Signet and Cassie Edwards Part Ways

Part of a series: Cassie Edwards 1: The First Post | Cassie Edwards 2: Savage Longings | Cassie Edwards Part 3: Running Fox | Cassie Edwards Part 4: Savage Moon | Cassie Edwards Part 5: Savage Beloved | Follow-up: Penguin (Part 1?) | Official Statement from Signet | AP Article Contains Response from Edwards  | RWA Responds to Allegations  | A centralized document for the Cassie Edwards situation


Thanks to the many, many readers, the first of whom was AnnaPiper, who sent me this link to late breaking news: Cassie Edwards and Signet publishing have parted ways due to “irreconcilable editorial differences:”

Romance writer Cassie Edwards and publisher Signet Books have decided to break up after allegations emerged in January that in she lifted passages in several of her books from other sources.

“Signet has conducted an extensive review of all its Cassie Edwards novels and due to irreconcilable editorial differences, Ms. Edwards and Signet have mutually agreed to part ways,” the publisher said in a statement Friday.

“Cassie Edwards novels will no longer be published with Signet Books. All rights to Ms. Edwards’ previously published Signet books have reverted to the author.”

The news article, which was written by AP writer Hillel Italie, who covered the original story, gives a summary, and there is no comment by Edwards for the article.

Categorized:

General Bitching...

Comments are Closed

  1. Barb Ferrer says:

    Dude, go off to the in-laws for dinner and even more crap flies?

    SAM of the all caps, wow.  Look, it’s been spelled out both eloquently and bluntly, in words large and small and still, you don’t seem to get it.

    The material is there for the perusing.  There is more than enough evidence to support the notion that Ms. Edwards took words that were not her own and passed them off as her own, thus violating not only a basic tenet of most publishing contracts, but the trust between author and reader.  More than one respected news source has treated this situation with due seriousness as has at least one of the publishers that sold Ms. Edwards’ work.  That’s more than enough “proof” for me than someone with unsubstantiated claims of knowing “the truth.”

    If you don’t give a rat’s patoot about having your trust violated, then that’s your prerogative, but do not presume to tell me that I have to buy into that crap.  I work too hard at what I do to take that trust, either as a reader or a writer lightly.

    Okay, sorry bitches, probably unnecessary ranting, but I had to get that off my chest.

  2. snarkhunter says:

    Count me among those who are genuinely pleased and impressed by the professionalism demonstrated by Signet in this mess. I’m really glad they reviewed the material, etc.

    And I’m not remotely gleeful that Edwards’s decades of plagiarism (not to mention her blatant-but-apparently-well-intentioned racism) have actually had real-world consequences. Nope. Not gleeful at all. Not even a tiny, tiny, tiny bit. There’s no little voice snickering the back of my head. (And if I WERE gleeful—which I’m not, of course—I would still feel a *little* bad for Edwards’s fans and for Edwards herself, if she really didn’t know that what she was doing was wrong, and then I would feel bad for feeling gleeful.)

    As for the other issue here? La Nora PWNS, as usual. 😀

  3. talpianna says:

    I too am glad that Signet (against my expectations) has done the right thing.  Although the Christian Science Monitor piece says she still has a two-book contract.

    Before you people go off on the word “Savage,” remember it’s my mother’s maiden name.

    The moles and I are now going down to the local tavern to buy drinks for every black-footed ferret in the joint.  And if we have any money left, we’re going to buy Nora her own wolverine.

  4. Suze says:

    (yes, I have gone through the archives; is it wrong to stalk a website?)

    If it’s wrong, I don’t wanna be right 🙂

    And let me throw my pennies in with the “satisfied” group. Signet’s statement was clear, polite, and non-accusatory.  Such a nice change from the petulance echoing through many PR offices these days.

  5. JaimeK says:

    I don’t really need to weigh in on the whole SAM comment, but I feel I must or I might combust…

    I started reading this thread this morning and added my 2 cents – I came back this evening to finish the thread and I read Nora Roberts “is the biggest bitch in the industry.”  I gasped out loud and my husband asked what I was reading so I read it to him.  “Wow,” he said.  Wow sort of covers it.  The wow, Nora, is how you handled it.  To be singled out in this mess, yet again, and to have such class – not blowin’ smoke – just sayin’….you are lovely.

