Legend in His Own Mind: Local Author Lies About Being on Oprah

Update: Schneider has just resigned as Provincetown's administrative director of tourism.

No matter how good of a fiction writer you are, you don't want to lie to or about Oprah Winfrey because the wrath of Oprah will bite you in the ass. Bill Schneider, an author and P-Town's administrative director of tourism, might be feeling that wrath soon after he got caught lying that his book was picked by Oprah's book club.

Schneider really threw himself into the fantasy and wrote a transcript of an interview with Oprah for his website. He even told the Dig when they pressed him on it, "your whole life changes after Oprah." Once he got caught, he admitted to an "error in judgment." He did not admit to having an extremely exciting fantasy life.

Schneider self-published "Crossed Paths," which should send up a warning flag – not because it is self-published but because a book usually needs the huge PR machine of a big publishing house or the weight of "the literary canon" behind it to wind up on Oprah's Book Club list in the first place.

Schneider sold the Cape Codder on his story for a brief time. On July 26, they ran a story about how Schneider was on "Oprah." When reporter Steve Desroches asked Schneider how many copies he had sold, Schneider said, "A lot." Desroches noted that Schneider was "sheepish and blushing" during the interview. Wonder why?

Bill Schneider better watch his back. He doesn't want the wrath of Oprah coming down on him. Screengrab of Debra Wilson as a very angry, punch-throwing Oprah from Mad TV. Catch the whole video here.