Publisher cuts loose author Frey

Author James Frey, who admitted last month that he made up much of his bestselling memoir “A Million Little Pieces,” has been dropped by his publisher, Riverhead Books, Frey’s representative said Thursday.

Frey’s unmasking and public confession to Oprah Winfrey, whose endorsement catapulted the drug-rehab memoir to the top of the bestseller list, has rocked the U.S. publishing industry, stirring debate about the nature of memoirs and the importance of accuracy.

After writing “A Million Little Pieces” for Random House, Frey moved with his editor Sean McDonald to Penguin imprint Riverhead Books, which last June published his second book, “My Friend Leonard.” Riverhead then contracted Frey to write two more books, one of them a novel, for an undisclosed sum.

Penguin said last month that that deal was “under discussion” and Frey’s representative, Lisa Kussell, said Thursday that the deal had been canceled. She declined to provide details. Penguin spokesman David Zimmer declined to comment.