For @esquire I wrote about the state of fact checking nonfiction books & how we (writers, readers, editors, agents) should all care that it's a deeply unstable and unregulated process with no industry standards IF it happens at all (thread) https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a33577796/nonfiction-book-fact-checking-should-be-an-industry-standard/?utm_campaign=socialflowTWESQ&utm_medium=social-media&utm_source=twitter&src=socialflowTW

It was a joy to get the space from @adriennemwest to really dig into this topic over many months of reporting--the forces that keep writers of nonfiction and fact checkers disempowered and locked in this place where fact checking is seen as non essential, private, and opaque

It was a joy to learn that some imprints are finding the money to pay for fact checking-- @BoldTypeBooks @TimDugganBooks @GraywolfPress @LittleABooks --and to learn from seasoned fact checkers that fact checking is only getting cheaper

It was a joy to get to shoutout my excellent fact checker @maiahibbett and include her insights on the ways fact checkers are often underpaid and powerless in a process where fact checkers are kept separate from editors (PS HIRE HER)

In this piece I also break down how much I was paid, how much I paid my fact checker, the range of standard going rates for fact checking book length nonfiction, and the dangers (for writer and fact checker) of not signing a contract with your fact checker

I also got to speak with many authors and editors about where fact checking does and should go in the editorial process (SPOILER NO ONE KNOWS/there is no industry standard) and offer best practices from some editors/publishers who have figured it out

Publishers are offering paid fact checking to authors. This industry is changing, so fast, meaningfully. Fact checking is within our grasp--we must invest in it. Authors must insist on it, agents must negotiate for it, and editors must fight for it in house

Until then, nonfiction authors going into this process should know how much fact checking costs, where it should go in the editorial process, and the risks and power dynamics involved in hiring your own fact checker (HAVE A CONTRACT--see horror story within)

[cries]

!!