When an author plans to write a definitive biography on a living subject, the first thing he does, or at least the first thing I usually do, is reach out to the person.
Even if you anticipate a lack of cooperation, it shows a level of humanity, of decency. Plus, once you start calling former teammates, old girlfriends, long-lost teachers and coaches and camp counselors, it allows you to answer the inevitable “Does [FILL IN THE BLANK PERSON] know you’re writing about him?” with a sincere (if not a tad wobbly) “Yes. Yes, he does.”
