Nora Roberts Quoted in AP Article regarding Cassie Edwards

Nora Roberts has been quoted in a revised AP article regarding the Cassie Edwards story:

Roberts, whose fiction has sold hundreds of millions of copies, told The Associated Press on Thursday that “it seems clear” Edwards acted improperly.

“Given the side-by-side comparisons I’ve read, it seems clear Ms. Edwards copied considerable portions of previously published work and used them in her books without attribution to the original source,” Roberts wrote in an e-mail to the AP. “By my definition, copying another’s work and passing it as your own equals plagiarism. As a writer, a reader and a victim of plagiarism, I feel very strongly on this issue. I’m not a lawyer, but I can’t see it as fair use, or fair anything when one writer takes another’s work.”

Both Roberts and Edwards are published by Penguin Group (USA), which on Wednesday defended Edwards, saying: “She has done nothing wrong.”

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  1. Nice just for the sake of nicety does everyone a disservice. I’m happy to read Nora Roberts being a classy lady, eloquent and not at all unkind, but at the same time sticking up for what’s right in her profession.

    It’s rare you read about women like these in today’s media.

  2. J.C. Wilder says:

    Yet another reason why we love Nora so much – she says it like it is. I wonder where my ‘I Love Nora Roberts’ sleepshirt is?

  3. Teddy Pig says:

    Go Nora! That is shooting dang straight.

  4. MaryKate says:

    I *heart* you Nora! You’re such a great voice for romance.

  5. *women like her.

    Not like these.

    Unless I was referring to a collection of Nora bobbleheads, of which there should be an immediate re-issue!

  6. SandyO says:

    We can do worse that following “WWND?”

    Nora rocks.

  7. Randi says:

    Sign me up for a Nora sleepshirt AND bobblehead!  Oh, my mom too. She loves La Nora.

  8. KristenMary says:

    I am so happy this is finally getting more attention than just the small community on blogs. And of course Nora is the best representative to discuss the situation. She is a classy lady and shows that by not being mean but by pointing to the evidence.

    WWND is my personal mantra most days.

  9. Marta Acosta says:

    And the story’s been picked up by CNN with a nice photo of La Nora and the Smart Bitches web address!

    http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/books/01/10/books.romancewriter.ap/

  10. Ruth says:

    I have to say, thanks to SBTB, Nora is my favorite author whose work I have never read 🙂

    Add me to the Nora Rocks bandwagon!

  11. Kalen Hughes says:

    The revised article on AP has also upgraded the John Barrie quote from “the author had indeed lifted material” to “Ms. Edwards’ unattributed use of other peoples’ work as her own definitely constitutes plagiarism.”

  12. rebyj says:

    CNN!! coolness!! now to get a plug in for the smart bitches upcoming book……

  13. Katherine says:

    I’ve been following this via other sources for the last few days.  I’ve read about two romance novels in my life, because my mother made me when I was 17.  I just want to say. 

    Nora Roberts, I now want to go out and find your books.  Which shouldn’t be too hard because I think there are a couple in my car from the last time I took my mother to the doctors.

    As a historian and an academic, I find it really frustrating that a professional author (CE) does not seem to have a grasp on what every college freshman is expected to learn and every college student gets reminded of in every class.  EVERY SEMESTER.

    I was beginning to wonder if intellectual honesty had gone the route of legitimate histographic discussion and science based government policy.

  14. J.C. Wilder says:

    What the heck is WWMD and where can I get a Nora Bobblehead?

    Me wants…me wants…

  15. Charlene says:

    I inferred from Cassie Edwards’s reply and Signet’s official response that neither takes non-fiction seriously. Do they think that non-fiction writers merely string facts together? Do they not understand that writing non-fiction requires judgment, balance, research skills, and the ability to explain facts clearly and accurately?

    This is why I was running amok yesterday calling for boycotts while steam shot out of my ears. I apologize if I went out of control, but really: plagiarizing a work of non-fiction is just as ethically wrong as plagiarizing a work of fiction.

    (I wrote you a longer comment earlier, but the server eated it.)

