Comments on: PENGUIN PUBLISHING PLAGIARISED BOOKS

By: helgaleena

helgaleena — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 23:39:13 +0000

Aphrodites Apples Press, where I work, is having a field day with this. Some of our authors have been victims of plagiarism and take it extremely seriously.

And some of us hate to see ferrets dragged through the muckraking; the darlings don’t deserve it.

By: Ros

Ros — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 21:36:18 +0000

Deb, thank you for your comments. However, I think you’ll notice that in my post, and in the letter I sent to Penguin, that my concern is much less with Ms. Edwards herself than it is with her editors and publishers. Their negligence and their cavalier attitude to plagiarism is the issue.

I’m pleased that in their most recent response, Signet appear to be taking the matter more seriously.

By: Deb Smith

Deb Smith — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 21:32:38 +0000

Since I’m in the publishing business it worries me to see an author raked over the coals based on some very ignorant comments about copyright law. I don’t know Cassie Edwards and don’t read her books; however, the quoting of reference materials in novels is commonplace and is NOT illegal or even considered unethical. “Facts” can’t be copyrighted. If you read an encyclopedia entry about, say, worms, and it says ‘worms slither in a bi-lateral way,” and you put that fact in your novel, you are NOT stealing from the worm writer, LOL. Whether Ms. Edwards did anything that goes beyond the accepted “fair use” of research sources, I don’t know — no one knows, at this point, and that’s why it’s so disturbing to watch her work and her career being trashed. Everyone’s assuming that she “stole” research material and did it in a knowing, malicious and greedy way. I highly doubt that. there are so many gray areas in copyright law and so many questionable ways to handle the issue. Even most editors can’t navigate the minefields of the law and the ethics. I’m giving Cassie Edwards the benefit of the doubt. My guess is that she sincerely DID NOT REALIZE she was getting close to the line in terms of quoting source material — just like a college student writing a term paper based on published material. Please, please, hold off on the “guilty first, proven innocent later” mentality. For one thing, the bloggers who launched this attack on her are known for gleefully malicious attacks on authors in general, and they had already made it clear that they dislike Ms. Edward’s books. It’s one thing to dislike what an author writes; quite another thing to attack her or him publicly without all the facts.

By: Foolish Sage

Foolish Sage — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 16:14:26 +0000

Thanks for the clarification, Shawna. That’s good to hear. Perhaps my cynicism comes from the fact that the only romance novels I’ve ever actually looked at were “Christian”

By: Jonathan Bailey

Jonathan Bailey — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 09:49:48 +0000

I can’t say that this revelation surprises me all that much. No legal recourse to get sued for, no living author to make a lot of fuss and relatively little-known books plagiarized from.

There isn’t much here that can really hurt their bottom line so, from a pure dollar perspective, there isn’t a reason not to move forward. Ethics are well and good, that is until they cost something.

I can’t say that I’m surprised by this at all. I wish I could, but I can’t…

By: Shawna

Shawna — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 06:18:16 +0000

I am an avid reader of the romance genre, as well as sci-fi and fantasy adventure. There are many fantastic romance novelists in the world who’s stories are engaging, evocative, and absolutely fascinating. Please don’t tar all romance novelists with the Cassie Edwards brush.

By: Talula

Talula — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 01:42:06 +0000

I have read one of Ms. Edwards books. Bought because I THOUGHT it might at least read a little like historical fiction, but noooo—–more like absolute trash — I wouldn’t even call it worth the label of “romance genre”. I read very little of those type ;but like some escapism on plane flights (easy to put down to nap or when interuppted). since she didn’t seem to know how to write very well at all – I don’t doubt the plagiarism report at all.

By: Ros

Ros — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 22:10:56 +0000

Exactly my point, Mark. I’d read romance novels if they weren’t so badly written most of the time. But apparently the mere fact that I like stories with ridiculous plots and guaranteed happy endings must mean that I am incapable of noticing poor grammar or plagiarised text. Huh.

By: Foolish Sage

Foolish Sage — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 22:04:53 +0000

“Because Ms. Edwards is writing in a particular genre, it seems that rights of her readers to expect original (and good quality) prose are ignored.”

???????

We are talking the romance genre here, right?

hehehehehe

By: Ros

Ros — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 19:32:32 +0000

Angie, I think you’ve found your way to making millions!!! This is hilarious. I keep wanting to quote my favourite bits, but they’re all favourite bits.