Consumerist: A Million Little Pieces

A Million Little Refunds

Ben Popken — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 11:45:33 EDT

CNN: "Under a tentative legal settlement, readers who said they were defrauded by Frey's best-seller, "A Million Little Pieces," can claim refunds, an agreement called unprecedented — and understandable — by a leading publishing attorney.

To receive refunds — $23.95 for the hardcover, $14.95 for paperback — consumers will have to submit a receipt or
some other proof of purchase: for the hardcover, page 163; for the paperback, the front cover. They will also need
to sign a sworn statement that they bought the book because they believed it was a memoir."

Will we see this extend to other literary works? We, for one, felt defrauded by the The Little Prince. We thought it was a delightful children's story but were dismayed to learn that it was a narcissistic womanizer's thinly-veiled apologia.

(Thanks to Tave!)

Random House Offers Refund for Frey's 'Pieces'

consumerist.com — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 14:39:50 EST

Book publisher Random House is offering a refund to any customer who purchased James Frey's novel 'A Million Little Pieces,' after allegations surfaced that much of the memoir was fabricated whole cloth by the author. The Reuters story on CNN calls this refund 'unprecedented,' probably because this is the first time that anyone thought an autobiographical memoir was actually true.

The article goes on to say that if you purchased 'A Million Little Pieces' from a bookstore, you'll have to take it up with the retailer in question. (Thanks, Jessica! Is this what happens when all the Gawker sites die? We get tips? )

Update: Random House says their refund policy is nothing new. Still no statement as to whether or not publishing fiction as 'memoirs' is a long-standing tradition.