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🚨 Tiffany Haddish's first memoir, "The Last Black Unicorn," led to a defamation lawsuit from her ex-husband. This experience offers valuable insights for authors and professionals in the publishing industry: • Tiffany claims editors changed details without her knowledge. • She reportedly didn't notice the changes until reading for the audiobook. • She claims she never stated that her ex-husband abused her. While it could be true, I find it very difficult to believe. Either way, here are some critical lessons for all stakeholders in the publishing industry: Authors • Meticulously review every draft, especially the final manuscript. • Clearly communicate personal boundaries and sensitive topics to editors. • Consider legal consultation for memoirs containing potentially controversial content. Editors • Maintain transparent, ongoing communication with authors. • Document all significant changes and obtain explicit author approval. • Exercise extreme caution when editing sensitive or personal narratives. Publishers • Implement robust fact-checking and legal review processes. • Establish clear guidelines for handling sensitive content in memoirs. • Develop a system for final author approval before publication. Readers • Approach memoirs with a critical eye, understanding the complexities of personal narratives. • Recognize that memoirs may contain unintentional inaccuracies or editorial changes. Legal teams • Conduct thorough reviews of memoirs, particularly those involving public figures. • Advise on potential legal risks and mitigation strategies. Tiffany's second memoir was released last month, likely with heightened attention to these issues. Would you purchase it knowing this? Heather Asiyanbi, what are your thoughts?
Latosha Cox
1mo
Thanks Elona Washington, MSM for uplifting the facts & gems! Speak and write your truth, but let it be truth!
Heather Asiyanbi
1mo
So … as an editor, it’s also on us to perform fact-checking by asking for sources, primary documents, names and contact information of parties who can contribute to the narrative by corroborating the author.
Workplace trauma lawyer. I help with “escape planning” to ensure your safe exit from a toxic workplace. Abolish NDAs and non-disparagement clauses. Allergic to BS. I often block jerks.
1moAuthor here to say that not only do you make sure they don't add BS (I didn't even know this was possible!) you object to a changed sentence structure you don't like. Comma in wrong place because copyeditor got too excited? Nope fix it. And as a reader if I see one fact I happen to know is wrong, I stop reading because now I know cannot trust anything.