Gawker
We want your stories about how fake memoirists are messing up your damn writing career! Here, we have the tale of a young surgical resident whose operating-table narrative is being held back "in this current climate." "Thank goodness I've got a fondness for amber liquors," he adds. What's up, Doc?
"Two years ago I began shopping a manuscript of my experiences as a surgical resident. It wasn't memoir per se (no "I was born in a log cabin in the year 1862" kind of stuff), but a collection of true stories told from my perspective. I got several requests for partials, and I happily FedExed out pages to just under a dozen agents. Then James Frey broke. In the week following his public flensing at the hands of Oprah, I received several emails, letters, and even one phone call from agents who said "in this current climate, first-person based nonfiction's a tough sell." Many suggested trying again in a year. Looks like I missed my window, since the agent I finally found wants to wait this storm out as well. Thank goodness I've got a fondness for the amber liquors."