    Peace.

  6. raj says:

    For the curious, I know of at least one bookstore that pulled Edwards’ novels off the shelf and returned them– a friend of mine was the one who got to rip them in half so they couldn’t legally be sold.

  7. Anonym2857 says:

    SAM said…

    What I know and who I am is none of your business.  I’m just saying that you don’t know what really happened.  Just because the AP printed something doesn’t mean it’s 100% true.

    Well on one level I almost admire Sarah Ann Mitchell for her loyalty.  Blind and misplaced and most likely codependent it may be, but still… it’s loyalty.

    However, her acting out in denial of an avalanche of evidence is just childish, pitiful and sad.  Mostly sad. I certainly don’t believe everything I read in the AP or any other news agency. Heck, I don’t believe MOST things I read in the media,  but in this case I don’t need to.

    I’m not celebrating CE’s downfall. I am sad it ever happened at all. But I guess I do take satisfaction that there is a certain element of justice taking place.  It may not be enough or it may be too much, depending on your POV. But at least there is some element of ‘making it right’ taking place. Whether it was done out of laziness,  ignorance or blatant disregard for honest writing, what CE did was flat-out wrong. No excuses. There need to be consequences for her actions. 

    While I have never been an admirer of CE’s work, obviously she’s had a loyal following of readers for all these years. They have a right to be disappointed.  However, it was Cassie Edwards herself who disappointed them—not the SBs or any of the scores of others who were equally outraged by CE’s outright plagiarism.  SAM and her pals would probably get a more sympathetic response if they acknowledged that there were flagrant wrongs committed.  SAM could still be disappointed that loyalty and trust had been violated, and yet love Cassie anyway. She and her pals are victims in this too.  But instead, she’d rather act out.  I have no intention of wasting my energy trying to reason with someone who can’t/won’t get it.  I’ll just pity her and move on.

    I used to work in a crime lab.  Some 15+ years after it took place, I still remember what one woman said after her gang banger grandson had been gunned down outside his high school in a fight with a rival drug dealer.  He had been leader of a particularly violent gang of drug runners, robbers and car-jackers who often randomly assaulted people on the street just for sport. He led a short but quite nasty life.  This obviously grieving woman showed great dignity when facing a very intrusive pack of media who essentially said he deserved what he got.  She said,  “I know he wasn’t a good boy, but he was a good grandson.”  It acknowledged her pain and love for her grandson without discounting the crimes that had been committed, or the persons he had harmed. She didn’t blame others for her grandson’s actions either. She accepted him for what he was to her, and loved him in spite of his vile behavior.

    Sarah Ann, you might consider how you respond in the future.  Start by saying something like, “I know Cassie Edwards was wrong in what she did. But I loved those books, and I still love her.”  You’re allowed. It comes across much better than name-calling and tantrums and ignorant, baseless threats.

    Justice is necessary, but not always pleasant. There are no winners here, and no one is celebrating CE’s downfall.  It’s tragic that so many people were harmed by her actions.  Signet did the right thing, surprisingly enough. Good on them. 

    Diane

  8. Bonnie says:

    In my own small way, I “celebrated” this news by pointing out to the owner of the little UBS in my neighborhood about “Savage-gate”, after noticing a number of her “works” on the shelf.

    While I continued to browse, he googled at his computer and I could hear him alternately guffawing & growling in indignation/disbelief. By the time I got to the counter to pay for my books, he had a box of her books by the front door, heading for the trash! He also had a few succinct words for authors who plagarize another’s work, and said that he would be refusing any of her books in the future.

    Bitches RULE! ;p

    — Bonz

    “data48” … goes to show you can’t fight the data!

  9. --E says:

    C’mon people, SAM’s obviously a troll. There’s only two ways to deal with a troll: ignore them, or make fun of them. But for Crom’s sake, don’t treat them seriously! That’s like feeding spinach to Popeye.

