Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

1. 

   Ceilidhann42 said on 04.28.12 at 02:59 PM • [link]

   I have no words to describe just how angry and embarrassed all those plagiarism defenders make me feel. There’s a big mentality amongst YA bloggers and the community in general that the most important thing is to Be Nice (in capitals because it was the title of Becca Fitzpatrick’s infamous blog post where she basically laughed about rejecting an author’s request for a cover quote because she’d written a bad review of her work, putting forward the conclusion that criticism of any kind is evil). There’s been this growing disdain towards critical reviews in YA, be they the snarky gif filled ones or the much more analytical ones that Diehm considers too much hard work to do (her words, not mine, check her review policy). The vast majority of YA blogging related kerfuffles of the past year have arisen as part of this mentality and now it’s spilled over from authors to bloggers. Kristi’s nice, that’s usually the first thing people say about her, and it’s her biggest defence against being a lying, thieving hypocrite. Being nice beats thievery apparently. So that’s where all those criminals went wrong. I hate Be Nice.

2. 

   Blodeuedd said on 04.28.12 at 03:00 PM • [link]

   Omg, what the f is wrong with everyone?

3. 

   Angela Korra'ti said on 04.28.12 at 03:00 PM • [link]

   among writers, plagiarism is like treason

   Yes. This. This +100.

4. 

   Bridgetanachronist said on 04.28.12 at 03:02 PM • [link]

   I wasn’t aware of the fact that you were attacked for revealing that sad situation. It is really disgusting.

5. 

   Melissa Stevens said on 04.28.12 at 03:05 PM • [link]

   Many of those who sent the hate mail nullified their own argument by displaying their ignorance in the same email.
   Oddly enough, none of this surprises me. I ran a women’s message board for nearly two years before the cattiness and drama drove me to the brink of insanity. It was all very predictable. Someone would do something stupid then their ‘friends’ would back them up, attacking anyone who dared to stand up and say what they’d done was stupid. Very lynch mentality. I walked out and haven’t looked back.

   Good for you and all the others involved for standing up to Kristi and exposing her. It needed to be done and even if her blind followers blame you, who cares? More blind followers?

   Melissa

6. 

   Isobel Carr said on 04.28.12 at 03:07 PM • [link]

   So sad to see a YA blogger misleading kids in this manner. Parents and teachers struggle every day to teach kids the difference between right and wrong, having someone they look up to behave so appallingly, is simply tragic.

7. 

   anon said on 04.28.12 at 03:08 PM • [link]

   Many years ago my SO was teaching Lit at a university.  At the beginning of the term, he explained that anyone who stole the work of others would fail the course.  Despite that warning, someone did and he failed her.  That was the right thing to do and it was agonizing.  As a teacher and writer myself, i agonized with him.  The consequences for the student was to not finish her studies that term.  Not good for her.  The consequences for him was to lose his temporary position because the student was a pet of someone with great political power.  it probably changed the course of our lives.  However, it did demonstrate his integrity and I have seldom been more proud.  Stealing is stealing and the theft of ideas is a v.bad thing.  It is unpleasant to deal with and unpleasant to read about but it must be called out. 

8. 

   angel Graham said on 04.28.12 at 03:10 PM • [link]

   Google +, Liked and Tweeted. Thank you for being willing to bring up plagiarism and discuss it. It’s hard. Very hard.  Thank you for all you do. Don’t let a few bad apples ruin the barrel for you though. There are a lot of “delicious apples” left in the barrel who adore what you do.

9. 

   Heidi Cullinan said on 04.28.12 at 03:10 PM • [link]

   What frustrates me most is that there *is* a valid discussion to be had about what is and isn’t plagiarism, about the difference between copying someone’s work and being inspired by it, about serendipity and zeitgeist mind-melds vs. copying—and this isn’t it. It isn’t the time for it either, when someone is caught outright lifting material. I get the need to rationalize, because I doubt anyone ever sits down and says, “Gosh, it feels good to be a plagiarizer today.” Which is very much the point and why the victim blaming and hate mail only makes things worse: clearly some people think stealing content and calling it your own is justifiable. It’s not wrong to stand up and say, “Stealing someone else’s stuff and saying it’s yours is bad.” It’s good, and it’s necessary and can be a good point of education.

   I haven’t seen all the discussions on the subject, but what I have seen has been measured and reasonable given the evidence. The hypocrisy quotient isn’t to be overlooked either, of someone speaking out against plagiarism and then committing it.

   Plagiarism is so personal. It’s not stealing my car or my stereo. It’s stealing my words, my voice. Yeah, people get a bit tetchy about it. It hurts in a very personal way, and calling it treason is spot on. I get that the perpetrators are not necessarily kitten-murderers. But they are plagiarizers. And bullying and hate mail is the last resort of the slimy. It’s not supporting a friend. It’s kicking the wounded, and it’s not classy.

10. 

    Jessica Hansen said on 04.28.12 at 03:11 PM • [link]

    You are doing a beautiful job writing up all these posts on the issue at hand. I think that people need to know about it, not turn it into a witch hunt & burn her at the stake, but truly open their eyes and see that even the top dogs can pull the wool over our eyes.

    As for her allies in this sad situation…...how would you have reacted if Kristi had been the one who’s content was being stolen?? I bet me whole stock of Red Bull that you would have busted your pitch-fork out and speared anything that remotely looked like one of her posts.

     

11. 

    Kati Dancy said on 04.28.12 at 03:11 PM • [link]

    Wow. Those letters are APPALLING. I guess I’m naive, because although I thought that the victim blaming got out of hand on Kristi’s blog, I never imagined that such vitriol was being directed at the ACTUAL VICTIMS privately.

    This has truly been one of the uglier scandals in the blogosphere. Every day there seems to be a new chapter of hideous.

    God people can be truly nasty. SMH.

12. 

    Racquel (A Book Barbie) said on 04.28.12 at 03:15 PM • [link]

    All of this makes me sick. Her followers are obviously childish while the people who aren’t supporting her haven’t been anything anything but respectful when speaking out against her. I understand she has no say in her ‘supporters’ actions but the least she can do is make it clear who’s the victim here. If these people love her so much they will bully others than she has enough influence over to stop them if she made a post about it. She owes who she plagiarized that much! She’s probably condoning their behavior on purpose because she’s enjoying the fact that some (ridiculous) people still love her and ‘supporting’ her and those people’s bullying is just terrible. But I’m speaking out and I will continue to do so! http://thebookbarbies.blogspot…

13. 

    Cervenka said on 04.28.12 at 03:15 PM • [link]

    As a freelance editor, I have discovered instances of plagiarism with every publisher I’ve worked for. It never fails to amaze me that people think they can get away with it. I have noticed that over the past 10 years, the publisher response has shifted from “can you find a way to work around this” to “stop working on the project” when shown incontrovertible evidence of the theft. (this is one person’s experience, YMMV)

14. 

    Mrs. B said on 04.28.12 at 03:16 PM • [link]

    These emails are shameful. Wow.

15. 

    Elizabeth Houston said on 04.28.12 at 03:18 PM • [link]

    Bravo to those who have the courage to expose and continue talking about plagiarism.

    And to those uneducated bullies who mention the definition of plagiarism but don’t bother to open a dictionary, here it is, straight from Merriam-Westers: “Plagiarism: The practice of taking someone else’s WORK or IDEAS and passing them off as one’s own.” (Emphasis added.) And note the informal reference, which makes including the quote NOT plagiarism.

16. 

    SonomaLass said on 04.28.12 at 03:23 PM • [link]

    In my work with harassment and discrimination, I spent a lot of time explaining to people about the evils of retaliation, i.e., punishing or blaming someone for reporting an incident that needed to be reported. Retaliation is ALSO harassment—it is just as bad, and in some cases worse, than the original offense.  I keep thinking of those experiences when I read the messages and comments blaming the bloggers who were stolen from and those who reported on the theft; these people are just as wrong as the plagiarist, and they deserve to be called out for that.

    Thanks, SB Sarah.

17. 

    Barb Lie said on 04.28.12 at 03:30 PM • [link]

    Great post, Sarah.  It is sad that people do not understand how wrong plagiarism is.  What about the person (s) who worked long and hard to create an original idea or post, only to have someone take the easy way out, steal it and change a few things to make it look like their own.  How can anyone defend that, and yet blame the victims. Especially when the plagiarist admitted it. 

18. 

    SB Sarah said on 04.28.12 at 03:32 PM • [link]

    Retaliation harassment is terrifying, I think, more than the actual speaking up part sometimes. If that’s what you work on professionally, you rule. Go on with your bad self.

19. 

    Vicki said on 04.28.12 at 03:34 PM • [link]

    Just want to say that I appreciate the hard work you put into this site and the way you try to keep us informed, not only about excellent/not-so-excellent books, but also about issues. I am sad that you have to take this sort of abuse for doing it. Hang tough.

