An E-Newsletter of Profitable Advice about Writing
To Increase Your Personal and Professional Success
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| September 2010
Volume III, Issue 9
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"The Write Stuff!"
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| Writing, Ghostwriting, Editing & Publishing Services
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My office is conveniently located on an island in the Atlantic Ocean. |
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Sarah Buell Dowling
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Steal This Book!
You're no doubt on guard against identity theft, but as a writer you also need to protect yourself from theft of your intellectual property. We'll discuss that topic in this month's newsletter.
In this issue of The Write Stuff I'll also give you a link to an interesting article about self-publishing, and you'll get to test your grammar knowledge with my famous grammar quiz. Enjoy reading about writing!
Michael J. Dowling
Professional Writer, Ghostwriter, Editor & Publisher |
Steal This Book!
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| In the tumultuous 1960s, radical
Abbie Hoffman wrote a "manual of survival in the prison that is Amerika" that "shows you where
exactly how to place the dynamite that will destroy the walls." The title of his book was, appropriately, Steal This Book.
I don't know how many took Hoffman's
advice and stole copies of his book from bookstore shelves, but it appears that nobody
stole the rights to the book itself. More than 200,000 copies have been sold to date, and it's
still available on Amazon.com.
Fortunately, Abbie's ideas no longer occupy center stage. However, the title of his book serves as a good springboard for this month's topic: theft of intellectual property.
The case of the "stolen" book
One of my ghostwriting
clients is a helpful, out-going person. (Actually, all of my clients are wonderful people!) So, when someone asked this client if he would be willing to get together to share ideas, he readily agreed. It turned out, however,
that this person who said he wanted to swap ideas was much more interested in stealing ideas. He asked lots of questions, especially about one of the books I had helped my client write and publish.
A few months later, as my client
was browsing in an airport bookstore, he noticed a book that was
remarkably similar to his. Upon closer examination, it turned out that the author was the same individual who had pumped my client for information!
"Have
any of your writings been plagiarized?"
The above query was posted recently by someone in an online group of writers and editors. Judging from the responses, plagiarism is rampant.
Some of the respondents reported that whole chapters from their books had
been lifted. Others said that websites and online e-zines routinely published their articles
without compensating them, and sometimes without even giving them attribution.
If you're a writer or aspiring writer, it pays to be somewhat cautious. However, being careful does not mean being paranoid. The vast majority of
people are not out to steal from you.
What
can you do to prevent piracy?
Frankly, it's very difficult to
completely protect yourself. But here are a few things you can do to minimize
the risks:
- Share your ideas only with people you trust.
- Ask for a non-disclosure/non-compete agreement when working with
a ghostwriter or editor.
- File for copyright protection with the United States
Copyright Office. (By the way, this protects only the expression of ideas and not the ideas themselves.)
- Maximize the marketing impact of your book and
articles from the outset.
The client
I mentioned above actually had no interest in getting his book in bookstores. He wrote it primarily to use as a personal calling
card with clients and potential clients. However, if you plan to distribute your book widely, it's advisable to have your marketing program in place before your book is published, so you will gain maximum advantage from it right off the press.
What
can you do if your manuscript is "stolen"?
Unfortunately, your options are quite
limited. In order to successfully sue, you need deep pockets and you must present
clear evidence that you have been monetarily damaged. Since these are two high
hurdles, typically the most practical action is to write a "cease and desist" letter
to the perpetrator.
Another "Stolen" Book Episode
While researching this article on Amazon.com, I learned that many people who bought Steal This Book also bought The Anarchist Cookbook. Curious, I looked to see what people had to say about this "cookbook."
The first comment happened to be written by the author himself. It was so encouraging, I've reprinted most of it below:
I have recently been made aware of several websites that
focus on The Anarchist Cookbook. As the author of the original publication some
30 plus years ago, it is appropriate for me to comment.
The Anarchist Cookbook was written
during 1968 and part of 1969 soon after I graduated from high school. At the
time, I was 19 years old and the Vietnam War and the so-called "counter
culture movement" were at their height. I was involved in the anti-war
movement and attended numerous peace rallies and demonstrations. The book, in
many respects, was a misguided product of my adolescent anger at the prospect
of being drafted and sent to Vietnam
to fight in a war that I did not believe in.
I submitted the manuscript directly
to a number of publishers without the help or advice of an agent. Ultimately, it was accepted by Lyle
Stuart Inc. and was published verbatim - without editing - in early 1970.
Contrary to what is the normal custom, the copyright for the book was taken out
in the name of the publisher rather than the author. I did not appreciate the
significance of this at the time and would only come to understand it some
years later when I requested that the book be taken out of print.
The central idea to the book was
that violence is an acceptable means to bring about political change. I no
longer agree with this.
During the years that followed its
publication, I went to university, married, became a father and a teacher of
adolescents. These developments had a profound moral and spiritual effect on
me. I found that I no longer agreed with what I had written earlier and I was
becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the ideas that I had put my name to.
In 1976 I became a confirmed
Anglican Christian and shortly thereafter I wrote to Lyle Stuart Inc.
explaining that I no longer held the views that were expressed in the book and
requested that The Anarchist Cookbook be taken out of print. The response from
the publisher was that the copyright was in his name and therefore such a
decision was his to make - not the author's.
In the early 1980's, the rights
for the book were sold to another publisher. I have had no contact with that
publisher (other than to request that the book be taken out of print) and I
receive no royalties.
Unfortunately, the book continues
to be in print and with the advent of the Internet several websites dealing
with it have emerged. I want to state categorically that I am not in agreement
with the contents of The Anarchist Cookbook and I would be very pleased (and
relieved) to see its publication discontinued. I consider it to be a misguided
and potentially dangerous publication which should be taken out of print.
William Powell
As Mr. Powell unfortunately learned, there's
more than one way to have a book stolen!
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Do you know people who would like to
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Encourage them to subscribe to "The Write Stuff!"
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We're Heading into a Golden Age of Self-Publishing
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| This past month I read an excellent article by Joel Friedlander, proprietor of Marin Bookworks, a publishing services company. In the article Joel gives eight convincing reasons why self-publishing is entering a golden age. If you're considering becoming an author, I encourage you to read it.
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Mike's Famous Grammar Quiz
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Can both of the following sentences be grammatically correct? If so, under what circumstances?
(1) Tom and Linda's furniture is modern.
(2) Tom's and Linda's furniture is modern.
(See answer below)
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You May Find These White Papers Helpful.
(They're free, but don't let the price fool you!)
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| Answer to Grammar Quiz
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| In sentence 1, both Tom and Linda jointly possess the same furniture, so only the second name requires an 's.
In sentence 2, Tom and Linda individually possess furniture (i.e., Tom owns some furniture and Linda owns some different furniture), so both names require an 's.
For more on this subject, see page 40 of Woe Is I, The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T. O'Conner.
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Michael J Dowling ~ Writer ~ Editor ~ Ghostwriter ~ Publisher
133 Worthing Road, St. Simons Island, GA 31522
Phone: 912.230.5051 Fax: 912.634.5777
E-mail: MJD@MichaelJDowling.com Website: www.MichaelJDowling.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljdowling
Clear, concise, creative, and convincing writing and editing to enable individuals and organizations
to accomplish their goals and increase their visibility, credibility, and profitability.
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