    SAM’s list of trollsign is impressive in its triteness:

    Mrs. Edwards and Signet going their seperate ways has nothing to do with what you did so you can stop gloating!
    Unless you know the exact story you should keep your mouths shut.  If you post the wrong thing you will be opening yourself up to one heck of a slander lawsuit.

    Whining? Check.
    Accusations of ignorance? Check.
    Threats of lawsuit? Check.

    As I said, you don’t know what happened.  It had nothing to do with what these people did.  You only know what the AP printed, not the whole story.  LMAO
    By celebrating you are making asses out of yourselves.  LMAO

    Repeated accusations of ignorance? Check.
    Implication that troll knows something secret, but won’t say what it is? Check.
    Utterly ludicrous accusations that opponents look foolish? Check.

    What I know and who I am is none of your business….
    You guys are the ones who think they know everything….I thought just maybe you had matured a little.  I guess not.

    Repeated “I have a secret” blustering? Check.
    “You’re so immature!” third-grade-girl-level namecalling? Check.

    I have much more important things to do than to argue with a bunch of people who have to go around hurting others just so they can feel good about themselves.

    And the big winnah! “I’m gonna take my toys and go away!” Sadly, they never really do, but it’s the big clue that they’re getting really upset that everyone thinks they’re an idiot.

    SAM, love, if you’re going to be a troll, at least be an entertaining and original troll. This is real noob-quality stuff.

  10. nancy says:

    Sarah Ann, you might consider how you respond in the future.  Start by saying something like, “I know Cassie Edwards was wrong in what she did. But I loved those books, and I still love her.” You’re allowed. It comes across much better than name-calling and tantrums and ignorant, baseless threats.

    Amen. I rarely comment on blogs because I’ve already been sent to troll land (as if I care a rat’s…), but when SAM called Nora a bitch in utter nastiness, “them’s fightin’ words,” in my opinon.

    Pardon my tantrum after 3 tunis.

  11. Don says:

    It’s funny how her stupidity ruined her writing career.  If it had been one book, she could maybe have hidden for a little while, but a novelist with 100 books cannot hide long enough to try to rejuvenate that writing career.

  12. quichepup says:

    Ferrets, schmerrets, I’m drinking champagne (or something close to it) tonight.

  13. SAM says:

    No, I’m not Mrs. Edwards.  I don’t know her but I do read her books and I enjoy them.

    I’ve been coming to this site for the past several years.  There’s just never been anything I wanted to reply to until this.

    I’m sorry if you don’t like my opinion but I have as much right to state it as anyone else.  At least I don’t set out to ruin someone’s career and then gloat about it.

    Yes, you found information, investigated it, and provided all the information on your website, the AP, and everywhere else. 

    The proper thing to have done was to first bring it to the attention of the publisher and Mrs. Edwards and allowed them to make a statement to you about the allegations.

    You didn’t give Signet a chance to find out what was going on before the press was all over it.  Could you imagine what it was like for Mrs. Edwards when she answered the phone and was suddenly being questioned by the AP and not even know what was going on?

    As for saying how I feel about Ms. Roberts…I’m not apologizing.  I said how I feel.  She’s had her nose in this since day one.  I didn’t see any other authors involving themselves or making statements to the AP.

    The proper thing would have been for Ms. Roberts to have said, “No Comment”. 

    Did anyone attend Bertrice Small’s workshop in Pittsburgh?   

    Did she bring up Mrs. Edwards’ name? 

    No, she didn’t.  She’s wouldn’t stoop so low as to attack a fellow author or anyone else publicly.

    This is all I have to say on this matter.  It’s a waste of time. 

    If there is one person here who has never in your entire life done anything wrong I’ll be happy to hand you the first stone to cast.

  14. Goblin says:

    The proper thing to have done was to first bring it to the attention of the publisher and Mrs. Edwards and allowed them to make a statement to you about the allegations.