20. 

    Heather Noto said on 04.28.12 at 03:46 PM • [link]

    As an educator who is continuously trying to deal with issues of student plagiarism, it is disheartening to hear that adults who are WRITERS continue to think that everything on the internet is free game.  How can I tell my high school students that cutting and pasting their information from online sites is bad when their favorite authors are doing the same thing online?  What a shame and a poor example that is being set for readers everywhere. 

21. 

    Virginiallorca said on 04.28.12 at 03:53 PM • [link]

    It just seems like so much trouble. It would be easier to write your own words than searching and copying and taking the risk of being caught. A fellow blogger i read quoted her in her reviewer persona and i felt bad he still respects her,  but I couldn’t bring myself to clue him in.

22. 

    Kate Hewitt said on 04.28.12 at 04:11 PM • [link]

    The internet, unfortunately, makes plagiarism all too easy. Recently my daughter was doing a history report for school and she just cut and pasted info from online. I told her she had to write it in her own words—so much more work! She was *not* happy but she did it, but she told me that when they are working on reports at school they cut and paste from the internet all the time. I was shocked, and still am, but have come to realise the skill being taught is finding and presenting information, not writing, learning, or thinking. And I doubt the teacher even realises she is encouraging plagiarism. The problem is wide and deep.

23. 

    Jessica_HookEm said on 04.28.12 at 04:11 PM • [link]

    At my undergrad institution, if you plagiarized or cheated on a test or broke the honor code in any way, shape, or form, you were expelled.  Period.  You could appeal to a council of your peers but the majority of the time professors did not go after innocent students.  They had proof and that proof meant automatic expulsion.  I had at least one professor who had had to have a student expelled for using a ringer on one of her exams.  It may have been a class of 200 but she knew that that was not the student whose name was on the scantron.

    I hate plagiarism.  It’s so unnecessary.  If you don’t have an original thought but you find a quote that puts your thoughts into words, typically more erudite words, then cite the stupid quote.  All it takes is a brief mention and then you’re in the clear.  Most people appreciate the fact that that person brought that idea to their attention and only care about who writes it in a situation like this involving plagiarism.  That’s why on facebook, in the “Quotes” section, you include the source with the quotation.  If you source something simple on facebook then why wouldn’t you source an article used on a blog?

    If Kristi really is sincere in her apologies then she might want to at least disclose to her friends that she screwed up and ask them not to retaliate.  Their emails reflect poorly on her.

24. 

    ReadingPenguin said on 04.28.12 at 04:23 PM • [link]

    Here’s the thing…There are writers, and indeed a few bloggers, who I admire as personal heroes. So I understand what these idiots are feeling, to a point. If a beloved blogger friend of mine was FALSELY accused, I would defend him/her to the nth degree.

    But the circumstances here are clear. Kristi stole. She betrayed trust. Game over. I don’t care how much you admired her to begin with, she’s a thief who has barely been able to own up to her misdeeds. She deserves no sympathy. She certainly doesn’t deserve a campaign of hate mail and victim blaming in her defense.

25. 

    Cate said on 04.28.12 at 04:31 PM • [link]

    “If you don’t have an original thought but you find a quote that puts your thoughts into words, typically more erudite words, then cite the stupid quote. All it takes is a brief mention and then you’re in the clear.”

    and this is why it’s so hard to forgive anyone who steals. It’s SO EASY to NOT do it!

26. 

    Christina Franke said on 04.28.12 at 04:33 PM • [link]

    Wow, your comments have me cracking up. Obviously this is a serious topic, and I am definitely disgusted by the narrow-mindedness of some people. However, I totally admire the humor and strength with which y’all have responded to all of this mess.

    “I believe the word Lauren is looking for is “hole.” As in, “asshole.”“

    Beautiful. Just beautiful. You’d think readers would have better grammar and spelling skills. Apparently not.

    Note: all of the fashion blogs I have read during this debacle have been better written than TSS. This is not to demonize Kristi, but a plain fact.

27. 

    Diva said on 04.28.12 at 04:56 PM • [link]

    It was Albert Einstein who once said “Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds”.

    I have read plenty of books, from Bel Canto to Outlander that made me think DAMN I WISH I HAD WRITTEN THAT but never did it occur to me or to most others to pretend that I had.

    If you want to quote something and elaborate on it, just give credit—-jeez. And allowing a band of merry haters to follow you around saying you’re “cute” and everyone who knows you are a plagiarist is a bully is just very very pathetic.

28. 

    Terrie said on 04.28.12 at 05:08 PM • [link]

    There is an astonishing amount of ignorance about just what constitutes plagiarism.  I teach writing at a university. If a student had handed in as assignments the articles that Kristi had written (without referencing their original source), then the student would quite likely have failed the papers, quite likely the class, and would also likely wind up sitting in the Office of Student Conduct facing university sanctions.  There would be consequences.  If a student had handed in those blog entries to me WITH citation and I was convinced that the level of plagiarism that occurred was a matter of ignorance rather than conscious theft, I might give the student the opportunity to rewrite the paper from scratch.  If the defenders of Kristi take their ignorance and their attitude with them into college, they will undoubtedly soon find themselves in a pile of very deep doo doo.

    What I see in a lot of discussions is the assumption that since the basic ideas that Kristi lifted aren’t original, then it can’t constitute as plagiarism. That assumption is wrong.  Even a properly cited source MUST be reworked into a completely original form to be legitimate paraphrase. She stole not only idea but structure—and both of those elements constitute plagiarism, at least as far as we deal with it in an academic setting.

    What pleases me is that while there are definitely some bottom feeders in this brouhaha, there are also a lot of bloggers who are writing thoughtful examinations of what is happening.  It’s a wild time, but some real quality is rising to the top.  We can all be grateful for that.

29. 

    lori stone said on 04.28.12 at 05:23 PM • [link]

    As an observer of this horrible behavior last week I decided to show my support the only way I as a consumer can.  I purchased the entire J.D. Robb blacklist for my Kindle.  Why J.D.Robb? It was a considerable expense and I have all the originals in hardback but Nora Roberts is a notorious victim of plagiarism and it was my small private act of support.  I’m sure Ms. Roberts hardly needs my money but if all of us make an effort to not fund the perpetrators and to continue to support the victims whenever the crime is exposed will go a long way to curtailing this behavior.

    Don’t buy the books of plagiarists. Don’t read the blogs, columns, or commentaries of plagiarists. Don’t buy the music of artists who have copied or stolen the work of others. 

    The last time I heard theft wasn’t “nice” so as a defense it is a real poor one and Ms. Diehm’s defenders are in for a very rude awakening.

30. 

    Sandy James said on 04.28.12 at 05:44 PM • [link]

    As a teacher, I find the attitude some kids have about plagiarism appalling. They don’t believe it’s a problem, because in their minds, no one is hurt by it. Um…YEAH, THEY ARE. And so are the reputation and character of the person who tries to pass off the hard work of someone else as her own.

    As an author, I think plagiarism is theft. Period. I actually put a plagiarist below an ebook pirate on my list of asshats. At least a pirate leaves the author’s name on her work.

31. 

    Mary @ BookSwarm said on 04.28.12 at 05:56 PM • [link]

    I agree with Sandy James. I battle plagiarism daily with my students AND their parents. And to have an adult do the same thing then throw around half-hearted apologies and blithely continue on? Horrible.

    People were hurt by this. Plagiarism is theft. Stealing someone else’s creative content is theft. I hate that this has tarnished the entire YA blogging community. It’s unacceptable.

32. 

    Sarah M. said on 04.28.12 at 06:04 PM • [link]

    I find it interesting that this is even an issue.  From middle school on through college, plagiarism was defined, explained and not tolerated in the least.  Those complaining about the injustice of the discussion must be living in a bubble. In fact, I can remember an incident in college where I had to defend my original work because it contained a “turn of phrase used by another student.”  Five or six words that could have potentially failed me.  While I felt that that situation was a bit ridiculous, I can understand the reason for such scrutiny. (There were several other cases that were CLEARLY evidence of plagiarism and my work was lumped in with the rest during the initial review process.)

    Also, I think it is worth pointing out that I have seen many cross-referenced blogs (crisis averted)!  Why couldn’t she send a simple email and ask to link to these posts or use the posts and credit the original authors?  This is done all the time.  People work together and, by cross-referencing posts, web traffic can be increased for both sites.  For me, it is evidence of pure laziness. 

    Further, I have had the (unfortunate) responsibility to compile corporate newsletters on a quarterly basis.  Much of the information in the industry is re-hashed until you’ve heard it a thousand times.  Coming up with an original presentation can be incredibly taxing. When there appears to be no other way to present the information, we have simply: called/emailed others that have produced tables, charts, etc.; obtained permission to use the material (never any problems getting permission); and then SOURCED THE MATERIAL giving credit to the originating company/individual.  We have great relationships with several other companies because we (a) ask permission and (b) give them credit. It’s free advertising for them.

