Nora Roberts Quoted in AP Article regarding Cassie Edwards

Bitchin' Blog Posts

by SB Sarah | by SB Sarah | January 11, 2008 | Friday at 12:05 am | 55 Comments

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.”

Filed: Cassie Edwards, News

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Katie Dickson said on 01.11.08 at 12:11 AM • [link]

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.
J.C. Wilder said on 01.11.08 at 12:11 AM • [link]

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?
Teddy Pig said on 01.11.08 at 12:13 AM • [link]

Go Nora! That is shooting dang straight.
MaryKate said on 01.11.08 at 12:16 AM • [link]

I *heart* you Nora! You’re such a great voice for romance.
Katie Dickson said on 01.11.08 at 12:17 AM • [link]

*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!
SandyO said on 01.11.08 at 12:20 AM • [link]

We can do worse that following “WWND?”

Nora rocks.
Randi said on 01.11.08 at 12:30 AM • [link]

Sign me up for a Nora sleepshirt AND bobblehead! Oh, my mom too. She loves La Nora.
KristenMary said on 01.11.08 at 12:33 AM • [link]

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.
Marta Acosta said on 01.11.08 at 12:37 AM • [link]

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/
Ruth said on 01.11.08 at 01:05 AM • [link]

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!
Kalen Hughes said on 01.11.08 at 01:18 AM • [link]

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.”
rebyj said on 01.11.08 at 01:36 AM • [link]

CNN!! coolness!! now to get a plug in for the smart bitches upcoming book…...
Katherine said on 01.11.08 at 01:37 AM • [link]

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.
J.C. Wilder said on 01.11.08 at 02:22 AM • [link]

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

Me wants…me wants…
Charlene said on 01.11.08 at 03:01 AM • [link]

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.)
Chrissy said on 01.11.08 at 03:08 AM • [link]

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.
Bev Stephans said on 01.11.08 at 03:12 AM • [link]

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.
Angela James said on 01.11.08 at 03:14 AM • [link]

Dang, Nora. Now I think this time I owe you a drink. At this rate we’re going to be getting sloppy drunk together.
Katrina Strauss said on 01.11.08 at 03:16 AM • [link]

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.
Angela James said on 01.11.08 at 03:16 AM • [link]

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

Me wants…me wantsâ€¦

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!
Unhappy Bitch said on 01.11.08 at 03:23 AM • [link]

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 . . . )
Nonnie said on 01.11.08 at 03:29 AM • [link]

msnbc.com has picked it up again also…

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22590686/
Karmyn said on 01.11.08 at 03:33 AM • [link]

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
Lauren said on 01.11.08 at 03:47 AM • [link]

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.
monimala said on 01.11.08 at 04:03 AM • [link]

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]
Michele said on 01.11.08 at 04:13 AM • [link]

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!
Chasity said on 01.11.08 at 04:24 AM • [link]

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.
Aemelia said on 01.11.08 at 04:42 AM • [link]

all I can say is “YAY NORA!!!!!”
azteclady said on 01.11.08 at 05:00 AM • [link]

Nora completely rocks.
Jeri said on 01.11.08 at 06:06 AM • [link]

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.
JaneDrew said on 01.11.08 at 07:21 AM • [link]

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
Aimee said on 01.11.08 at 07:49 AM • [link]

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.
Sarah Frantz said on 01.11.08 at 07:52 AM • [link]

Ooh, national coverage brings out the trolls! Cool.
Delia said on 01.11.08 at 09:11 AM • [link]

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!”
Katherine said on 01.11.08 at 09:46 AM • [link]

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?
Shayne said on 01.11.08 at 09:53 AM • [link]

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.
traci said on 01.11.08 at 10:15 AM • [link]

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.
AJ said on 01.11.08 at 10:20 AM • [link]

Show of hands…who thinks “Aimee” is really Cassie Edwards’ husband in cyber-drag?
LadyRhian said on 01.11.08 at 10:48 AM • [link]

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.
Ann Bruce said on 01.11.08 at 11:07 AM • [link]

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.
ann said on 01.11.08 at 11:14 AM • [link]

I applaud Nora Robert’s taking this strong, public stance, and the Bitches for exposing this. But now it’s out in the open, what is the result people want? How can CE resolve this honorably? Clearly no academic sanction can be taken against her, and the likelihood of her publisher canceling her contracts or withdrawing the books is vanishingly small, so how can the crime be dealt with in a way that lets CE enjoy what’s left of her career, but sends the right message to other writers-to-be?

I don’t want to see even a lousy writer run out of town on a rail, and I blame the publishers as much or more as Mrs Edwards, though the fault lies with her too. Where the financial damage to the authors she copied from is small or nonexistent, the remaining issue is moral. Would a public mea culpa be enough? A donation to a Native American charity? Outrage is good, but a positive outcome is better, seems to me.
Angela said on 01.11.08 at 11:14 AM • [link]

Aimee—Nora isn’t the coward here. She said what she thought about the situation to reporters. There was no backstabbing or talking behind back. How much more of an open talk do you want beyond issuing a public statement?