    No. The books are all over the damned continent. Why should we allow the publisher and author to keep all that blatant plagiarism hush-hush? Readers have a right to know they’ve been swindled, and the press gets the word out most efficiently. If Ms. Edwards didn’t want people asking her about plagiarism, then she shouldn’t have plagiarized.

    As for saying how I feel about Ms. Roberts…I’m not apologizing.  I said how I feel.  She’s had her nose in this since day one.

    And I applaud her resoundingly for it.

  15. The proper thing to have done was to first bring it to the attention of the publisher and Mrs. Edwards and allowed them to make a statement to you about the allegations.

    SAM, I don’t agree with you on this, and I’ll tell you my reasons why. As soon as an author publishes a book, its contents are out there for public review, critique, discussion and debate. That’s what publication is about. It’s not sharing a book with friends, it’s putting your work out in the public, to let it stand (or fall) on the quality of the writing and story-telling, and its consequent appeal to the book-buying public. The moment an author signs off on the final proofs, they should be accepting responsibility for their work, and to be prepared for all the comments, positive and negative, that members of the industry, the media, and the reading public might make about that book. If an author makes claims about a book, then they establish an implicit contract of trust with the reader and the reading public, and they should be able to demonstrate the soundness of those claims.

    The plagiarism issues identified in Mrs Edwards’ books were not a minor matter, or an isolated matter. It’s not a case of a small mistake or error of fact. Her actions have had a significant negative impact on herself, her readers, her publishers, and the broader romance genre. In publishing her books, Mrs Edwards has made her actions public, and therefore open to public scrutiny and discussion.

    Publishing is a tough and a scary world for authors. I’m currently doing the final read-through on the proofs of my first novel. When I send that off tomorrow, I have to accept responsibility for my actions and my decisions as an author. Once my work is published, my readers and the reading community have a right to comment on the book, discuss, debate, criticize, or praise it, to ask questions, and to do it publicly. Mrs Edwards’ readers and the reading public have the same rights with regard to her books.

  16. There’s only two ways to deal with a troll: ignore them, or make fun of them. But for Crom’s sake, don’t treat them seriously!

    —E, while in some cases I’d agree with you, I figure that a) this is a serious issue and b) whatever we might think, as well as SAM there are people who are probably lurking here who genuinely don’t understand why we hold these views, and are feeling hurt by them.

    Yeah, yeah, I know I’m a softy. I am a middle (or was that muddle?) child, and had to be the peacemaker. So, sometimes I choose to engage politely to an extent with a dissenting view.

    However, I need to go now and finish the final read-through of the proofs, and I may reward myself afterwards with a Nora Roberts movie, so I probably won’t make any more comments on this one. 🙂

  17. Bravewolf says:

    I, for one, have no reservations about snarking Cassie Edwards right into the Savage Ground.  I found the plots of her books ridiculous and her approach to Native Americans insulting, which was enough reason for me to laugh myself sick at the SB commentary on her works.  The plagiarism, however, meant that the gloves are off. 

    If she is, as her fans claim, an adult in her right mind, she has no excuse for copying other peoples’ work.  It was unprofessional and unethical and I think she deserves every bit of snark she gets.  She made money for years stealing other peoples’ work and I’m scratching my head as to why her fans are still trying to argue that this issue should have been swept under the carpet.

  18. Bernita says:

    “Did she bring up Mrs. Edwards’ name? 

    No, she didn’t.  She’s wouldn’t stoop so low as to attack a fellow author or anyone else publicly. “

    She didn’t need to emphasize the obvious. What do you think provided the impetus and illustrated the necessity for a workshop on the subject of plagiarism?

  19. Nora Roberts says:

    Gosh, my nose is getting a lot of play.

    I don’t say ‘no comment’ when I have one. I have very strong opinions on plagiarism. I imagine the media contacted me because I’ve been a victim of plagiarism. As it appears you see condemning plagiarism as an attack on Edwards I must assume you condone plagiarism. So we have very different views on what’s ‘proper’.

    Signet took the proper steps, and the time required, to assess the situation.

