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Recently I read a book of great interest to me that received a number of shining reviews by writers who knew and helped the author. This is a conflict of interest. Although writers who are expert in their fields are often asked to review books (for example: American Indian wars, golden age of Hollywood), they should speak up if they have a conflict. This has become more prevalent with online reviews (at such sites as http://www.amazon.com). “Hell, why can’t I help my friend?” Simple; your review is biased. 

    The book I mentioned will remain nameless, as will the author’s name. It’s not because I want to protect what I consider a travesty of words that oftentimes is fiction … no, rather it’s because I have no desire to generate controversy, which in turn might spike book sales. Fortunately hero-worshipping readers still exist (although they are a dying breed), but, alas, many of these readers bow to the mighty word—if it is printed, it must be true. A respected author I know once published a book that claimed Billy the Kid was not gunned down by Pat Garrett in 1881 and lived into the 20th century. “Is this true?” I asked. “No.” “Then why?” “It’ll make money.” Another writer (once revered/now considered a fraud whose work can’t be trusted) felt other historians were stealing his material without citing his work and began filtering untruths into his books (he also wrote about famed pistoleers in the 19th century), and lo and behold his lies began appearing in other nonfiction books (without citing him). Boy, did the rotten eggs fly when everything hit the fan. 

    I’m not a critic and have no intention of writing a critique. What follows is geared toward writers of nonfiction. You’ve probably heard it all before, but a simple rehash might be worth the retelling. 

    When you use notes, you have two responsibilities—ensure the reader can identify and find your sources if so desired, and ensure that the cited material is accurate and supports the text in your book. Don’t assume that no one will check your accuracy. 

    Carrying this thought one step further, when you quote people (for example, pirate Francis Drake or actor James Franco), the quotes must be accurate. By that I mean don’t get sloppy and misquote, or create quotes from scratch (and then list an obscure source that no one will look for, or worse … doesn’t exist). Again, don’t assume that no one will check your accuracy. 

    Never attempt to recreate your subject matter’s thought process … unless you have proof that is without reproach. For example, you can’t have Abraham Lincoln thinking about becoming intimate with the female lead in the play he watched at Ford’s Theatre on the evening of April 14, 1865. He didn’t share that thought—if he had it—with anyone. That is, unless you are able to find a hidden note by Mary damning her dying husband for his disloyalty in his final hours. You won’t find it, so don’t create it. Trust me, your fiction will jump off the page at the readers you most care about, and they will talk about it. 

    Don’t attempt to prove something by association, such as guilt, if there is absolutely no basis in fact to the association. For example, you can’t quote actress Olivia de Havilland tearing into actor Ralph Richardson for attempting to upstage her in The Heiress (1949) and use her quote about Richardson to prove that Errol Flynn attempted to upstage her in Dodge City (1939). Your best readers won’t be fooled, and again will talk about what they read. 

    If your manuscript is placed with a legitimate publishing house, you will not only work with a copy editor, you will need to agree to the copy edits or change them. If a regional press (or a subsidiary press) is printing your work and your editor is your spouse or the guy you used to play basketball with when you were a kid, it is your responsibility to request and review the proofs. Your responsibility! If your book is error-riddled for any reason, there is only one person to blame—you. 

    It’s your manuscript and ultimately your book. Only one person gets the credit—you. Conversely, only one person gets the blame—you. You owe it to yourself to get it right. You are the bottom line, the expert, and the weight of how accurate your words are rest on your shoulders. Get it right, no matter the cost in time, for the results will be rewarding. If not, you could stare disaster in the face—do you want to be the writer who wrote about John Lennon claiming he helped form the Rolling Stones and died when a private plane he piloted crashed off the coast of San Diego in 1990? Farfetched? You bet. But a possibility if you depend upon secondary sources without looking at primary sources (and then don’t check and compare your primary sources). 

    If you are going to write about John Lennon and his murder, you need to look at every angle of what happened on that tragic day in December 1980. You must know the details backwards and forwards. More importantly, as you study the facts, you must not let pre-conceived ideas of his death influence how you view the material. You must weigh everything before you draw your conclusions and decide what happened. This can be hard, for sometimes it is hell to change a premise. Never fabricate and twist information to save a faulty premise. 

    Don’t rush to complete your manuscript, check, double-check, and check again your facts. This is just the beginning, for nonfiction writing is rewriting, rewriting, and rewriting as often as needed so your readers understand exactly what you are saying. You don’t want to put them to sleep after a page or two. You want your readers to turn pages, just like they would for their favorite novelists. To do this, you must caress your words until they flow easily on the page and grab your readers, forcing them to keep reading. Trust me, this is exactly what your editor wants (if you are going to be late with a deadline, be up front with him—he’s on your side). 

    A well-researched book can and will open doors for you. An error-riddled book will garner hushed talked behind your back, which in turn will close those same doors you want to open.