Monday, April 24, 2006

Re: Your client's book

Okay, let me try to write a letter before Blogger plans an outage again.

Let's all hope.

Dear Michael Pietsch, publisher of Little, Brown and Co.,

One of your clients,
Kaavya Viswanathan, is accused of plagiarizing two of Megan McCafferty's novels, Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings, in her novel How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life.

Instead of realizing that your client has the potential to be the next James Frey (and is ruining the trade of writing for anyone that dreams of writing a novel, including me), you said


"I can't believe that these [similarities] are anything but
unintentional..."

The Harvard Crimson put a whole list up of similarities and you still think that Viswanathan unintentionally plagarized her novel in certain places?

One question: Why are you an editor again?

Penny Woods


(Pic: MS Special)

5 comments:

Penny Woods said...

Tip: Gawker
http://www.gawker.com/news/harvard/harvards-viswanathan-celebrates-fake-writer-day-169103.php

Me: In pain

Do not ask.

Anonymous said...

I read about that, and as a writer myself, this is something of great interest to me. I don't see how anyone could think they can get away with that without being discovered. Look at what's going on with The Da Vinci Code book. Anyway, if it's that many similarities, it's an obvious case of plagerism. No if, ands, and buts about it.

Saun said...

I wonder if they can ask for their money back. If not then I need to write a book. Now I just need to find my library card.

Anonymous said...

Hey ya'll. I've been working on a book about an ugly women living in the old south who learns to love herself and the world around her and end the end she is reunited with her long lost sister. I'm gonna call it The Color Blue. Anyone interested in the publishing rights?

Penny Woods said...

Now with more similarities than ever!
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=513213