While doing some fact-checking for our next title, I came across this funny piece on how lame it is that publishers don't check the facts of their nonfiction writers. Having been a reporter and an editor before becoming a publisher, I agree. Of course, newspapers are guilty of the same crime. A couple of phone calls and a little research can go a long way (and fans of The Wire are dying to know which way it cuts for Templeton — gotta wait till Sunday).

When your subject says she was raised by wolves, it's probably worth corroborating. If she claims to be a half-native American former drug dealer for the Bloods, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out if one (or all three) of those claims are false. And if your mama says she loves you, do what a good reporter would do and check it out.