    There are policies/procedures to follow in any industry and ignorance is not an excuse. If you are going to take on a vocation/hobby, it is your responsibility to know the rules, regulations and consequences BEFORE beginning. It’s called research which I believe can be achieved using (to paraphrase anon) “...G-O-O-G-L-E-D-O-T-C-O-M.  Loser.”  <—-Notice credit given to original author.  ;0)

33. 

    Carrie Gwaltney said on 04.28.12 at 06:29 PM • [link]

    Several years ago my brother, a long time well-respected English teacher at a top notch private school, found out several of his students had broken the school’s honor code (either cheated on a test or plagiarized, I can’t remember which). He went to the administration and the parents about it, expecting the students would be reprimanded appropriately for what happened. Instead, the parents, who pay large a large tuition and also donate money to the school, objected to anything going on the permanent records. Also, the parents strenuously objected to the students’ grades suffering for this. The argument? How can my child get into “the best” college if s/he doesn’t get a 4.0? The administration caved and my brother wasn’t allowed to do anything more than tell the students to redo the work. He resigned his teaching position at the end of that year because he said he would no longer have the student’s respect if they knew the school wouldn’t back him up in disciplinary actions, even though it’s plainly written in the (so called) honor code. If this is the kind of attitude “the best of the best” private high schools are instilling, then perhaps what’s outlined above isn’t so difficult to understand after all. Sickening, but unfortunately all too common. Cheating, plagiarism, lying, etc are only wrong if you get caught. You know the popular saying, “It’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission.” So sad.

34. 

    Unfinished Person said on 04.28.12 at 06:59 PM • [link]

    “Check your scorecards, everyone. Smart and cute trumps dishonest theivery, and book blogging trumps fashion blogging in the rock-paper-scissors of douchebag.” Oh my. That was hilarious…as if I had to tell you. Note: I didn’t say that. That was in quotes and was all (beautifully) yours. :)

35. 

    Elizabeth Vail said on 04.28.12 at 07:02 PM • [link]

    GREAT post! See, haters? THAT’S how you cite someone else’s work. - AnimeJune

36. 

    JaniceG said on 04.28.12 at 07:29 PM • [link]

    *Even if* you feel that the “borrowing” of the original bloggers’ outline and subject matter did not rise to level of plagiarism, the chain of events clearly shows that Kristi lied about accessing the sites at all. I note that her justifiers and defenders don’t mention that aspect of the incidents.

37. 

    Dulcy Brown said on 04.28.12 at 07:47 PM • [link]

    Ugh. What? Did they even look at the evidence on the other people’s blogs? I admit I was on the fence about who I should believe until I looked on the other people’s posts and evidence. You can clearly see it’s Kristi’s twitter icon on Hootsuite. Plus, Kristi apologized, maybe not for the actual act, but for how it effected the book blogging community for whatever.

    Just because someone calls another person out for wrongful actions doesn’t mean they hate the person or are even being mean. You were stating the facts along with your opinons. They should at least respect your information, your sources and your opinion. Or, at the very least, made an intelligent and well thought out argument about it, not “Kristi=Awesome, You=bitch” Because really, that only portrays them as a judgemental asshole that didn’t even bother to look at both sides of the story.

    Stupid people being stupid = BLEGH.

38. 

    Ann Somerville said on 04.28.12 at 08:24 PM • [link]

    I would love to be surprised, but after round 10794 of Exposing Idiot Plagiarists, I can’t be. Since people now behave towards blogs and authors as if they are sporting teams, and so everything must be viewed, defended or criticised through a ridiculously partisan lens, there is nothing too crazy for Worshippers of the One True Blogger/Author/fanobject to do to prove their faith.

    I’ve discovered that one can’t even support the right of others to question the *possibiity* of plagiarism. After I did so recently regarding the allegations over T J Klune/Bear, Otter and the Kid, I had all my books tagged on Goodreads with ‘badly behaving author’ and ‘fuck no’, not to mention being called a cunt and worse by one of Klune’s fannits. The slightest whiff of criticism towards the deity and the heretics must be beaten, driven out and shunned. Obviously authors make soft targets, but no one is exempt.

    Rationality is not highly prized in groups united by worship. Nor is spelling, obviously.

39. 

    shiloh walker said on 04.28.12 at 08:44 PM • [link]

    this is BS. 

    People…writing is hard.  It doesn’t matter if you’re writing a book, writing a blog, writing a review, etc.  Writing is hard.  You’re pulling the words from inside you and they mean something.

    I’ve had my words stolen and it sucks.

    If you haven’t been there, then you don’t have much ground to stand on when you’re pulling the… UR A BITCH and UR JEALOUS and SHE’S IS AWESOME AND AUTHORS LOOK UP TO HER… (FYI, I’m an author and I don’t.)  She’s also a blogger who is forever off the list of blogs my kid will be allowed to visit.

    It’s that old… WALK A MILE IN THEIR SHOES.  If you can’t do that, all you’re throwing around is empty words.  You’re also setting yourself up for karma in the worst way, because everything comes back on you.  If you treat people fair, you tend to get fair treatment.  If you ride them down, you get ridden down.  And…well, in the case of the Story Siren…she treated people like waste when she stole from them.  This is the consequence.  When you lash out in her defense and get ugly over it, you’re setting yourself for future consequence yourself.

    here’s my suggestion…

    Think of something you worked really, really hard on.  Something you put a lot of time into… whatever it may be.  Maybe it was a school assignment.  Maybe it was some sort of artistic creation. I don’t know… but you worked HARD, and you accomplished something and you ARE PROUD OF IT. Hell, maybe it’s a relationship.  You’ve got a great boyfriend and you two are wonderfully happy and it’s awesome.

    And then somebody comes in and claims that work as their own.  Or some tramp comes in and steals your boyfriend, or at least makes a play for him that just leaves you feeling sucker-punched.

    They don’t credit you.  They don’t thank you.  They take your hard work, claim it as their own and just walk on.  It’s a betrayal.

    It’s wrong.  It’s theft.  It’s cheating.

    And the bottom line, if you can’t see that… it means you’ve never invested that much of yourself in something.  Which really… well, it’s kinda sad.

    To all the bloggers who stand up against this, you have my appreciation. 

40. 

    FairyKat said on 04.28.12 at 08:49 PM • [link]

    What’s sad here is that, since the glorious Advent of Turn it In, and other similar checking programs, I’m seeing plagiarism decrease among college students.  Four years ago you had to explain really hard (“For people for whom words are their life, plagiarism is like murder”) with lots of scare stories.  Now, everyone gets it. 
    If a group of 18 year olds can get it that easily, I’m embarrassed for the number of adults who seem to have trouble with the concept.
    Oh, and “You = bitch”, the Once and Future Bitch, the Bitch of all the Bitchery, the Kick Ass Queen Bitch. Keep Bitching, and making us laugh as you fight the powers of stupid.

41. 

    Katiebabsg said on 04.28.12 at 09:05 PM • [link]

    “Why don’t you crawl back into the whole you came from and leave her alone?” I could run with this one. Whole. Nice.

    This is shameful, sad and an honest to god WTF to the ultimate degree.

42. 

    Parajunkee said on 04.28.12 at 09:13 PM • [link]

    Jeez—you can’t fix stupid, can you?

43. 

    Jimnduncan said on 04.28.12 at 09:35 PM • [link]

    Like it was stated earlier, it’s not that hard to mention where you got some information from. Not doing so, is indeed plagarism. Again, not hard to fathom. Doing something wrong (and we all do something wrong at times) does not make you a bad person. Harping on someone who has done something wrong does not mean you think the person is bad. It simply means you believe what they did is wrong, and that they should cop to being responsible for doing said wrong. It’s not a personal attack. Saying that you did something stupid does not mean I believe you are stupid. There’s a big difference here, which people tend to gloss over far too often.

    I doubt this Kristi person was being malicious in her intent. I expect she’s a perfectly nice person in general. I can believe she’s nice and still think what she did wasn’t. I can understand the panic and embarrassment over being caught doing something that wasn’t. Do I think she is all craptastic for doing this? No. I think what she did is pretty craptastic. It’s craptastic to try and cover up for doing the craptastic. However, lack of intent doesn’t excuse the fact that it was wrong. Embarrassment doesn’t excuse trying to cover it up. Apologizing for DOING something shitty is a first step. Making no excuses is a first step. Owning your actions is a first step. You don’t recover from doing wrongs by attempting to sweep it under the rug. Doing wrong is a failure of trust that you will do right when you know the difference. When you lose trust, it doesn’t make you a bad person. It means you have to take action to regain that trust. Pretty simple really.