    Now we move to the biblical portion of the program with the old cast the first stone maneuver.

    I have never plagiarized, so I’ll gather my own stones, thanks, and toss them at the act and issue of plagiarism enthusiastically. I’ve got a pretty good arm.

  20. Bernita says:

    “I’m sorry if you don’t like my opinion but I have as much right to state it as anyone else. “
    And so does Nora Roberts have the right to state her opinion, particularly on a subject with which she has had personal and painful knowledge.
    Yet you, SAM,  hypocritically claim she shouldn’t comment?
    Bah.

  21. Barb Ferrer says:

    Nora, correct me if I’m wrong here, but one of the most telling things in this whole situation is the fact that Signet opted to restore Edwards’ rights to all the books they’ve published, back to her.

    Am I wrong in thinking that this is virtually unheard of?  At least, on such a large scale?

  22. Nora Roberts says:

    ~Am I wrong in thinking that this is virtually unheard of~

    It’s not something I’ve heard of before either. Undoubtedly doing so costs Signet considerable in potential sales.

    For me, as a reader, and as a writer under other imprints in the Penguin/Putnam Group, it illustrates the publisher put ethics ahead of profit.

    And from the wording of the press release, it strikes me they did so as professionally and as cleanly as possible.

    Big points for Signet.

  23. Julie Leto says:

    I didn’t see any other authors involving themselves or making statements to the AP.

    That’s only because the AP went for an author who has PERSONAL EXPERIENCE with plagiarism and who their readers would recognize.  In many ways, Nora Roberts has become an expert on plagiarism because of her experiences.  She’s been stolen from, or didn’t you know that?  If you can’t see why the media would go to her for a quote and if you can’t understand why she has the balls to stand up against plagiarism, then you are even more clueless than your comments make you out to be.

    But rest assured, SAM, had they called me, my statements would have been just as strong.  Call me a bitch, too, if you want to (please! please!) but what Cassie Edwards did was wrong and I have no compunction in saying so publicly and privately and to anyone who will listen.

    The SmartBitches had NO requirement to handle this matter privately.  They are bloggers.  They are an outlet for news in this industry.  It’s like telling 20/20 that they should confront those child predators privately instead of setting up their cameras for an undercover sting.

    You just want it all private so it could be swept under the rug.

    I’m sure Mrs. Edwards was very shocked when she was confronted on the phone about the allegations.  People who have been caught after years of doing something wrong often are.  I have sympathy, and would have even had forgiveness, had she apologized and tried to make restitution.  But she didn’t.  She tried to justify her actions and as a writer, she should know better.

    The only good thing is that out of this mess, perhaps many writers now DO know better.

  24. Sela Carsen says:

    Count me among the cynical who thought that this whole issue was going to be swept under the rug. I recant! Signet has earned my respect for being thorough, considerate and ethical in this matter of plagiarism. Kudos to them and HUGE kudos to the SBs for breaking the story in the first place.

  25. --E says:

    Barb, Signet reverting all the rights to Ms. Edwards’s books made me blink several times, too. That pretty much translates to “We don’t want to have anything to do with this mess for one second longer.”

    Though I should observe that the wording in the article is just vague enough that it might mean something different. Cassie Edwards novels will no longer be published with Signet Books. All rights to Ms. Edwards’ previously published Signet books have reverted to the author. might translate as “We’re not going to buy any new books from her, and her older books with us had already reverted.”

    I realize Ms. Edwards has a strong fan base, but it’s entirely possible that many of her books more than a few years old are already OP, available only as used books. (This is no slam on Ms. Edwards; that’s the usual fate for most authors’ books.)

    Signet has not said they will pulp their current stock of books. The real answer will come in a year or so: at that time, search for any of the Signet-published books being available as “new” for full cover price. If Signet is true to their word, the books will not be available from them. It’s almost impossible they would keep stock in the warehouse for a year without reprinting.