Besides, Nora didn’t have her husband speak on her behalf, unlike Cassie Edwards.
quizzabella said on 01.11.08 at 11:26 AM • [link]

Aimee, are you really suggesting that everyone who has a problem with CE’s blatant plagarizing should actually ring her and tell her off? I think after the first hundred phone calls she’d be somewhat irate lol.
Tam said on 01.11.08 at 02:55 PM • [link]

Is it possible for the authors of these non-fiction books to sue Ms. Edwards for a chunk of her profits? After all, they inadvertantly ‘wrote’ parts of her books; surely they’re due some of the gains!
karibelle said on 01.11.08 at 04:14 PM • [link]

That’s why Nora Roberts is…well…Nora Roberts. Smart people who want to be taken seriously know that using respectful language and refraining from insults and pot-shots is the best way to influence opinion and possibly change minds. The lack of this knowlwdge is also why trolls are…well…trolls.
Nora Roberts said on 01.11.08 at 04:36 PM • [link]

Actually, I had nothing to do with the media getting involved. The first AP story broke, then the reporter contacted me for her follow up.

No reponse to the troll. Everything I can think of is either too silly or too nasty.
Ros said on 01.11.08 at 05:19 PM • [link]

Good question, ann. I’ve been thinking a lot about what outcome would satisfy me. I’d like Cassie Edwards to apologise to her readers for falsely selling them words that were not her own. I’d like someone from each of her publishing companies to admit that it is wrong to pass off other people’s work under a new name and to apologise for having allowed this to happen. And I’d like the publishers to set new checks in place to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. I want to be able to buy books in confidence that I’m getting original work.

If anyone would like to make a charitable donation of some portion of the profits from Ms Edwards work (say, the portion that she didn’t write) that would be a nice gesture too.
Suisan said on 01.11.08 at 05:32 PM • [link]

Nora said: Actually, I had nothing to do with the media getting involved. The first AP story broke, then the reporter contacted me for her follow up.

I sorta thought that’s what happened. Having dealt with the media a lot as a local politician, I’ve come to realize that the general public doesn’t quite understand the details of how reporters or the news media operate.
KCfla said on 01.11.08 at 05:49 PM • [link]

Actually, I had nothing to do with the media getting involved. The first AP story broke, then the reporter contacted me for her follow up.

Thank god/dess for that!

I can only say that I already respected you for your talent as an author. I now totally *heart* you as a well-spoken/honorable/decent person as well. And add my “Nora Rocks” sentiments to all those above.

( great58- yeah Nora, your statement was indeed that!)
JaneDrew said on 01.11.08 at 06:26 PM • [link]

In addition to apporpriate public statements by Cassie Edwards and Signet, I think that future runs of all the books which contain plagiarized passages should get an additional page listing the resources used. There’s obviously no good way to have Cassie Edwards go in and rework every single bit of dialogue she uses other people’s material in (more’s the pity), but the books shouldn’t continue to be reprinted without correct attribution.

And, of course, for future books, she (and her publishers) now know that they do in fact need to include the source attributions.

I also agree with the idea that there should be financial restitution to the plagiariazed parties, insofar as that is possible. Perhaps the Defenders of Wildlife could set up a Cassie Edwards Ferret Fund?

JaneDrew
Diane said on 01.11.08 at 07:29 PM • [link]

Ditto the “Nora ROCKS” - as always she is a voice of reasonableness, honesty and calm.
Shayne said on 01.11.08 at 10:08 PM • [link]

I’m with JaneDrew on what should be expected at this point from Cassie Edwards.

As for others thinking this should have been done privately. There isn’t an author posting here that wouldn’t expect to be called publicly to the carpet if they were caught plagiarizing. And if there were any authors who thought there was nothing wrong with it, they now know they are wrong.
Layne said on 01.12.08 at 05:56 AM • [link]

I’ve always thought the romance community was very loyal, but lately it appears that some people on the blog want to ruin this woman’s life and career (Nora Roberts included). Yes Edwards should be held accountable, but when you care about your authors (the way romance fans do), you don’t just toss them under the train and then joke about it. As a life-long romance reader, I find all of this to be very embarassing - on both sides.
Jaycie said on 01.12.08 at 06:34 AM • [link]

I tried to comment in another post, and I’m not sure if it went through or not, so I want to echo those sentiments here.

Yes, romance readers are loyal. Sometimes loyal to a fault. I’ve noticed while working in a different arena of the literary community that some readers place authors on impossibly tall pedestals. However, despite sometimes holding authors (and other celebrities in other media formats) to high standards, I don’t think it’s asking too much as a reader to expect, and trust, that my favorite author is publishing his/her own creative thoughts.

Yes, some readers here want to make their stance known, but it seems to me that a lot of anger is directed towards Signet for blowing it off originally. I don’t get the sense that they want her ran out of town on a rail - they want the truth to be acknowledged.

So while yes, some of the comments here might read as mockery or some sort of witch hunt, my reading is that many were dumbfounded, because what once was fodder has now evolved into a serious situation. I haven’t read anything by Cassie Edwards, so I don’t have any kind of emotional investment in this story. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that if there was a way for her to graciously admit that she made a mistake, some readers might be able to just look at it and say “ok, she’s human” and get past it. It’s the “she didn’t do anything wrong” mentality that I think is raising the ire of the other posters on this blog.

I’m not trying to trivialize anyone else’s viewpoint, because determining tone from the written word is very difficult, I can only say what I think and openly encourage others to do the same - I don’t think there have been any “wrong” comments - people simply react differently to various elements of this story.
Hatsumomo said on 01.14.08 at 04:29 AM • [link]

*looks over at her bookshelf full of Nora Roberts books with pride*

Seriously, I think some people need to take Experimental Psychology with Dr. Hughes at UNCW. I guarantee you will learn what plagiarism is. After writing 6 lab reports for that woman and turning in a hard copy and an electronic copy so she could use that turnitin.com site to check for any lifted passages, I don’t see how there’s any debate over what Edwards did. And I never even heard of this woman until I started reading this site a couple of months ago.