You may have seen this photo of me on Facebook this week with the banner across the bottom that states what ought to be obvious. If you’ve been paying attention to the firestorm that has roiled the romance novel industry the past week or more, you probably understand what it means and can skip to the bottom. It occurs to me, however, that many readers may be wondering what on earth has gone on. Here’s a brief overview with links if you’re interested in more.
In brief, a writer named Christine Serruya was alleged to have plagiarized—heavily plagiarized—the work of several well known authors including Courtney Milan, and Tessa Dare.
Now, the ignorant response to that was, ‘You can’t steal plot ideas in romance because it is formulaic.” First of all I totally reject the idea that a happy ending equates to a formula. Every couple’s story is unique. Secondly, this woman want FAR beyond that, lifting entire passages from other authors, an easily provable offense. Apparently there have been earlier scandals I didn’t know about. Would it shock you to know that best-selling author Janet Daily lifted passages from Nora Roberts in the 90s? Nora has written passionately about that and about the current scandal. Why are Janet Daily books still on anyone’s shelves, even library shelves?
When confronted, Serruya’s defense was she merely sent material to ghost writers. She blamed them. Say what? Ghost writers? It is, she claims a common practice.That was news to me. This article, which horrified me, spells out that aspect of the scandal.
She isn’t just a thief, she’s a cheat. She put her name on books she did not write. That practice may make sense when a celebrity wants to put out a memoir or a how-to book. One of my cousins ghost wrote medical books for doctors, including Patch Adams. But fiction? Stories from the heart? I don’t think so. There is something fundamentally dishonest about that. My good friend Jude Knight did a better job than I can of explaining why.
Why would this woman do this? The underlying reasons are even more distressing to me than the stealing and cheating. Amazon dominates electronic publishing. They allow any of us to offer our books for sale BUT they are the gatekeepers to who sees them. They manage their processes with formulas, and those formulas favor frequent releases and steady sales. Authors who churn out frequent shorter books do better than authors that don’t. By hiring ghost writers Serruya churned out books in rapid succession. You can see what that horrifies me in particular. Mass produced ghost written books cheapen the industry. My books are complex and dense and I struggle to manage more than one a year. There is an excellent article on the Amazon culpability in all this here. It was completely demoralizing. I thought sites and individual that pirate my books and violate copyright were the only problems I faced.
Want to know more? Search on “Christine Serruya” and be prepared for more information than you could want. For now, please trust that I WRITE MY OWN BOOKS. Slowly, carefully, and with as much quality a I can pour into them. I have more in process now. I best get to it. But first? Coffee.
I had no idea! But your books are of an excellent quality. I will now, however, be very aware and I can’t help but feel that one should have to declare that a work is your own….or not.
Thank you!
Thank you for clarifying what I had not considered an issue in the writing of historical fiction romance!
I have never doubted that your books ( your characters/storlines) are ‘your own’!
You wouldn’t have thought it would you? SIGH
thank for sending out this email. I read at least one book each day and am thus deeply indebted to talented authors which makes me very angry at thieves who steel the results of their hard work. I have never read either of the authors you name and am very surprised that Janet Daily could be so widely published if she is known to be so dishonest.What a cheat not only to the victimized author but to the readers who are unknowingly supporting a cheat.
I am appalled but sadly not surprised by Amazons role. I am not at all afan of Amazon’s business practices.
Nor am I, but they are so dominant we all end up playing by their rules.
Your books are very much your books. As a reader, I recognize the distinct styles of my favorite authors and you are one. I try to stay with my favorites, unless a prominent one I like suggests a new author…thank you for many happy hours of reading.
I’m a romance junkie, and I read a lot of these books. I can always tell which authors put their hearts and souls into their work. I knew from the first book that I read by you (DANGEROUS WORKS) that you were such an author. Keep up the good work.
{{blush}} Thank you!
Well said, Caroline. It may not be much comfort now, but your books will stand the test of time because you write with integrity. As you say, they are complex and multi-layered, and that takes time. When the cheats and liars are long forgotten except as a footnote in a book about the demise of a once popular online bookshop, people will still be reading Unexpected Wife and sighing over Zambak’s reunion with Charles at the penultimate moment.
I’m chuckling here… Your mouth to God’s ears, Jude!