    In the meanwhile, it wouldn’t hurt for the Bitchery to reassure Signet that they made the right decision. If you wrote them a letter complaining about the plagiarism, write them another applauding their decision, and emphasize you will enjoy buying more Signet titles. Consumer action can be a powerful stick; it should also work as a carrot.

  26. Nora Roberts says:

    ~and her older books with us had already reverted.” ~

    I don’t believe this is the case, and there was a new book from Signet due out this summer. Which according to the Signet statement will not now be published by them. I believe the backlist from Signet was still in print, so the rights would not have already reverted before this decision.

    This is a hefty hit in the profit margin for Signet. I would also speculate that the review of the books they’d published or plan to publish cost them considerable expense.

    Ethics and professionalism before profit. That says a lot to me.

  27. nancy says:

    The proper thing would have been for Ms. Roberts to have said, “No Comment”.

    Proper? Listen to your own words, SAM, and abide by them.

    If there is one person here who has never in your entire life done anything wrong I’ll be happy to hand you the first stone to cast.

    Impossible. Only those people who have never “done anything wrong” have stones to offer.
    Obviously I’m still a tad ticked by this person’s comments. I mean no disrespect to the rest of you or to this blog. And, I know Nora is very capable of defending herself w/o my help. So…I’ll slither back to troll territory now—until SAM beckons again.

  28. Arethusa says:

    Sigh. Keep the plagiarism news hush hush? Heck, I wish Cassie Edwards had kept all her books hush hush. Don’t fret, SAM. If you still need mixed first nation + soothing white woman romance there’s always Nan Ryan.

  29. Anon76 says:

    Yeah, I’m thinking along the lines that Nora is thinking. After a certain point, big authors don’t exactly go “out of print”. Not in the way that less-known authors do. Backlists are dipped into by newfound fans. Whole series get a “reissue” treatment. (I’m sorry if I can’t explain my theory properly, I’ve never been in that position so I’m “guestimating”.

    When Signet reverted the rights back to Ms. Edwards, I’m assuming that severed all ties involving their right to continue to sell her books. Meaning the inclusion of all those currently on the shelves or in warehouses.

    Some kind of monetary deal had to have been worked out here.  Someone has to eat the cost of all those returns. Unless, of course, the deal involved leaving the current stock on the shelves, and dealing with the warehouse stock as a separate issue.

    Dunno.

  30. Barb Ferrer says:

    For me, as a reader, and as a writer under other imprints in the Penguin/Putnam Group, it illustrates the publisher put ethics ahead of profit.

    Yep, ditto on both points.

    The thing that’s striking me with respect to the Cassie Edwards fan(s) is that they’re not so much upset that she plagiarized, since indeed, in their minds, she didn’t do anything wrong.  They’re far more upset she got busted.

    Talk about a skewed sense of priorities and ethics.

  31. Jenns says:

    Barb, I’ve been thinking and wondering the same thing. You verbalized it beautifully.
    Amongst her fans, there seems to be the mindset that this whole sad ordeal should just be swept under the rug and forgotten. Nobody seems upset about the plagiarism, and CE herself doesn’t seem willing to apologize.
    And as for La Nora speaking up, who can forget what she’s been through? I definitely admire her for doing so when asked, and with such class. (I’m not kissing up, you’ve gotta appreciate the way the lady stays so cool and wonderfully spoken no matter what’s tossed at her!)

  32. Corrine says:

    Ethics and professionalism before profit. That says a lot to me.

    And it’s refreshing when it seems every time you turn around some crooked person is getting away with something, and no one cares because they’re making money from it.

    I’ve already sent out my letter of thanks, and if I could I’d send a box of cookies with it.

  33. SAM says:

    There’s no need to typecast Mrs. Edwards’ fans.  My opinion is my own and I do not speak for anyone except for myself.

    Mrs. Edwards does have a lot of loyal fans who will stand behind her and continue reading her books.  There is an official fan club with hundreds of members.  I’m sure these fans will each make their own decisions about the situation.

    Let me ask each of you this question…How many of you did book reports and essays in High School?  How many of you never used complete sentences or paragraphs from your research?

