When I started writing books for the general public (“trade books”, as they call them), I was surprised to find out that I alone was responsible for the accuracy of their content. While publishers do have their legal departments vet books that may violate laws against libel, or cause other legal troubles, publishers have neither the time nor the money to have books thoroughly fact-checked. This is one reason why authors put references for many factual statements at the end of the book, as I did with my two.
Even so, errors slip in, and sometimes those errors are numerous. A new piece in the New York Times cites some serious or numerous mistakes in popular books. Here are four that are highlighted:
Accusations of sloppiness and journalistic malpractice now quickly explode on social media. Ms. [Jill] Abramson was pilloried on Twitter by sources and other journalists this year for…
View original post 1,184 more words
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
Recent Comments