Entering the Market Frey - When Bad is Good

I have often argued that eventually a person's behavior catches up in all sorts of ways. But the case of James Frey leaves me scratching my head. As the New York Times reports:

James Frey, the author who admitted making up portions of his best-selling memoir “A Million Little Pieces,” has signed a new book deal for his novel “Bright Shiny Morning,” with HarperCollins. The dollar figure was not disclosed.

Maybe he's turned over a new leaf. Maybe publishers can trust him now that they're willing to run out and out fiction, and not make the kinds of demands that sometimes drive ambitious, hungry, or needy writers into fabrication. Then again, here's the end of that article:

Reached by telephone before the announcement, Mr. Frey denied rumors that he had sold a short story collection, saying, “I have never written a short story in my life.”

But Mr. Frey published a short story last fall in a catalog for an exhibition by Malerie Marder, a Los Angeles-based artist.

Then again, maybe not.