What Was He Thinking?

I’m all for authors being proactive in marketing their books. I’m all for determination, dedication, and even a bit of fanaticism. But this is just ridiculous.

Galleycat points out a report about Bill Schneider’s Oprah Book Club lie. Scheider, an administrative director of tourism in Provincetown, wrote a book entitled Crossed Paths. Galleycat reports the book was self-published. Fine.

But then, he went on his website and claimed the book had been selected for Oprah’s book club. And then, he went one massive step further. He even forged an interview transcript complete with stage directions and commercial breaks of his supposed interview with Oprah.

Oprah spokespeople said, “He is misrepresenting himself and he has no relationship with Oprah’s Book Club.” Schneider admitted the hoax. “I acknowledge an error in judgment,” he said.

Yet another literary hoax. And this one is so bad, in that it’s such an easy lie to disprove, that I just have to wonder what this guy was thinking? Oprah fans are fervent in their dedication. And it’s not hard to check the Oprah Book Club Selections. So how in the hell did this guy think he would get away with this?