    Kristi, if you’re reading this, WHAT you did was crap. YOU aren’t. Rebuild the trust. Don’t plagarize. Cite your sources. Not hard. Show that you know this and can do it. Like any relationship, trust can be rebuilt. You can’t simply ask for it. It now requires that you show it. People forgive if you’re willing to prove you’re worthy of it.

    For those bitch-slapping everyone who has expressed their outrage and opinion over plagarism, get over it. It’s an important issue that deserves attention. When it happens it deserves to be brought to everyone’s attention. It’s not, “Ooo, Kristi is evil.” It’s, “Ooo, Kristi f’d up and needs to deal with this.” BIG difference. In my opinion of course.

44. 

    Lenorejago said on 04.28.12 at 09:36 PM • [link]

    Wow.  Some folks must have mirror glass on the backs of their corneas, coz they sure ain’t looking at the real world….Where does this sense of entitlement originate?  And the adolescent pack behavior?  Just because you write for teens doesn’t mean you need to revert to their worst behaviors.  Sheesh. These gals need to remember they are grown ups and act accordingly.

45. 

    Pam van Hylckama said on 04.28.12 at 10:46 PM • [link]

    Good god. I am so disappointed in my fellow YA bloggers right now. That’s just fucking insane. I hope they all find a ‘whole’ to crawl in.

46. 

    Elizabeth Gunther said on 04.28.12 at 10:57 PM • [link]

    That same thing went on in my high school.  During my junior year (2003-ish), my health teacher wanted to cut and paste information from the internet (wikipedia included) into our abortion reports.  i couldn’t believe what i was hearing, since in every other class I had ever been in we were told to cite everything.  I knew someone who did that and ended up getting in trouble with the head of the department despite being told by the teacher that it was okay.

    I just had a conversation with my cousin, who is a college freshman, about plagiarism and what it is and isn’t.  she understood the main idea about not taking someone else’s ideas, but she didn’t realize that even when paraphrasing an idea you have to cite that both in text and in the bibliography.  Luckily, I caught it before she handed it in to her professor.

47. 

    Jana said on 04.28.12 at 11:12 PM • [link]

    What bothers me the most is Kristi’s lack of response. She gave two posts and then stopped responding. She should be out there telling her supporters to leave the victims alone. Her silence speaks volumes! 

48. 

    Ann Somerville said on 04.28.12 at 11:46 PM • [link]

    “She should be out there telling her supporters to leave the victims alone.”

    You must be kidding. She’ll be exchanging weepy little emails and PMs with her supporters, decrying the ‘haters’ and telling people in private that of *course* she didn’t actually plagiarise but she can’t make the bitches stop.

    When she finally emerges from her martyr’s tomb, it will be to either totally pretend the whole thing never happened, or it will be a quietly dignified (sniff) little statement to ask people to stop talking about it as it’s only encouraging the negative people in the community, and negativity will only harm the community. There will be much emphasis on how much *she* values the community (and by strong implication, how much she *represents* the community) and her critics will be cast as those who have done the damage.

    And several of her sycophants will make careful blog posts about how they all need to pull together and stop attacking each other, and that those from *outside* the community need to keep their noses out of everyone else’s business. No names will be named, the core issue of intellectual property theft won’t be mentioned, but everyone will get the message.

    You could do a bingo card for the aftermath of such scandals too. They follow the script unwaveringly each and every time.

49. 

    Katherinelynn_04 said on 04.29.12 at 01:28 AM • [link]

    This whole boondoggle is INSANE to me. I grew up in a small school (graduating class of 198), and EVERY YEAR we had to listen to the plagiarism talk. EVERY. YEAR. They were quite serious about it (this was the early 2000s, when the Internet made it oh-so-easy to cheat). I believe in my time there was ONE instance of plagiarism, and the student was expelled for a week.

    Pretty sure these emailers never had to sit through the plagiarism talk at Linden. Otherwise they would understand that when you take something, no matter if it’s poorly written or a freaking work of art, it’s plagiarism. It’s a very simple concept. If a bunch of 16-year olds can get it, why can’t they?

    My other favorite thing about these is the rampant spelling and grammatical errors. I love when someone is trying to put you down but instead makes themself look ignorant.

50. 

    Faellie said on 04.29.12 at 02:57 AM • [link]

    My interpretation of the responses you quote is that the readers have become emotionally attached to the blog in question, are hurt by the revelation of plagiarism and as their first reponse are hitting out at the person who revealed the plagiarism rather than the one who perpetrated it.  In other words, the standard scenario in which the bearer of bad news gets the blame.  It’ll blow over pretty quickly: there will be some people who continue to be invested in the plagiarist’s blog, some who leave immediately and more who will drift away over time.

    The interesting thing this reveals is the extent to which readers are emotionally invested in the blogs they read, perhaps more than they (I?) realise.

51. 

    Kate said on 04.29.12 at 04:49 AM • [link]

    Let me get one thing straight, you can love thinking about Hugh Jackman riding on a unicorn AND hate on plagiarism, and I enjoy a hefty dose of both.
    I just think these things will catch up to you. Karma, google and plagiarism software have a tendency to spot these things. Plus one of the things I enjoy about writing is knowing that I’ve made something, that the reader is getting a piece of my imagination and not that I’ve learnt how to use the CTRL + C function on my computer with gay abandon.
    There’s been no bullying here, just the simple request for someone to take ownership of their wrong doing and apologise like an adult.
    Now back to dreaming of HJ riding that unicorn…..blimey…
    

52. 

    Kathrin P said on 04.29.12 at 04:50 AM • [link]

    This is some serious WTFery! The K.D. supporters are actually sending out hate mail to B and Vahni and you?!? Wow… I’m so sorry for all of you. You didn’t do anything bad. She, however, did! :(

53. 

    Gerd Duerner said on 04.29.12 at 05:00 AM • [link]

    Ah well, you’ve got to love it when people try to defend stealing by reasoning that the content in question wasn’t worth stealing. That’s always a good one.

    @Faellie:
    True that, writers and bloggers one follows for some time can become like imaginary members of the enlarged family (if they want to or not), and attacking them can therefore trigger our inbuilt defenses that often react with more self-righteous anger than logic.

54. 

    cel jel said on 04.29.12 at 05:42 AM • [link]

    How very sad it is that the people who were plagiarised are the ones who then get attacked for doing something about it. I find it a very disappointing situation, and a frightening one, for it seems to be what is happening in the political scene as well. If you are in the wrong, you do not admit it, but you go on the attack in a nastier way.
    I would like to remind people, that yes someone lied. Unfortunately this means that you may not trust her for a while, but please as you are just as human and may yourself/ in fact probably yourself have also lied, do not wipe the person or the blog if you originally liked it.  Also I would like to say congratulations to the bloggers who had the background to get the facts, to confront her.
    Looking on I would say that all have suffered through this, the ones whose content was stolen, and the one who stole it. Wipe the slate clean, read the blogs and judge them on their own merits and go forward.

55. 

    Kat (AussieZombie) said on 04.29.12 at 08:27 AM • [link]

    WTF?  Seriously, WTF.

    I thought for 15 minutes what I could say, and that’s all I could come up with.

    Speechless.

56. 

    Tam B. said on 04.29.12 at 08:46 AM • [link]

    OK.  I don’t mean to dismiss the seriousness of this issue because it is one I believe deserves every bit of attention it can get.  I think that the current matter is being dealt with in an extremely classy manner by the victims and thank you Sarah for keeping me up to date.  Everyone who has commented above me has pretty much summed up my feelings and likely in a better manner.

    But I have to ask why put Hugh Jackman on a unicorn?  I’d much rather him shirtless on a harley with some bad boy sunnies.  (And I should properly state that I read Kaliana Cole’s Good Horses, Fast Cars and Good Looking Men earlier in the day and one of her heroes was in this exact pose - it inspired me to borrow it for HJ.)

57. 

    azteclady1 said on 04.29.12 at 08:49 AM • [link]

    Excuse me…what?

    Wipe the slate clean? Seriously?

    Why?

    Because Kirsti “has suffered through this”?

    Please tell me you are not serious—that you are not saying that when someone steals and victimizes someone else, the slate should be wiped clean because, after they are caught the don’t admit wrong doing, they beg for the theft to be kept a secret, they offer non-apologies where they never admit they willfully stole from others, they cry about their own feelings, and, to top of the cake of whatthefuckery, they keep silent while the people who love them vilify and further victimize the people they stole from.

    Is this what you are suggesting we do?

58. 

