%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
This is a continuation of my blogging here at WdC |
| Writing Scandals 7: The Salt Path Schnujo's having school probs asked me a while back about writing scandals. It still stands: What a great topic! So this is the second of the recent book scandals to have crossed my desk (I’ve always wanted to write that). A mate of mine from the UK has some what he calls “inside baseball” knowledge here. I know why and how, but promised him I wouldn’t give details… but I think an overview helps. But the scandal is nice. The Salt Path The Salt Path is a 2018 memoir by Sally Walker, writing as Raynor Winn. It detailed her and her hubby being defrauded out of money, losing their home, her husband’s diagnosis with a terminal illness and them having to walk across Britain as homeless people. In 2025, investigations revealed this was a lie. Most of the book was made up. She defrauded her employer and was forced to pay it back, which is why they lost their home. The terminal illness has not manifested itself as it should. Other details were also made up, but those two were the worst of it. Her defence was simple: it was “emotional truth.” Just because her feelings didn’t match the facts did not invalidate her memoir. I’ve written about creative non-fiction and non-fiction memoir before, but Winn/Walker insists this is true even though the facts don’t match because, as her emotions are involved, it cannot be anything else. The ramifications of the revelation of the truth of the matter are still being felt for Winn, as she is now seen in some circles as a liar, pure and simple, making herself look better when she was the criminal, and by others as a seeker of “deeper truth.” But what this scandal has done is it has made publishers and readers look at memoir more critically. It is not the first memoir to be caught out filled with crap (see any autobiography by Hulk Hogan), but because of the nature of what she spoke of, it has really upset people. Death threats have been issued. Charities have dropped her. And it appears she has been forced to move house. In 2025, the number of memoirs accepted by UK publishers dropped by a whopping 30%, and it can all be traced back to fears of having a repeat of this scandal. While the book sold well, and even had a film or mini-series made of it, the publishing firm, Penguin (who are also the owner of Del Rey, see the last entry), have lost some of their prestige. So, how did I get some inside knowledge? My author friend knows one of the journalists who started to break the case in 2024 and knows them very well. This journo hates Winn, reckons she is so arrogant, and she still thinks the reality of the situation is not as important as how she felt. Apparently he never wanted to slap someone so hard. And he’s met EL James! |
un: 
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Community Feed
Puzzle Hub
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