    I’ll be honest and admit that I did.  I quoted statistics, information, etc., and used them in my reports.  Is that stealing?  If it is then 90% of all high school students have turned in reports with stolen work.

    I always thought plagiarism was when someone takes another person’s story, poem, book, etc., changes it, and claims it as their own.  I honestly didn’t know that using sentences and even a paragraph is considered plagiarism.  But then again, I’m not an author, writer, editor, or publisher.

    Isn’t it possible that Mrs. Edwards actually did not realize using parts of her research without changing the words was plagiarism? 

    I have seen authors state that their publishers do not put a credit page even if the author includes it with their manuscripts.  Is that the author’s fault/wrong doings or does that fall on the publisher?

    Ms. Roberts, as angry as I am at the way you helped the people who own this site I’ve decided to apologize for the name calling.  Whether you accept the apology or not is your decision.

    I remember years ago a different Nora Roberts.  A very sweet lady who I exchanged emails with. 

    You are all entitled to your opinions, but so am I.  I believe everyone deserves a second chance as well as forgivness. 

    As for Mrs. Edwards not making a statement…I wouldn’t either.  Too many people in the press like to twist people’s words and misquote them to make their articles more interesting.

  34. Kassiana says:

    Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…….

    Couldn’t happen to a more deserving collage creator.

    What? She doesn’t write her books, she just steals from others’ and forms them into a collage with a few randomly sprinkled words (like “savage”).

    Now, maybe Signet can publish someone who’s actually an author, someone who does original work.

  35. Barb Ferrer says:

    Not to beat the long-dead horse, but an author cannot take material wholesale from another source, reproduce it without change, and call it their own.  This is the problem that Ms. Edwards seems to have trouble grasping.

    From the CS Monitor article on Paul Tolmé, quoting Ms. Edwards:

    The author, who previously has declined comment to the media, agreed to a telephone interview from her Mattoon, Ill., home. Still distraught by allegations in published reports, Edwards wanted to tell her side. “When I write these Indian novels, I research to try to get everything authentic for the reader, every detail,” she says. “I would never purposely lie or cheat. That’s not the way I was raised. I want it all to be true. What I take from books are merely descriptions. The research is research. I don’t want to put in things that are just made up.”

    Okay, so props to her for wanting to get the research right, however, there is a vast difference between lifting the material wholesale and making stuff up out of whole cloth and it’s that middle ground that an author of fiction has to learn to navigate.  You take the facts and you weave them into original narrative, in a manner which is seamless and flows in your own style.  The facts are the facts.  It’s the manner in which they’re conveyed that bear the author’s own distinctive style.

    By her own admission, she did not do this.  She took sentences that other people crafted and put them in, almost word for word.  She thinks that just because they’re descriptions, they don’t count?  How incredibly insulting to the people who put time and hours of work into crafting their research.

    How many of you did book reports and essays in High School?  How many of you never used complete sentences or paragraphs from your research?

    Um… never.  Or at the very least, not without citing and quotations and all the stuff I was taught went along with writing an essay or book report or any kind of academic paper.  All of which are incredibly different from writing a piece of original fiction.

  36. Jenns says:

    Yes, you are certainly entitled to your own opinion.
    We all are.
    And so is Signet.
    Yes, the fans can make their own decisions. They can decide whether Ms. Edwards was right or wrong in giving them whole chunks of another author’s words. Not a sentence. Not a phrase. Whole paragraphs.
    If they – if you – don’t feel cheated, that’s fine. But the rest of us have a right to find Ms. Edwards in the wrong. We are also the reading public. We also have a right.
    And hey, thought you had more to do than argue with the likes of us?
    Just sayin’.

  37. Goblin says:

    Let me ask each of you this question…How many of you did book reports and essays in High School?  How many of you never used complete sentences or paragraphs from your research?

    I’ll be honest and admit that I did.  I quoted statistics, information, etc., and used them in my reports.  Is that stealing?  If it is then 90% of all high school students have turned in reports with stolen work.