    Kate Towery said on 04.29.12 at 10:46 AM • [link]

    I’d honestly write something on my post if you hadn’t already said exactly what needs to be said.  I am so tired of the response that “Kristi’s apologized and everyone just needs to move on.”. Um, no, I don’t have to move on, and really Kristi hasn’t apologized.  I would love to have some of her blogging powers, because for the life of me I haven’t quite gotten the trick to mass brainwashing down yet.  My favorite defenders of hers are the ones that read her apologies, didn’t understand them, but urged everyone to move on anyway, and for Kristi to stay strong. 

    And I’d be fine if the bloggers Kristi stole from, i.e. the real victims, did post the names and bloggers that are sending them hate mail.  I don’t want to accidentally follow one of these jackasses. 

59. 

    Patricia said on 04.29.12 at 10:57 AM • [link]

    Gah. This reflects not only on those people (and Kristi - They’re not doing her a favor there, really), but the blogging community as a whole, which MADDENS me. (Talking about wholes and holes.. I really hope the people who sent those emails weren’t native speakers. v_v)

    2012 is so full of drama. Not sure if amused, ashamed or annoyed.

60. 

    Alpha Lyra said on 04.29.12 at 10:59 AM • [link]

    Wow. Those retaliation emails make me embarrassed for the human race.

61. 

    Flo_over said on 04.29.12 at 11:06 AM • [link]

    I think, from a non writer/blogger standpoint, you’re looking at something that’s been brewing since the internets were created by Al Gore.  *giggles to self*

    The internet promotes so MUCH openness and free speech and has little to NO policing of said speech.  With old fashioned publishing there was at least a gatekeeper (of sorts) to help control plagiarizing.  They weren’t perfect but they did, perhaps, a better job.

    Now, you have generations growing up with the internet, free content, and a *ahem* willingness to “SHARE” more freely of said content, if you catch my drift.  The effects and affects of plagiarism aren’t taught nor are they truly punished.  So, seeing people defend the one who has plagiarized isn’t really a shock.

    I’m not defending the behavior or the responses to said behavior.  Stealing is stealing and I’m sure if we chopped off a few hands as examples people would reconsider their actions.  (or get upset and righteous)  I just find it interesting where it has all come from and the reactions that spring from the actions.

62. 

    ducky said on 04.29.12 at 11:15 AM • [link]

    I suspect these plagiarist defenders are most likely very young which would explain some of their amazing ignorance and wrong-headedness.

63. 

    Danielle said on 04.29.12 at 11:30 AM • [link]

    Not everyone who continues to participate in TSS’s In My Mailbox is necessarily aware of what has happened, but the blogs added to the list in today’s signup post is perhaps a starting point for being aware of which bloggers the plagiarism matters to (or rather, not).

     

64. 

    Alice said on 04.29.12 at 12:31 PM • [link]

    I am appalled that SB Sarah and others have been attacked for being whistle-blowers.  Nora Roberts said that plagerism is “mind rape” and she should know as she was a victim of several acts of plagerism of her books some years ago.  And if she Nora can write 200 books that are all different, each one new and fresh, so that you never feel that she’s just rehashing old plots, then why can’t other writers or in this case, bloggers, do the same.  Probably because they’re not overly talented or lazy or maybe they just don’t give a damn.  It is really scary to think that some of our young people are okay when someone they admire is caught stealing and then have the audacity to blame the whistle blowers when it is uncovered.  Where are our young people learning these values?  If we’ve learned anything from the media lately, is that the cover-up or excuse for a crime is always worse than the crime itself. 
     
    

65. 

    Kayedraper Writeme said on 04.29.12 at 12:50 PM • [link]

    I am not aware of the entire incident being referred to here, but can only say, wow… at the responses.
    As one of the commenters above stated, I think there is room here for a healthy discussion of just what constitutes plagiarism, as sometimes in this era of free sharing of ideas that can become a very grey area. 
    One question I often have is in regards to artwork.  Many bloggers include pics with their posts, and if you search yahoo or google you can find the exact pic they used.  I also routinely use pics I’ve found online.  Of course I always try to include a link to the original website where the picture was found, and I never imply that I was the artist- but am I doing all I can to avoid being accused of using someone else’s work?

66. 

    shiloh walker said on 04.29.12 at 01:22 PM • [link]

    I actually do think that people can and should be given a second chance.  We’re all human, we all make mistakes and we’ve all done something that has hurt another.

    Sadly, though, as emails that have surfaced.. ‘allegedly’ comign from the story siren where she’s been demeaning, belittling, or outright cruel to fellow reviewers, I believe one of them was 11 or 12, and she hasn’t acknowledged these, it makes hard to rebuild any sort of trust.

    More, as she has many, many readers who very clearly attacking those who have stood up and addressed this, it’s perpetuating the issue.

    She’s in a position of authority there and they clearly admire her, and listen to her.

    She could take a pro-active stand here and publicly tell her blog followers that while she appreciates the support, she was in the wrong and she needs to take responsibility for it.  That would be the wise thing, the mature thing…it would be taking ownership over it and it would be, in my opinion, the first step to truly rebuilding trust in the eyes of the blogging community.

    I can tell you that I’m the mother of a young adult reader-she’s 13 and although she’s a diehard reader, she’s just now circulating online more and hasn’t starting visiting many blogs yet.  I still watch her online activities and the Story Siren’s blog is offlimits to her. 

    We discussed what happened and if I don’t see the blogger take a more proactive stand about addressing her mistake, AND addressing how her readers are going on the attack, it will stay offlimits.  I won’t allow anybody in my house to support her blog, not through page views or comments or anything else.

    Some might think that’s harsh, saying she can’t control her readers action, and no, she can’t.

    But there’s a difference between speaking out and saying, “Look guys, I was the one who screwed up. Please don’t take it out on them.”  And just…radio silence.

    Radio silence is, IMO, tacit approval.

67. 

    Throwmearope said on 04.29.12 at 01:25 PM • [link]

    I don’t think youth causes stupidity.  Merely surviving doesn’t correct ignorance. Wrong-headedness doesn’t just wear off with age.

    Georges Brassens had a song (which I will translate very poorly) about the youth thinking old folks are stupid, and the elderly thinking the young are stupid.  He believed that if you’re stupid, you were born stupid and then stay that way for life.

    I always check out what people are reading in my office.  I’ve never seen a teenager with a YA book.  Only adults.  I suspect the authors of these emails are not children.

    But it would be nice to be able to ascribe poor behavior to naivete in the hope that better behavior will be possible in the future.

    I’m just remembering the whole (or hole) CE thing with authors standing up for CE and being okay with her plagiarism.  Sigh.

68. 

    erinf1 said on 04.29.12 at 02:57 PM • [link]

    Siiiiiiigh. This whole thing is a study in “doing the right thing isn’t easy”. Kudos to everyone and best wishes for the future. Here’s hoping that the people being hated on can keep up their strength and know that they are in the right no matter what ignorant people say. Here’s also hoping that the blogging community can take this and find some integrity and lessons through it all.

    Part of the problem, I think, is that Kristi has a rabid fan base b/c she bought them. All you have to do is see the ratio of giveaways to actual book reviews and one + one = do whatever they have to do to make sure she keeps on “giving”. Most of my favorite blogs do the occasional giveaway and I still come back b/c I value the content over the chance to win a free book.

69. 

    lori stone said on 04.29.12 at 04:41 PM • [link]

    This is slightly off topic but it is a question that came up while I was tracking this whole mess last week. TSS is a YA blog correct?  What age range is that actually geared toward?  When I checked her site to read her non apology for myself I happened to see a publisher’s ad for a book with very graphic sexual language and situations.  I sent an email to the author and haven’t heard back.  It happened to catch my eye because it was by one of my favorite authors.  Given the emotional maturity of the responses it has reinforced by belief that at least the majority of the audience are teenagers I’m somewhat confused.

70. 

    azteclady1 said on 04.29.12 at 05:20 PM • [link]

    It is an interesting question indeed, but I think that Throwmearope’s comment addresses it: while readers and publishers call these YA books, a good many of its readers are actually well past their teenage years.

    I wouldn’t be surprised if the majority of the reading YA demographic is made up by college kids.

    (And now that I think about it, those are indeed young and adult, while our often imagined 13 to 18 YA readership are actual kids. Heh)

71. 

    Elizabeth Davis said on 04.29.12 at 06:42 PM • [link]

    I don’t disagree with anyone who says plagiarism is an issue and that it should be addressed, but I was appalled at how badly this whole thing was handled. And that goes for rudeness on both sides.

    Kristi made a mistake. Probably it is a mistake she will never make again. But I don’t think she’s a bad person. If that makes me pro-plagiarism, so be it. But I don’t have what it takes to hate someone for all eternity because they fucked up once, even if they fucked up intentionally. And between the hashtags and the name-calling (“stealing bitch” comes to mind) and the ambulance chasing blog pimping and the branding of big red Ps on everything she did/does/will do in the future…that more than anything made me ashamed of the book blogging community, to be honest with you. It showed me how spiteful and envious and hateful some people could be. And again, that goes for both sides.

