a strange attitude to plagiarism from a publisher...

[cimorene]

You can read at fandom_wank all about how a review blog posted a big exposé of systematic plagiarism by a popular romance writer named Cassie Edwards (responsible for 100+ horrible historical Native American romance novels). They have reams of proof including side-by-side comparisons.

Here's Publisher's Weekly's slightly shorter version including the response from the publisher, Signet (a huge publisher, by the way, not some podunk outfit that wouldn't be expected to know better - not to say shouldn't, because everyone who graduates from high school should know how not to steal chunks of text verbatim from someone else). They don't think she did anything wrong. And they think it's fair use. Ooookay.

Updates from the Smart Bitch Candy blog: Heard back from Signet; Response from Edwards (she didn't know she was supposed to credit her sources!); RWA responds; Letters to the Editors (on plagiarism vs. fair use, a response to Signet).

So... wow.

I mean. Didn't know she was supposed to credit her sources? Furthermore, she apparently isn't the only one who somehow didn't know lifting passages verbatim from other works is wrong (or thought she wouldn't be caught). I'm boggled, and I can't decide if someone at the publisher honestly thinks there's nothing wrong with ripping passages out of texts like that or if it's just a really, really bizarre CYA attempt.

ETA: Signet issued a new statement.

Comments

[cimness.livejournal.com]

Yes and apparently she's a very well-liked writer! There was a thread on fw about it and at least two or three people saying they thought she was really good (I find that a little hard to believe, but I admit I'm curious to see for myself now).

Is it really all over the news? That's awesome.

[jennaria.livejournal.com]

I've read Cruisie's early books, and as I recall, a good part of her reputation was built on the fact that her books pushed the (sexual) envelope. Vanilla with chocolate swirls, so to speak. One of her heroines may even have had to decide whether to spit or swallow, as opposed to being pulled off to finish in a more traditional way.

...am not sure what it says about me that I still remember this stuff, a good ten years later.

[brownbetty]

For me, it's that she's honestly funny, in that laugh-out-loud way where if anyone asks you what you're laughing about, you end up having to read the last two chapters. But yeah, I'm pretty not thrilled about her wankiness here.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

Okay, that's helpful! I've not read Crusie to my knowledge, but I've picked up that sort of book before. Meant to appeal to the Harlequin reader who likes to think she's more modern and Cosmo-reading than ordinary Harlequins provide for, and hasn't discovered fanfiction.

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

The latest Smart Bitches post had links to USA Today and NY Times.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

*Goes to look!*