  16. Chrissy says:

    FoxNews has it, too.  I wonder if we can get them to cover it on the tv??  I think Shep Smith is sexy.  But they may be too uptight to say the word “bitches” out loud.

    And “web site smart b-words trashy books” just doesn’t have a journalistic flow.

  17. Bev Stephans says:

    I thought Nora Robert’s e-mail to AP was very good and to the point.  Since she writes for the Penguin Group, I hope that she e-mailed them also.  It would be nice to know that one of their writers was standing up to them.

  18. Angela James says:

    Dang, Nora. Now I think this time I owe you a drink. At this rate we’re going to be getting sloppy drunk together.

  19. I also found Ms. Edwards’ explanation rather lame. No, authors aren’t expected to credit their sources when writing a historical piece, but you don’t copy and paste the Wikipedia entry directly into your story, for crying out loud!

    I recently spent 15 minutes composing one sentence about a wire bail cork bottle, based on two hours of research on vintage bottles derived from several websites. I copied and pasted pertinent text into my notes, then went back and culled two key terms: “wire bail” and “blob-neck”. From there, I wove my painstakingly researched terms into one whole sentence. The additional fifteen minutes was spent on ensuring I used my two whole words in a way that my character would naturally say or think of them, lest my sentence come off as one of those contrived “historical romance fact dumps”.

    I can only imagine the effort the non-fiction writer must put into gathering facts and then conveying them in layman’s terms. No, the facts themselves can’t be copyrighted, but the hard-researched text used to explain those facts is. Shame on Ms. Edwards, kudos to the Smart Bitches for calling her out, and triple-kudos to La Nora for, as always, speaking up as the intelligent voice of reason.

  20. Angela James says:

    What the heck is WWMD and where can I get a Nora Bobblehead?

    Me wants…me wants…

    WWND = What Would Nora Do?

    You can get a Nora Bobblehead online at her bookstore, Turn the Page. http://www.ttpbooks.com/

    Yes, I have one. My favorite birthday present!

  21. Unhappy Bitch says:

    I take it back, I’m happy now.  Nora is my new hero, despite the fact that I’ve never read any of her books.  (Must remedy that soon . . . )

  22. Nonnie says:

    msnbc.com has picked it up again also…

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22590686/

  23. Karmyn says:

    Nora is my non-fictional female heroine. My fictional female herione is Emma Peel. I find either one a great role model. However, I have no desire to see Nora dress in tight leather catsuits and karate chop people.
    On fandom_wank we are deciding to change Ebert’s Law to Nora’s Law

  24. Lauren says:

    I was talking to my office manager about this (she was talking about books) and it turns out she used to copy edit some of Cassie Edwards books! But only for type and shit like that and not …er…quality.

    I asked her if her eyes bled at all in the process.

  25. monimala says:

    I popped in for my evening catch-up on “Cassie-gate” and have to echo everyone else in saying Nora is a class act.  Honest Illusions is still one of my favorite romances!

    I’m so, SO glad that the mainstream press has picked this up.  Go, Bitches!  This was a Grade A investigation and I’m happy to see that it’s being taken seriously by others even if Signet and CE are mired in denials.

    [insert requisite snarky comment here]

  26. Michele says:

    Nora rocks!

    And I have a bobble-head of her on my desk because I really want to be her when I grow up (but I don’t plan on growing up so she has nothing to worry about).

    Give ‘em hell, SB’s! You rock, too!

  27. Chasity says:

    Just in case you’re wondering, ya’ll smart bitches just made the yahoo entertainment page as well:

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080110/ap_en_ot/books_romance_writer;_ylt=AuxXbeqLDQoHnyJdZNZbCZRX24cA

    It essentially says the same thing as the others though.

  28. Aemelia says:

    all I can say is “YAY NORA!!!!!”

  29. azteclady says:

    Nora completely rocks.

  30. Jeri says:

    It’s now #10 on the Most Popular stories on CNN.com.  ALL of CNN.com, not just the entertainment section.

    The absolute rocking continues.  I expect to see this on Keith Olbermann tomorrow night.

  31. JaneDrew says:

    And La Nora descended from on high, and there was Much Rejoicing!

    Many kudos and respectful bows to Nora Roberts for her excellent statement.