    Plagiarism is wrong. There should be discussions about it. But that is not what this fiasco was, and I can’t see how it was constructive at all. Just my $0.02.

72. 

    Ann Somerville said on 04.29.12 at 06:54 PM • [link]

    “It showed me how spiteful and envious and hateful some people could be. And again, that goes for both sides.”

    Are you really, seriously suggesting that people are angry about plagiarism out of envy?

    Elizabeth, you are part of the problem. I’d suggest you should be ashamed of yourself, but I think it would be better if you read Jessica Miller’s post here:

    http://www.readreactreview.com…

    Jessica is an ethicist at a large hospital, as well as a romance reader, blooger and reviewer. The entire article is pertinent (and I am completely serious when I say you should read it) but this is the money shot:

    “I wish I could say that the opinion that women aren’t fit to identify ethical issues and make moral judgments — that is, act as full participants in the moral community — is a relic of the past. But I can’t, because I’ve seen too many times the way women’s legitimate ethical concerns are brushed off as … jealousy, hatred, pettiness, or some other selfish and nonrational phenomenon. How else to explain that when a male physician refuses to perform a procedure he thinks is unsafe or unwise, he is applauded for his conscientious objection, but when a female nurse attempts to do the same, she is reprimanded? The physician gets kudos, while the nurse “needs more education.” I’ll spare you many, many variations on that theme I have seen in my career.”

    Plagiarism is a serious ethical issue, one which goes directly to the heart of trust and community in any group where ideas matter. To pretend there is the slightest moral equivalence between the self-serving faux apologies of Kristi and the anger, hurt and expressions of betrayal by those affected by her actions, is a dangerous and immoral act.

73. 

    SB Sarah said on 04.29.12 at 07:20 PM • [link]

    Your attempt to equivocate and dismiss what Kristi Diehm has done, and your attempt to deflect the conversation away from the sadly predictable pattern of reporting and discussing plagiarism makes me ashamed of your understanding of the issue here.

    Your identification of linking and crediting sources as “ambulance chasing blog pimping” also causes me to question your understanding of what plagiarism means, and why we are angry.

    It seems you are saying we should have been nicer when we were outraged and angry at Kristi for stealing from another writer, which, as was mentioned above, is like treason among writers. And we should have been nicer and kinder while we discussed what this meant, that someone who had been so outspoken about plagiarism then did exactly what she said not to do and tried to keep her actions hidden.

    But because we were very angry and upset, this was a “fiasco?” And the best reason you can come up with is not that Kristi Diehm stole from other writers but that we’re “spiteful and envious?”

    Your equivocation, deflection, and lack of understanding of the severity of the issue here is part of the problem. 

74. 

    Ros Clarke said on 04.29.12 at 07:23 PM • [link]

    Exactly. And in blogging, that positively benefits the original author. Quote and link to the original site. Everyone’s a winner.

75. 

    Ros Clarke said on 04.29.12 at 07:27 PM • [link]

    Please can we be having more pictures of Hugh Jackman on a unicorn in future posts of this nature?

76. 

    SB Sarah said on 04.29.12 at 07:33 PM • [link]

    Here’s one: http://bit.ly/ICOChD

    Happy to help!

77. 

    Elizabeth Davis said on 04.29.12 at 07:51 PM • [link]

    I am no more the “problem” for pointing out that the issue of plagiarism was at times buried under personal attacks against the accused than you are the “problem” for proving my point about some people being disgustingly hateful and rude.

78. 

    azteclady1 said on 04.29.12 at 07:54 PM • [link]

    Because theft is not rude.

    Because keeping silent while your victims are vilified is not rude.

    Because calling those who bring attention to the matter of theft “ambulance chasers” is not rude.

    Because calling deliberate, cold-blooded, repeated instances of theft “a mistake” is not rude, condescending and cruel to the victims of TSS’s actions.

79. 

    Ann Somerville said on 04.29.12 at 08:03 PM • [link]

    ” for proving my point about some people being disgustingly hateful and rude.”

    How was I ‘disgustingly hateful and rude’, Elizabeth? Where did I ‘hate’ on you? Or anyone?

    If you don’t want replies, I suggest you stop commenting on blogs where replies are enabled.

    Your attitude that being nice is more important than being honest, is far more destructive than anyone being called a bitch for being a plagiarist.

    I also notice you attacked me, and not Sarah, who said what I said only more forcefully. The difference is our relative status within the reading community.

    Not only are you destructive, you’re atrociously sycophantic.

80. 

    SB Sarah said on 04.29.12 at 08:04 PM • [link]

    Wait, you thought Ann’s reply was “disgustingly hateful and rude?”

    Really?

81. 

    Ann Somerville said on 04.29.12 at 08:07 PM • [link]

    Wait til I get going!

    Serve’s me right for attempting to be civil. Never any fucking point with people of this ilk.

82. 

    SB Sarah said on 04.29.12 at 08:12 PM • [link]

    I am very afraid to ask what happens if you turn it up to 11. Like, really. Do you need me to post Hugh Jackman on a unicorn again?

83. 

    Ann Somerville said on 04.29.12 at 08:16 PM • [link]

    “Do you need me to post Hugh Jackman on a unicorn again?”

    Depends. Am I allowed to do what I want with the horn? Cos I’m getting some great ideas from this discussion.

84. 

    shiloh walker said on 04.29.12 at 08:27 PM • [link]

    If the problem isn’t discussed, it encourages a culture of silence, meaning it’s that much easier to perpetuate this sort of thing and it leans to more victims of it.

    May I ask you, and I’m being honest… have you ever been plagiarized? Do you know what it’s like to pour your heart and soul into your work and then have somebody try to tear it away from you?

    If you haven’t, then you can’t understand the way it feels, which you have no ground to stand on when you tell people how they shouldn’t and should feel.

    Do I think spitefulness and ugliness and attacks have any place in this?  I personally don’t And yes, that’s coming from somebody who has been plagiarized, who has had their work stolen from them..and I understand the anger, the pain, the betrayal. 

    Trust me on this, it is a betrayal. It’s a slap in the face, it’s a stab right in the gut, and I can also tell you this, that a book blogger who supposedly has done so very much for the book community…that makes it even more troubling.

    Now do I say this out of spite?  No.  She didn’t steal my words.  I say this because I’ve been there, and I know what it’s like and when one person does it and nobody speaks up against it, it leads to more…and more.

    Do I say this out of envy?  Ah…well, what exactly do I have to be envious of?  She blogs?  So do I.  She talks to authors?  Um…well, I’m an author, I talk to authors.  So why would I be envious?

    Now here is something that really puzzles me…I’m really puzzled that anybody would think a blogger like Sarah would be jealous of TSS.  Yes, TSS might be big in the YA world, but the SB blog is one of THE blogs in the adult romance industry.  They talk to authors.  They talk to publishers.  and hell, SARAH is an author.  What does she have to be envious?

    The tone you’re seeing here is outrage, and it’s justified.

    Somebody STOLE.  “Allegedly”

    And instead of stepping up and doing the right thing…plain and simple… “I was wrong and I screwed up, I’m sorry…” with no excuses or reasoning it away, she made a few rationalizing posts.

    Then, to make matters worse, numerous emails have “allegedly” emerged where she has bullied and harassed other bloggers/reviewers…including a child.  Somebody younger than my 13 year old, and let me tell you this, if she had sent that email to my kid?  I would have gone on a warpath.

    And now her followers are harassing those who spoke out.  Instead of doing the mature thing, because I don’t believe she isn’t aware, and staying publicly, “Guys, I appreciate the supports, but I SCREWED UP.  They aren’t to blame…” She is saying nothing.

    All of this is perpetuating a problem.

    Had she, from the beginning, just owned her problem, which is hard, but had she done that, people would have seen that.  Maybe they wouldn’t have done this…“OH, these bloggers are mean and they are picking TSS crap.”

    Had she stepped up and said a few days ago, “I appreciate your support, but these mistakes are mine.  Please don’t attack those who spoke out…” then blog posts like this probably wouldn’t be necessary.

    And I can tell you this… THAT would have earned some respect back.  Because it would be doing the right thing.

    And that takes courage, especially when you’ve screwed up.

    but she’s not doing that.  She’s carrying on as if nothing is wrong and that only adds to the problem.

    Are some people getting ugly?  Yes.

    But she could have stopped a whole hell of a lot of it.

85. 

    shiloh walker said on 04.29.12 at 08:36 PM • [link]

    Nah, Ann… be civil.  Because it’s proving them wrong, and despite what they think, it’s just making them look foolish.  ;)

    PS… it’s always interesting when you and I are on the exact same side of the line.

