Friday, April 29, 2011

Copying is the New Writing

When a man lies, he murders some part of the world. ~Rospo Pallenberg and John Boorman, Excalibur, based on Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory

My week is almost over... can we all say HALLALUJAH!!?!!

DH is feeling pretty dang good, to the point where he is making noises about playing hockey tonight (or at least skating in the warm-ups). I told him what I thought of that idea, but we all know how well he listens...

Weatherwise, we're going to have an amazing weekend. I imagine I won't be on the computer as much as I should and it might even mean the inaugural fishing trip on the boat.

On the writing / publishing front, one of Samhain's authors, J. L. Langley, was plagiarized recently. Thankfully, it was caught and reported and the other publisher removed the work immediately. While reading the comments on Teddy Pig's blog, I saw a publisher comment that they had to pull 30 books from an author because they discovered that at least one of the books was plagiarized, and so couldn't assume the others weren't as well.

What are people thinking? It's a bit mind-boggling, especially when they opt to copy a well known author (and J. L. Langley is well known in her genre). Reminds me of when Janet Dailey (who was formerly one of my favorite authors of all time, but who I will not touch with a 40 foot pole now) copied several works by Nora Roberts. NORA ROBERTS.

Frustrating to say the least. Especially since Janet Dailey actually got a new contract from Kensington AFTER all this happened.

:::shakes it off:::

For now, I shall enjoy my weekend, and hope that Monday comes quickly. I'm ready for a return to routine.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend -- who has big plans?

==========================




You Are Spring



You can't help but be influenced by the world around you. You are open to change and growth.

You are optimistic and trusting. You expect the best from people and usually get it.

You are autonomous and fulfilled. You know how to make yourself happy.

You are sweet and angelic. You try your best to never harm or hurt others in any way.



Um ... no. While I DO love spring, the description of me is so far off as to be laughable.

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5 comments:

Angelina Rain said...

I heard of that plagiarism story. It really annoyed me that some people blamed the other publisher. The publisher has no way of knowing if a work is original or plagiarized. They don’t read everything ever published and don’t remember it all.

I’ve heard of the Janet/Nora case. I’m a fan of Nora’s books but have never read anything by Janet. I’ve always wanted to find out which books by Janet were plagiarized. I’ve always wanted to compare the similarities.

As for weekend plans, I hope you have fun. I have plans that look like they are going to blow up in my face. My spoiled stepdaughter’s birthday is Sunday, and so is my old high school friend’s baby shower. They are both at the same time. I can’t be in two places at once, and I really want to go to the baby shower, but my husband wants me to be at my stepdaughter’s birthday. Also, most of the family isn’t showing up for the birthday. They’re boycotting because my stepdaughter pulled such a stunt on Easter that the family thinks she doesn’t deserve a birthday party this year. They think my hubby should punish her by skipping her birthday, and I agree with them. The stunt she pulled is unacceptable and if she were my kid, she’d be grounded for a year. Anyway, so I’ll stay for the birthday and then as soon as it’s half way over I’ll go to the baby shower, at least that’s the plan. I know my hubby well enough to know he’s going to throw a fit the instant I try to leave. So yeah, my weekend looks down right painful.

Brandy said...

I can't believe in this day and age of electronic resource someone believes they can get away with plagiarism. I won't touch Janet Daily's books, either and thank goodness I was informed of her gall in plagiarizing Nora Roberts so I could NOT support her books. (Thank you Marianne! *G*)


You Are Autumn
You are thoughtful and warm-hearted. You get the most in life from giving back.
You are people focused and extroverted. You know what's going on in everyone else's life.
You are needed and wanted. People truly value you, and you would be missed if you weren't around.
You are caring and compassionate. Your heart goes out to the world.

Pretty close. Except the extroverted part.

I hope your DH listens to you and eases up on using his injured ankle for a bit longer. Best wishes for a sunny weekend!

Tori Lennox said...

Add me to the list of people who won't touch Janet Dailey with a 10 foot pole. Stupid woman.

MJFredrick said...

I just don't get why people plagiarize. I mean, Janet Dailey said she was under a lot of stress to produce, but this woman was a debut author, wasn't she? Why sell something that is not yours? I don't even cannibalize my own stuff because it doesn't fit the characters. Why be a writer if you're going to copy someone else's words. I get nervous even having the same idea!

Dru said...

I won't read anything of Janet either. The nerve, plagiarizing Nora.

Have a good weekend.