Heroic Fact Checking

John Hodgman, about his books of made-up facts, answering the question about fact-checking his book:

In book publishing, we have no fact checkers, so this rarely comes into play. They are happy to let the author lie and withstand the consequences. But the proofreader can be tricky. On my first book, my poor proofreader had no idea that my book was all made up, and she heroically attempted to correct the record on, say, U.S. Presidents who had hooks for hands, until about page 100, when she got it. By the second book, she had become an invaluable resource and aid in helping me fabricate a world. Her name is Rachelle Mandik, and I am grateful.

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2008/11/the-exchange-jo.html#entry-more