86. 

    SB Sarah said on 04.29.12 at 08:39 PM • [link]

    I make no limitations on what you do with horns.

87. 

    Ann Somerville said on 04.29.12 at 08:39 PM • [link]

    I find it interesting that despite the fact I was perfectly civil in my response to Elizabeth, you feel it necessary to tell me to do what I was already doing.

    We might be on the same side, Shiloh, but you make my teeth ache because you still have to get your snide in. Leave it alone for once, will you?

88. 

    shiloh walker said on 04.29.12 at 08:42 PM • [link]

    Apologies… I was joking.  My tongue in cheek didn’t come thru well.

89. 

    hapax said on 04.29.12 at 09:47 PM • [link]

    Of course I always try to include a link to the original website where the picture was found, and I never imply that I was the artist- but am I doing all I can to avoid being accused of using someone else’s work?

     

    Please note that I am not a lawyer, just someone interested in intellectual property law

    If you are providing links and attribution, you are probably safe from an accusation of plagiarism.  However, unless you have obtained the image creator’s permission, or acquired it from one of the very few public domain image sources, there is a very good chance you are violating the artist’s copyright.

    If you don’t care about copyright (and many people on the internet don’t) feel free to stop reading;  but be aware that more and more copyright owners are taking legal steps to protect their materials from online theft.  Some usage of artwork online is PROBABLY protected by “fair use”:  for example, book covers to illustrate reviews.

    But this is still a legally grey area; the courts haven’t (unfortunately) given definitive answers.  Here’s a pretty good introduction:  http://www.socialmediaexaminer…

    I *personally* ALWAYS ask for permission.  I have never had it denied to me.  Many artists seem pleased to give more exposure for their work.  Others don’t seem to care.  It is possible (I have heard this in private communications from artists) that many *do* care, but are more fearful of the negative backlash from denying permission than of losing control of their work.  (Whenever I suspect this is the case, I do not use the image)

    I hope this helps.

     

90. 

    Ann Somerville said on 04.30.12 at 12:36 AM • [link]

    I appreciate the apology. Thank you.

91. 

    Moenen et Gee-mail said on 04.30.12 at 05:49 AM • [link]

    How mind-bogglingly insecure do you have to be to think that people are pointing out wrongdoings just because they’re jealous?

    And why would it matter at all if they were? Are their arguments suddenly less valid because of their emotions even when they’re pointing out FACTS?

    You know, that’s exactly the same kind of BS bigots come up with to dismiss anything said by a minority. “Yes I know my comment was racist but that black woman who pointed it out was just so spiteful I don’t feel like listening to her!”

92. 

    Mitzi Flyte said on 04.30.12 at 06:14 AM • [link]

    Plagiarism is stealing…simple as that. And now in this age of quick-publishing, it can be stealing money from someone else.

    I imagine the hate-mailers thought that they were being loyal to someone they liked; however, that doesn’t condone that type of speech (writing). Never, ever put anything online (blog, email, loop, etc) that you will not be willing and able to defend in 50 years. Online messages last forever and can be “heard” around the world.

    Guys, keep defending yourself - you are in the right.
    And…
    Karma’s a bi—atch.

93. 

    SJ said on 04.30.12 at 06:29 AM • [link]

    I’m really proud to be apart of your blog and community.

94. 

    NerdyLutheranChick said on 04.30.12 at 06:46 AM • [link]

    I wonder if these defenders of plagiarism think it is okay to copy someone else’s test or pay someone else to write an academic paper for them? Plagiarism is cheating! Maybe we should put it into terms a child would understand? Plagiarism is peeking when you are It for Hide and Seek. Plagiarism is moving up a Chute and down a Ladder. Plagiarism is using a dictionary during a spelling test. Plagiarism is copy/pasting someone else’s work and submitting it as your own. Plagiarism WILL get you expelled from Every College or University and Most High Schools! Expelled means “kicked out for life!”

95. 

    Sunita said on 04.30.12 at 09:13 AM • [link]

    Do you check to see if they have a statement about copyright WRT their photos? Some blogs do, some blogs don’t. Even if they have a Creative Commons license, there are different levels of permission and you need to check. Flickr accounts mostly have information about permission, and my experience is that a lot of them require explicit permission for each image. Unless they say in plain words that you can use their pictures without contacting them, you’re taking them without their permission. It’s nice that you link to them and give attribution, but you haven’t received permission, and depending on the copyright, you may be infringing (even if you’re not plagiarizing). So no, you’re not doing all you can.

    Many bloggers are much less careful about getting image permission than they are about words, especially given they’re not using the images in a “fair use” context. It’s one of the many ironies of the internet.

96. 

    SueCCCP said on 04.30.12 at 09:25 AM • [link]

    This was my thought as well.

    Kristi should have posted a request for her followers to behave politely and to stop sending these hate-fille emails. She has not seen fit to do that, so I can only assume that she is basking in the warm fuzzy feelings of having mindless drones rushing to her defense.

    She should be ashamed of her lack action.

97. 

    SueCCCP said on 04.30.12 at 09:27 AM • [link]

    Sadly, I think you are totally correct: I wonder how long she will let it continue before she pulls her ‘poor martyr’ act?

98. 

    SueCCCP said on 04.30.12 at 09:29 AM • [link]

    Yes, I liked the rant about how their posts would only take 5 mins to write . . . erm . . . you’re making an excellent point for why Kristi shouldn’t have bothered stealing them there! DOH!

99. 

    JimLynch said on 04.30.12 at 09:41 AM • [link]

    Well, at least you can take comfort that these plagarism defenders seem to lack any sort of reason, manners, intelligence, or basic writing skills.  They’re hardly supporting their “case” when their whole basis seems to be “this writer rocks n you suck.”

    Support writers, who sit in front of an empty page/screen and create something out of nothing.  Revile plagarists who steal from the aforementioned writers, blatantly swiping their words and claiming unwarranted credit.

100. 

     Rosa E. said on 04.30.12 at 09:53 AM • [link]

     Treason is absolutely right. Writers stand or fall by the strength of words, and anybody who’s heard a group of practiced writers talking know that this is a craft, with its own rules and obligations. Stealing another writer’s work is unconscionable, period. End of story.

     What gets me is the person insisting that the author of the original post didn’t take much time on her work (or so it’s assumed), and therefore it’s okay to take it. WTF? Stealing is wrong, whether it’s a candy bar or a bank job. “Oh, it’s just a LITTLE plagiarism” is an argument that doesn’t wash.

101. 

     Elise Logan said on 04.30.12 at 10:52 AM • [link]

     I teach political science. This happened to me THIS semester. I always have a statement regarding plagiarism in my syllabus, and there is a plagiarism assignment early in the semester so that no one can later claim ignorance of the issue. And yet, this semester, a student turned in a paper that was 100% copied from a paper I received last semester. I always run papers through SafeAssign or similar software for this reason.

     Yes. I failed this student. In fact, since it was not the first offense ( WTF?!) the student is suspended for one year. You know what? I don’t think that’s enough, actually.

102. 

     Elise Logan said on 04.30.12 at 10:58 AM • [link]

     Oh. Yum. Can he be riding on the unicorn under a rainbow? Can there be glitter? He can maybe do a big production number? Wait. I need to stop. I think I need a cold shower.

103. 

     Elise Logan said on 04.30.12 at 11:00 AM • [link]

     But… I want the big production number, too. And glitter.

104. 

     Jessi R said on 04.30.12 at 11:40 AM • [link]

     Well Said! 

     I started frequenting this site after my friend got me “Beyond Heaving Bosoms.”  I thought the section on plagiarism in the book was fascinating. I suppose I was ignorant, but I was shocked that a publish author could get away with it for YEARS! And the reaction was even more astonishing. That because someone is “nice” they shouldn’t be punished for stealing? If someone stole your car, you would want them to be reprimanded. No one would accept “Well, he’s really handsome and nice” as an excuse to ignore it.  I’m sure Bernie Madoff was really nice to his clients, does he get a free pass?  Of course not. Stealing is stealing.

     Also:
     I laughed out loud at the “I hope they step on a lego in the dark.” 

      

105. 

     Tamara Hogan said on 04.30.12 at 11:44 AM • [link]

     Never fear, Elise! Unicorns fart glitter.

106. 

     Saturngrl said on 04.30.12 at 12:03 PM • [link]

     I probably shouldn’t step into the middle of this, but: Ann, I didn’t think Shiloh was being snide, I just thought she was finishing a rhetorical argument (“tear ‘em a new one” vs. stick with what you’re doing, and “be civil”).

     I think the attacks on folks who went public with the plagiarism are awful, and do appear to reflect an oft-seen rabid protection of the “beloved figure” at the expense of the victimized.  At the same time, I can’t shake the feeling that the dismissals of plagiarism contained in a significant number of those attack emails are worthy of further, serious consideration.