    As another historian and academic, I completely agree with Katherine—if a student here had tried to pull what Cassie Edwards did, he or she would have gotten expelled. I also work over at the Writing Center of the university, and we not only have regular workshops on plagiarism and how to avoid it (saves you from those pesky failures, suspensions, and expulsions), but we have handouts on what plagiarism is, AND how you cite correctly _specifically when summarizing or paraphrasing_.

    I am seriously considering printing said handouts out and mailing them to Signet, because they clearly need help on this issue.

    In addition to wondering if Cassie Edwards was asleep in class the days they discussed why stealing somebody else’s words is bad, I rather wonder if she didn’t cite or list her sources because it would go against her self-constructed persona as someone whose Native American Heritage gives her a mantel of authority, complete with instinctive knowledge about all aspects of Native American culture, including finding beans hoarded by mice.  She doesn’t seem to get (and Signet also doesn’t seem to quite get) that giving your sources makes you have more authority and authenticity, not less.

    JaneDrew

  32. Aimee says:

    I don’t read romance novels at all, (and I never will) but I do think Nora Roberts should’ve stayed out of the conversation, especially since she and Mrs. Edwards are signed to the same publishing house. Her comments are tacky and cowardly. If she REALLY had class, she would’ve called Mrs. Edwards and said all of this to her face, not behind her back. Total coward. Total loser.

  33. Sarah Frantz says:

    Ooh, national coverage brings out the trolls!  Cool.

  34. Delia says:

    According to Cassie’s official website (with the advanced HTML of 1996), she aspired to be an English teacher before becoming a writer.

    I can only imagine how she would have handled plagiarism in a high school setting.

    “No, it’s okay that you copied Sue’s paper, Johnny.  It’s no big deal, you were just getting ideas!”

  35. Katherine says:

    JaneDrew

    Not only do most universities (and community colleges), if not all, produce very lovely handouts on the subject of plagiarism… but as I recall, it’s treated at length in every syllibi I’ve ever seen.  Even classes where little writing was expected of the student.

    There is a paragraph on plagiarism printed in the cover of every blue book produced by the university I am affiliated with.  There is a statement about how plagarism is wrong in the honor code that every student must initial on EVERY test and many professors require such a statement initialed for many papers.

    It makes me wonder if Cassie Edwards has ever taken any higher education course on research methods.  Otherwise I am left with the impression that she is relying on her heritage to prop up her noble savage franchise. 

    That would be a little like me saying my heritage gave me a special understanding of Southern women and authority to write on the Civil War or Reconstruction in the south, when my academic specialty is the Cold War and I’ve taken very little (and read less) that would qualify as research.  Maybe I can write civil war romance novels based on having watched Ken Burns’ …

    Think anyone would notice if I copied Shelby Foote?

  36. Shayne says:

    Thank you, Nora.

    As an author, I am highly disturbed that the plagiarism has been so abruptly brushed off by the publisher.

    It sends a very bad message to other authors that it’s okay to blatantly plagiarize in the same manner.

    And on a general note, I’ve written my books the hard way, using my own voice. It would irk me to no end for any author to get away with it.

  37. traci says:

    I have to say that I have always respected and admired Nora for the class and grace she has always shown.  That respect and admiration has grown even more with these events.

    That said, I think it’s truly sad that “news” sources only began to cover this situation once she got involved.

  38. AJ says:

    Show of hands…who thinks “Aimee” is really Cassie Edwards’ husband in cyber-drag?

  39. LadyRhian says:

    I shall strike my own blow against plagiarism and say, in the words of William Shakespeare, that the trolls on this issue are the words of idiots, “Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

    Cassie Edwards got caught plagiarizing. She may have done nothing illegal, but immoral? Hell, yeah. Your liking of her, trolls and fangirls, does nothing to change the facts.

  40. Ann Bruce says:

    Uh, why does everyone keep saying you learn plagiarism is wrong and you must cite your sources in university or college?  They start teaching these fundamentals in ELEMENTARY schools (IIRC, it was grade 3 in my school).  Thus, for someone to claim they just don’t know about it or they were never taught it, I’m calling that person a liar.

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