I don't know if this has been discussed here but it might be of interest for people who are self-publishing:

http://www.fastcompany.com/1807211/amazons-plagiarism-problem

The article is about people taking someone else's stories from online sites (mostly Literotica) and then selling them as their own e-books.

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I'm shocked--shocked I tells ya!  Here's a case where, under SOPA, a single complaint by a person who believed their work was being pirated could shut down the entire site.  I suspect that in the not-too-distant future folks who self-pub on Amazon will have to prove they own the rights to the work--and that won't necessarily be an uncomplicated process.

By "the site" do you mean Amazon? I wonder how many of the re-sellers (or sellers, I guess as most of the stories were originally given away for free) are based in the USA?

SOPA could be a real problem as it tries to solve issues like this with its one size fits all solution. Though I'm sure those bastards at Amazon have a loophole built in.

John's comment is interesting in light of SOPA. I don't know that much about it, but I suspect an American author could have their American site shut down without having to prove the plagiarist was an American, just that Amazon had sold the ersatz book. The international trade implications are intriguing.

Erotica is a dirty business.  I've been sort of appalled how many erotica authors appear on web sites, talking up their wares as if they were serious novels.  The fact is that electronic publishing is made for erotica (call it pornography), because it allows addicts to indulge themselves in the privacy of their homes.  It's a very, very good business.  Both men and women are addicted to those guilty pleasures, and most wouldn't hang out in those sleazy bookstores that used to keep this crap in the dark back corners of their stores, where men would pour over pages while turning their backs on regular shoppers.  (Yes, I investigated what was so fascinating back there). The woman in the article suppresses her name because her job and private life would be compromised if people knew.  Many romance authors were headed that way a long time ago, which makes me think that women are a sizable segment of the erotica-buying public.

And now they scream plagiarism.  It's almost funny!

Oh, I.J., I have this picture of you walking to the back of the sleazy bookstore to find out what all those men were doing. LOL

Me, too, Jack--and it's kind of turning me on...

Kidding!

I.J. or the line of men?

Any answer I gave would be WAY too much sharing, Jack.

Laughing!

I did, too.  I love used book stores (well I did before I became an author).  And that's how I discovered that very secretive (back in those days) field of literature. 

But seriously--I don't have a problem with fictional erotica/porn.  It has a long and wonderfully sordid history, of course, and unlike the film version no one's being exploited, except maybe the reader.  I'm not entirely joking when I say I'm considering dabbling in the biz as a way of generating some extra income.  Take THAT, Scott Walker!

I don't know why but that reminds me of Georges Simenon. Or maybe I'm thinking of someone else. Isn't he the one who initially aspired to be a priest, but began writing detective stories, discovered women and supposedly bedded 10,000 of them?  Oops, maybe that was Wilt Chamberlain. But he didn't write detective stories, he dunked basketballs.

With apologies for the digression ...

Yeah every time I get online now a SP author, mainly one writing in erotica is saying someone has stolen their work.

That's the risk of self-publishing because you lack protection you have with a pub. At least when you have a pub and someone steals your work you got someone that's gonna fight for you. No publisher is gonna let someone screw around with books they publish.


It's getting out of hand and I can't say I am shocked because this was bound to happen as more and more people turn to Kindle publishing.

http://www.stacy-deanne.net

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