     I am so fascinated by the issue of plagiarism.  I am currently teaching my second term of college, plus I have a middle-schooler, and I have to say that I think there is something missing in many discussions of plagiarism.  I can’t put my finger on it, exactly, but it seems like there has been a cultural shift which is reflected in (many) younger folks’ perceptions, yet our efforts to teach the issues of plagiarism aren’t fundamentally any different than they were 30 years ago when I was in school.  Yes, it’s true that students are subjected to lecture after lecture on plagiarism, but in my classes (and in the classes of my colleagues), there is always a significant portion that really, truly does. not. get. it.  Even those that get that “plagiarism is reading someone else’s work and then turning around to write something that uses their words and concepts struggle to figure out how to come out the other side to original thought.  (I have some students who, in an attempt to avoid plagiarizing, just paste large swaths of quotes from the text.  They avoid accidental lifting, but they can’t say things in their own words.)  If I’m honest, getting this right took me most of my high school and college career, too. 

     But back to the cultural *something*.  Although the letters are petty and victim-blaming and ridiculous, I believe that we need to take their defenses seriously, at least when it comes to investigating cultural perceptions of plagiarism.  I believe that to simply dismiss them as ad hominem attacks or defensive b.s. overlooks the fact that most of these letter writers believe what they are saying with regard to plagiarism.  Therefore, they provide a disturbing insight into a mindset that will not be overturned by yet another lecture on plagiarism (at least, not by the lectures we’re giving these days).  We are talking past each other, and if there’s any hope of bringing people around, we need to start deconstructing their language and the concepts embedded therein. 

     I have a few immature hypotheses about this current cultural moment and potential contributing factors, including: a) the use and reuse of images and content through internet memes; b) the majority of students learning that school is about teaching information they’ll have to regurgitate, and therefore not recognizing the process and work behind generating new ideas even when using prior ideas to get there; c) the vastness of the internet further reinforcing a perception that all “knowledge” already exists, in a very depersonalized way.  I haven’t really researched this, though I’d be fascinated if a teen- or twenty-something (or a keen observer of same) has published any analytical work on the topic.

     In a similarly un-considered fashion, I suspect that perhaps one of the strongest tools for fighting plagiarism might be exactly what happened in this case: The plagiarized stepping forward and describing the nature of the plagiarism, followed by widespread support of the plagiarized.  I think this particular situation is such a teachable moment.  If Kristi read the original posts and then wrote her own post, and didn’t really think that she was stealing content or ideas, that’s a great starting point for a discussion on “how does plagiarism work”?  We probably aren’t going to reach/teach those rabid Kristi supporters, but I think a lot of others may learn a thing or two. (And I am already contemplating how to use the story to help deepen my own students’ grasp of what is or isn’t plagiarism.) 

     I am sure that the looming threat of this sort of attack and the ugliness that has filled emails and comment threads (plus the fears of libel lawsuits) keeps a lot of plagiarism victims from speaking up, or from naming their plagiarizers.  Some of my favorite bloggers have written of their sense of violation when they discovered their own words on other sites, yet they have always made a point of not naming the plagiarists (usually because they’ve reached a private understanding with the other person, which either explicitly or implicitly requires the victim to remain mum).  I wonder if a dedicated network of support would be enough to help more people speak out, or if there is anything else we could do to provide active assistance to victims of plagiarism in naming the thieves.

107. 

     Virginia Llorca said on 04.30.12 at 04:46 PM • [link]

     As of this moment, it seems her credibility remains intact.  I’d love a peek at her blog stats.  I am sure all this has brought her tons of traffic.

     Did I say this before?  Cassie Edwards’ books are still on store shelves.

108. 

     Virginia Llorca said on 04.30.12 at 04:59 PM • [link]

     I believe we will never be able to draw a distinct line.  Mises.org goes on for pages and days in a single blog about Intellectual Property Rights.  We cannot define who owns the 26 symbols we communicate with. We must define the parameters of using someone else’s work for your personal gain.  But what about inspiration? To me, plagiarism has to be equated with copying and anyone using “inspiration” as a defense is going to have to hoe a damn rocky row.  Even the concept of having information stored in a “cloud” is f-ing terrifying to me.

109. 

     Donna At Bites said on 04.30.12 at 05:44 PM • [link]

     As I said on Twitter, while I’m always up for a rousing discussion of the one Hugh Jackman riding atop, bareback I might add, a unicorn, I’d much prefer to not perform my colonoscopy with my own face.  I’ve said by bit on all of this but the hate mail going to the victims is truly disgusting.  People make me lose faith in humanity.

110. 

     Kinsey Holley said on 04.30.12 at 06:01 PM • [link]

     Carrie Gwaltney - That is beyond depressing. My daughter attends an academically rigorous, rather old-fashioned private school that makes a big deal out of its honor code. If I ever found out that the administration caved in to parents on such a serious issue I would raise holy hell.

111. 

     AimeeK2003 said on 04.30.12 at 06:02 PM • [link]

     Keep at it Smart Bitches! You are in the right and if they commit the wrong, they need to accept the consequences.

112. 

     Kate L said on 04.30.12 at 08:09 PM • [link]

     Thanks to Smart Bitches (Sarah especially) for addressing the problem of the Story Siren’s radio silence and reporting/commenting on the harrassment you and the Jane and the REAL victims of this intellectual property theft have faced.

      

113. 

     M.Amanda said on 05.01.12 at 08:38 AM • [link]

     You have all my admiration for speaking up against a wrong and not letting the bullies get to you.

     I’m not a writer or involved in the writing community in any way other than as a reader, but I have recently experienced a similar situation in which I felt someone was treated wrongly. It was not just harsh or not nice. It was WRONG. As timid as I normally am, I spoke up in her defense and now feel like I’m a target.  Of a small group of grown women - mothers, wives, professionals in their 30s and 40s. Because I told them I didn’t think someone was unreasonable to challenge their questionable behavior and didn’t deserve the retaliation they were dishing out.

     Some people clearly never mature beyond high school. It makes me deeply sad for our society and for my own young daughter.

114. 

     Jennifer Armintrout said on 05.01.12 at 11:50 AM • [link]

     I love it. BE NICE. If you’ve been wronged or see that someone has been wronged and you speak up about it, that’s nice nice. If you’re not nice, it’s because you’re a creature driven solely by jealousy. Because women who can’t BE NICE are a bunch of jealous bitches. YAY FEMINISM.

115. 

     Rebecca said on 05.01.12 at 05:01 PM • [link]

     Weighing in as a high school teacher here, who has to struggle constantly with the cut-and-paste wikipedia culture.  (By the way, whatever health teacher did that should have to run a gauntlet of her angry colleagues in the English and History departments.  She. Would. Never. Do. It. Again.)  I agree with Saturngrl that many students don’t seem to get why plagiarism is wrong.  So this year, I’ve actually started linking it to lessons on formal academic writing style.  My new spiel goes (more or less): “Don’t use “in my opinion” or “I think” or similar first person expressions in a formal paper because they’re unnecessary words.  They’re unnecessary words because OF COURSE it’s your opinion, or you wouldn’t be writing it.  And if it’s NOT your opinion or something YOU think, then you should be citing it.  Because it’s someone else’s opinion.  So you have to SAY it’s their opinion.  (Or their fact.)”  It’s early days yet, but I’m cautiously optimistic that this is at least a way of framing the debate that the kids understand.  Has anyone else in the teaching field tried this tack?  Any results?

116. 

     Danielle Monsch said on 05.01.12 at 09:31 PM • [link]

     So, since I don’t follow YA at all, what is the ultimate fate of this plagiarist? Anything concrete yet?

     Have any publishing houses come out to speak against her and say that they are not sending her any more ARCs? Has any advertising been pulled?

     Again, I ask in all seriousness - if nothing happens to her except her “credibility” is called into question, then how will this deter future plagiarism? Because it doesn’t seem like being known as a thief is really affecting her.

117. 

     Michele said on 05.21.12 at 12:48 PM • [link]

     You make an interesting comment, that these people accuse you guys of being bullies by “starting drama”. A group of us have also been called that because we were defending a fellow blogger friend of ours when she was getting harassed, bullied and plagiarized. It’s amazing how delusional people can get when they’re trying so desperately to uphold that online persona and not have their followers become aware of their missteps. Denying it rather than ‘fessing up to it makes it worse. Even worse is when they sling arrows back in the other direction so they can build an army of supporters with the followers who don’t know the whole story.

118. 

     Wendy(Mocha ? Latte) said on 05.21.12 at 03:00 PM • [link]

     “To quote Hubby as we were discussing this over lunch: among writers, plagiarism is like treason.”

     I couldn’t agree with you and your hubby…yep 100%

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