Sean McDonald
PER
Sean McDonald Sean McDonald
If anyone was in a position to know that James Frey was lying about his past in the book ''A Million Little Pieces,'' it was Sean McDonald, his editor, who worked closely with Mr. Frey not only on that book but also on the follow-up, ''My Friend Leonard,'' also now known to be largely fiction. Mr. McDonald, 33, said in an interview that certainly when we were editing the book, we would talk about what was true and what was not. In a written statement released late Thursday, Mr. McDonald said that throughout the editing process, I raised questions with James about the veracity of events he recounted in the book and in each instance he assured me that his account was accurate and true. If anyone was in a position to know that James Frey was lying about his past in the book "A Million Little Pieces," it was Sean McDonald, his editor, who worked closely with him not only on that book but also on the follow-up, "My Friend Leonard." Interviews with other authors and agents who have worked with Mr. McDonald paint a portrait of an editor who is intimately involved in every detail of a book's trip from manuscript to the bookstore. Known for combing through an author's draft line by line, Mr. McDonald even has a hand in designing the cover of many of the books he edits, and he often plays a role in planning a book's marketing.