Sunday, August 18, 2013

Hey! Waiter! Someone stole my story!

I woke up to a very unpleasant shock on Thursday morning. A sharp-eyed reader (thanks, Arthur), sent me a message, via Goodreads, asking if I'd rewritten my free short story, Tumbleweed, under a different pen name. When I had a look at the link that I'd been sent, I started shaking. Yep, it was that big of a jolt. Someone had taken the story that I'd written for the Goodreads M/M Romance Group 'Love is Always Write' event, moved the setting from Arizona to Yorkshire, changed the names, embellished it and has had it published by a reputable UK publisher of Erotica. Not only that, but the author had given one of the main character's my pen name. That, in particular, was a slap in the face.

I had a look at the sample pages on Amazon and my own lines jumped out at me. Lines I'd written, taken care with, polished and published. My friend, who'd edited my original story, bought a copy of the offending book and started doing a line by line comparison, highlighting the lines that had been stolen. She gave up after 11 pages because the similarities were glaringly obvious. Those 11 pages are more yellow than white.

Knowing that I had more than enough grounds for complaint, I informed the publisher of a copyright infringement and attached the highlighted copy of my manuscript. Fortunately, they responded almost immediately, promised to keep me informed and they did. The book has been temporarily removed from sale pending a full investigation.

I feel happy that the publisher has responded so quickly and I hope that the author, whoever they are, get their arse kicked from here to kingdom come. I have no idea who they are. There's no blog, nothing in the online searches to show that they made any kind of effort to promote that book, which strikes me as peculiar. There's no one I can hit out at, and perhaps that's a good thing. I am still angry that someone had the brass-balled ignorance to steal my words and make money out of something that was free. Was it because Tumbleweed was free that the thief decided it was fair game? Did they like my writing so much that they wanted to claim it as their own? Is it some twisted fan-fic? What?

In spite of plenty of one-star reviews on Goodreads, the plagiarist (let's not beat around the bush here, that's what he/she/it is), has yet to come forward and deny it, or say anything. Has their mission been accomplished? Steal a book, piss off the author, get some attention? Are they sitting in their mother's basement wanking off to the fuss and excitement? I hope they're laid up in bed with an unpleasant genital complaint.

I feel angry, violated, impotent. I can't fight someone who's too gutless to own up to their actions. It's too easy to create a fake persona these days. I may never know who did it. I hate that.

By the way, if you want to read the original, it's here


17 comments:

  1. It makes me bloody sick that book-thieving gits steal authors' work. And the fact you're my friend makes it even worse.

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    1. And me. I did feel sick. Now I'm just angry. :(

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  2. I am appalled by what happened to you. Future wankers like this one should be aware that the m/m fans are loyal and supportive, and anyone trying to steal the words you have lovingly created WIL BE FOUND OUT and shamed!

    And I'd seriously like whoever this knob is to spend a weekend with Auntie Lisa so I could kick the shit out of him!

    *hugs*

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    1. Haa! Haa! I'd like the knob to spend the weekend with Auntie Lisa too. I think that would cure them once and for all.

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  3. So sorry that has happened to you. I am a firm believer in that what goes around comes around and hope the thief gets what is coming to them very quickly indeed.

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    1. Thanks. I'm also a great believer in karma. I hope they pay for this.

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  4. I have heard a few of these stories recently and they are all terrible. The fact that your work was done for a 'love has no boundaries' event, and the plagiarist had it published is just over the top. What a horrible person! I am so sorry this happened to you. :(

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    1. I suspect that it's because it is a 'free' story that the plagiarist considered it 'fair game'. :(

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  5. I am so very sorry someone did this to you and I'm glad the publisher is investigating. Hopefully, they'll do the right thing. Makes me wonder how many other stories of that author were borrowed from somewhere else...

    The more I hear about these things, the more I worry that someone will swipe my work and try to sell it as their own. Yikes.

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    1. I'm glad the publisher is taking this seriously too. It'll be interesting to see what happens and I hope it's resolved soon.

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  6. Sooooo sorry to hear of this horrible deception!! And I'm really happy the publishers took immediate action!

    I've read most of your (SA Meade) books, so I think I know how you write - and if ever I come across something even remotely similar, I know I will kick up a fuss!

    This type of deed is incredibly stupid (in this day and age of M/M romance fans); so I know we will ALL pick it up. I really liked your LiAW story, so it's disconcerting enough to find that idiots can TRY to fool us fans! I really, really, hate this type of thing.

    *Hugs* and *cuddles*
    Carole-Ann

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Let's start again.
      Thanks, Carole-Ann. :)
      There seems to be a lot of it around at the moment. I just am unsettled by how blatant this is.
      I am so grateful to readers. I go around in a clueless haze most of the time and if I hadn't been told, I would've never known. Crazy.

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  7. What an awful thing to happen! It is a violation and, like you said, theft. The internet has obviously been a very good thing for publishing but there are bound to be issues too.
    The fake persona/internet troll element turns my stomach. I had an unpleasant experience on Facebook not long after I'd set up my account. Even as adults, it seems that none of us are safe.
    Thankfully, this time, the creep has been caught out.

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    1. People seem to think they can get away with anything when they're hidden behind the safety of a computer screen. It's worrying. :(

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  8. *huge hugs* I really don't get how someone can, with no stinging of their conscience, claim someone else's work is theirs and then charge for it. It's the lowest form of douchebaggery - forget what they say about the highest form of flattery.

    I hope that so-called 'author' gets tarred and feathered, though I guess he'll just switch to another pen name. If only there was a way to combat this shit. :/

    Ugh - I'm shaking my metaphorical fist at the injustice.

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  9. Hi, i looked up your blog because i am only now reading the goodreads anthology. While reading your story i realized i have read it before; set in the UK. And i wanted to know if you wrote both (could not remember the other title). Am sorry this happened to you. Hope it got sorted out.

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