Shannon Stacey


Just Say No To Plagiarism

I guess since my blog is fixed now I may as well weigh in on the topic currently burning up Romanceland—the blatant, *cough*alleged*cough* acts of plagiarism on the part of Cassie Edwards. For linkage I’ll just point you to Dear Author and the Smart Bitches. I’m not linking to any specific post because it’s pretty much All Cassie All the Time, and if you’re reading this six months from now, we’ve probably moved on.

First, let me say I don’t believe this is going to be more than an insignificant little speed bump in her career. Why?

1. I’d guess the overwhelming majority of her readers will never even know about this. And…

2. There isn’t an aggrieved author siccing lawyers on anybody. And…

3. She’s money in the bank. When you get your own quarter-shelf at Wal-Mart which holds multiple copies of multiple books, you’ve got juice. And TPTB know that, without that violated author demanding restitution, all they have to do is wait a few days and we’ll all get distracted by the next blog shitstorm in the pipe.

It’s disheartening, really. I read my share of Cassie Edwards books way back in the day. Loved me some savage passion. But then I guess you could say I outgrew it, and I’m certainly not coming at this from a betrayed fan angle.

But this was an author that, though she didn’t write books to my taste, I looked up to. Not for her prose or grammar, but for the fact this woman consistently, over many years and 100 books, provided her readers with the stories they loved. That’s an achievement worth striving for.

Except…she’s her books are frauds. *cough*allegedly*cough* And, while I wouldn’t say she’s been a rolemodel, per se, it’s—to be blunt—freakin’ depressing.

My understanding is that at least one of the works she plagiarized from is still protected by the copyright, so I hope an author will come out of the woodwork and make her and her publishers take this more seriously.

EDITED TO ADD: And of course the second I post my opinion this is going to stay under the radar of most of her readers and her career will emerge unscathed, I find out cnn.com’s got the story. (GO NORA! :cheer: ) This is one of those times I’d love to be wrong.

6 comments to “Just Say No To Plagiarism”

  1. Bev Stephans
    Comment
    1
      · January 11th, 2008 at 10:26 am · Link

    I think this is one time the shitstorm may take longer to calm down. I understand that even the Canadian Press has picked it up. I won’t go into it any further here as I have posted on Dear Author and The Smart Bitches.

    Plagiarism can’t be tolerated :rulez:



  2. kate r
    Comment
    2
      · January 11th, 2008 at 12:34 pm · Link

    what you said, shannon. depressing indeed.



  3. Emma Wayne Porter
    Comment
    3
      · January 11th, 2008 at 1:50 pm · Link

    All seriousness aside, I’m just sitting here grinning that SBTB got a link in the AP story.

    Is that wrong of me?



  4. Shannon
    Comment
    4
      · January 11th, 2008 at 5:41 pm · Link

    I think it’s awesome!

    AND to the people who said the ladies from Smart Bitches and Dear Author shouldn’t have been at RWA Nats because they’re not “professionals”— :neener:



  5. Natalie J. Damschroder
    Comment
    5
      · January 11th, 2008 at 6:14 pm · Link

    I read a headline in Publishers Marketplace so I did Google News and read a couple of the articles in the regular news. I don’t read SB or DA as a general rule. So I only saw a couple of examples and nothing of the brouhaha, and I don’t have an opinion on the main issue.

    But honestly, the thought that crossed my mind when I read the examples? Why does the origin and composition of a root digger need to be described in such exhaustive detail in a novel in the first place?

    Anyway, this is why I avoid research, which is easiest when you make up everything possible. :)



  6. Shannon
    Comment
    6
      · January 11th, 2008 at 6:43 pm · Link

    Natalie, my husband and I were talking about that. Who the hell wants to read a romance with so many paragraphs of non-fiction reference material?

    Well, apparently many people, but none I know personally.

    Reasons to be a fiction writer…

    1. Working in pajamas

    2. Making shit up.







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