UK’s top-selling fiction authors, ahead of John Grisham, Dan Brown and Danielle Steel. A new category of books has arisen fuelled by Harry Potter’s popularity among adults as well as children, the crossover genre read by both.
Even as “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince?? gets released worldwide at one minute past midnight on July 16th, it is expected to smash publishing records.
Against the norm of 2 million copies sale for a popular book in its lifetime, US publisher Scholastic announced a print run of 10.8 million copies. UK publisher Bloomsbury, who is known best for Harry Potter books, has refused to divulge the size of its print run for the book.
Harry Potter has also helped the UK tourism industry like did Lord of the Rings for New Zealand with VisitBritain quoting its Harry Potter campaign as one of its most successful ever. Forbes magazine puts the worth of the Harry Potter brand at $1bn, three times over brand Beckham, which is notched at $375m.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, is the story of Harry Potter s sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the battle of good and evil goes to a new high.
Rowling, who first conceived Harry while riding a train in 1990 said, “Harry just strolled into my head fully formed . Working for several years in the quiet moments while her daughter slept, JK Rowling had to brave poor interest from publishers before her manuscript attracted any interest. After the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer s Stone in 1998, the second and third books were released in quick succession in the spring and fall of 1999.
The fourth book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, released in July 2000 became a major sensation, selling an unprecedented three million copies in the first 48 hours of release. With quarter million books sold across 200 countries and translations in 61 languages, Harry Potter might even reverse the dwindling reading habit of children and adults alike. 
The publisher of Harry Porter books in the US, Scholastic Inc said it is the advance orders from people that have made them to take the decision of increasing the number of copies by 4 million.
We have worked very closely with all of our accounts to anticipate the level of demand for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, said Barbara Marcus, president of Scholastic Children s Books. Once again, we are hearing from our accounts that the pre-orders are phenomenal, Marcus said.
Scholastic said book stores have already started planning special parties for their customers and to welcome the sixth volume in JK Rowling s hugely successful series.
On its part, Scholastic is planning a full-fledged marketing blitz beginning April 7. It will also run Harry Potter crossword puzzle in various US newspapers, while people will get to watch video advertisements on airplanes and various electronic billboards along the street.
In addition, online activities, giveaway prizes and midnight parties will be part of the100 day celebration.
Meanwhile, the Harry Potter London, England based publisher Bloomsbury said it expects its original profit target for 2005 to exceed once the sixth volume hits the stores.
The publisher believes its profit before tax and goodwill for Dec.
2005 is likely to be £20 ($53.53) million, as against last year’s £16.4 million.
Analysts however feel it could be somewhere around £18 million. Bloomsbury’s shares gained on the news. 
Potter mania has struck again. Bookstores across the world are invaded by fans, many of whom swear J.
K. Rowling’s sixth book “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince??
is a great read from page one to the last! By the next day many fans had already finished reading it. Indeed, soon after buying the book, many adult readers frantically went speed-reading devouring the book’s 652 pages in 10 to 12 hours nonstop.
The book has broken the previous record held by the fifth Potter book: in just 24 hours it has crossed sales of 6.9 million copies in the US alone averaging more than 250,000 copies per hour, on Saturday. The fifth title ‘Order of the Phoenix’ published in 2003 sold 5 million copies in 24 hours in the US.
Total sales of the book in US’ bookstores had reached more than $100 million over the weekend. Even the season’s hit movies (The Wedding Crashers, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) have not generated that kind of revenue.
Meanwhile, online bookstore Amazon has reported that the book has broken all previous records and exceeded all expectations.
By July 15 the Seattle-based company had received more than 1.5 million advance orders for the book on its seven retail sites across the world. More than 919,000 orders for the book were received on alone making it the biggest best-selling new product ever by the online retailer.
Across the world, there were countless launch parties, some organized by bookstores some by fans. In the US there were 5000 Potter launch parties on Saturday. ‘The Order of the Phoenix’ was celebrated with around 800 parties in 2003.
We asked readers of all age groups what they thought of this book. Many of the older readers sounded disappointed but children continue to be enchanted by the magical world of Potter. A majority gave the verdict in favor of Rowling, saying the book doesn’t disappoint.
The world of deaths, dark secrets, evil wizards and fears continues with the thread of the previous books. This time however, major characters from previous books recede into the background and new characters are introduced. E.
g. the shadowy figure Snape is more center-stage in this book.
There is also some change in the general atmosphere of the book.
If one remembers the Hogwarts in the ‘Order of the phoenix’, there is a contrasting mood with some happy episodes with Harry at school. There are plenty of comedy moments too, (grown-ups are sure to delight in these) after Ron finally discovers girls.
The book is shorter than the ‘Order of the Phoenix’ and also less action-packed.
However, as the plot unravels the pace picks up in the later pages leading to a more thrilling finale.
The next book will be the last in the series. Author J K Rowling has said she is looking forward to writing in a different genre than this one.
She said she had exhausted all her best fantasy ideas with the Harry Potter series. The New York ceremony for the first Quill Awards tried to combine the glamour of the Academy Awards with the erudite realm of books as it rolled out its red carpet. However this first attempt failed to draw out both authors for the ceremony as they accepted the awards long-distance.
The ceremony that has on hand stars entertaining guests and the best-known faces of the TV world as hosts showed Rowling on videotape conveying her humble acceptance. The winners who are determined by an online ballot featuring names nominated by an eclectic panel who know books very well - librarians and booksellers, included Rowling for her “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince??
competing for “book of the year?? and “best children s book?
? categories.
Bob Dylan figured in the list for “best biography/memoir?
? for his biographical “Chronicles: Volume One??
. Rowling, limited by the need to attend on her young child chose not to attend the glamorous ceremony.
The Quill awards, a new annual feature for US-published and marketed books instituted by the Reed Publishing Group, have recently been challenging the more down-to-earth National Book Awards and the Pulitzer Prize that traditionally favor literary merit over public recognition.
The awards that are made in 19 categories rope in even the rare audio books and graphic novels and seek to replicate the aura that the Booker brings to British authors. Bill McGorry of Reed Business Information said his company pleased to support the Quills initiative and hoped to “reach out to colleagues in the book publishing industry??
while advancing the cause of reading.
While David McCullough s historical review of George Washington s struggles in “1776??
won him a Quill award for the “history/current events/ politics?? category, Erica Jong s “The Mermaid Chair?
? walked away with the prestigious fiction award. Nick Hornby, a British author presenting one of the 19 awards applauded the effort, while “humour?
? category winning Jon Stewart s comment dripped of his signature satirical humour : Finally, an event to bring together the glamour of literature and the gravitas of an awards program??
.
Rowling said humbly of her books that have sold worldwide over 10 million copies, I am still not used to the idea that so many people across the world are intimately familiar with the characters who, for so long, I alone knew . But clearly “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?
?, which now stands tall as the Quill award s “first book of the year??
may seed many more new writers and amateurs to turn professional following the footsteps of J.K. Rowling, even as readers get to choose the books that best conveyed their taste in reading.
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