Penguin Group
ORG
Penguin Group Penguin
Talese's imprint, Mr. McDonald announced his move to Riverhead Books, a division of the Penguin Group, shortly before ''A Million Little Pieces'' was published. At Penguin, he bought and edited Mr. Frey's second book, ''My Friend Leonard'', and he agreed to purchase two more books one of them a novel by Mr. Frey. His statements are important because they reflect on whether he or his bosses at Penguin were aware of Mr. Frey's deceptions when they signed the new contract with Mr. Frey. Statements of Sean McDonald are important because they reflect on whether he or his bosses at Penguin Group were aware of James Frey's deceptions when they signed the new contract with him late last year. If Mr. Frey were found to have misrepresented himself during the negotiations, Penguin might have reason to void the contracts. The Smoking Gun first revealed Mr. Frey's deceptions and confronted him with evidence that his book was false. According to the article, Mr. Frey told the Smoking Gun reporters that the encounter had left him so rattled that he hired Los Angeles attorney Martin Singer, who sent a letter to The Smoking Gun threatening to sue if its article falsely states or implies that his client is a liar. Now that Mr. Frey has admitted his fabrications, Penguin has voiced doubts about the future of "My Friend Leonard" and the two additional books.