    Yes, it is stealing. If you didn’t credit the people who wrote those words, then yes, you are a thief and a plagiarist.

    And your excuses boil down to Well, I didn’t know it was wrong (the same defence Ms. Edwards used; surprise, surprise) and Hey, everybody does it.

    Those are the rationalizations of a thief. That kind of behaviour is NOT normal, and no, not everybody does it (I sure as hell didn’t; I understood that copying other people’s work was cheating), so don’t expect my forgiveness for the fact that you think it’s okay to steal provided you don’t get caught.

    I’ve lost what little respect I had for your opinions. You admit to theft and then expect us to give credence to your arguments regarding intellectual property rights? Outrageous.

  38. R. says:

    Mrs. Edwards does have a lot of loyal fans who will stand behind her and continue reading her books.  There is an official fan club with hundreds of members.  I’m sure these fans will each make their own decisions about the situation.

    Then let her take comfort in that.

    Let me ask each of you this question…How many of you did book reports and essays in High School?  How many of you never used complete sentences or paragraphs from your research?

    You’re grasping at straws, here.  It’s book report.  In which case the source of lifted passages is identified before the act.  Plus, quoting from the book being reported upon is actually expected.

    I’ll be honest and admit that I did.  I quoted statistics, information, etc., and used them in my reports.  Is that stealing?  If it is then 90% of all high school students have turned in reports with stolen work.

    There’s a world of difference between ‘quoting’ [in which case the source is cited—that’s part of the grade] and claiming passages as your own.  Are you now comparing CE to an ignorant or naive high school student?

    I always thought plagiarism was when someone takes another person’s story, poem, book, etc., changes it, and claims it as their own.  I honestly didn’t know that using sentences and even a paragraph is considered plagiarism.

    It’s a mistake to project your own naivety onto a multi-published author.

    But then again, I’m not an author, writer, editor, or publisher.

    But CE is a published author—with a hundred titles to her name.  How can anyone be playing in the game that long and not become exposed to the rules of that game?

    Isn’t it possible that Mrs. Edwards actually did not realize using parts of her research without changing the words was plagiarism?

    [See previous comment.]

    I have seen authors state that their publishers do not put a credit page even if the author includes it with their manuscripts.  Is that the author’s fault/wrong doings or does that fall on the publisher?

    That information can easily be made part of an author’s website.

    Ms. Roberts, as angry as I am at the way you helped the people who own this site I’ve decided to apologize for the name calling.  Whether you accept the apology or not is your decision.

    Um, dur.

    I remember years ago a different Nora Roberts.  A very sweet lady who I exchanged emails with.

    [note to self: a woman is no longer ‘sweet’ when she stands up for what is right.]

    You are all entitled to your opinions, but so am I.

    Yep.  We’re all entitled to our opinions,… so long as we don’t dare give them voice, or so long as we don’t presume to disagree with anyone else’s.

    I believe everyone deserves a second chance as well as forgivness.

    Possibly—but first I require an indication of remorse.

    As for Mrs. Edwards not making a statement…

    A statement could be the aforementioned indication of remorse.

    I wouldn’t either.

    [No surprise, there.]

    Too many people in the press like to twist people’s words and misquote them to make their articles more interesting.

    Oh-hhh, the irony.  You know, if CE had done exactly that she might not have got herself in this pickle.

  39. Rachel R. says:

    I’ll be honest and admit that I did.  I quoted statistics, information, etc., and used them in my reports.  Is that stealing?  If it is then 90% of all high school students have turned in reports with stolen work.

    This makes it right?  Those papers should have had “please cite your sources” written all over them when they were handed back.  (I know, I know, but honestly—education about plagarism has to begin somewhere.)  And on a side note, it’s not just high school students who do this: it’s college students, as well.  My father, a poli sci professor, is driven nearly insane by this every time he assigns papers…and yes, he marks them up with demands for source material citations and docks their grades. 

    Which brings me back to my point: just because it happens doesn’t mean it’s right.  Extend that thought—“lots of people do this, so why is it such a big deal?”—and apply it to other areas of life.  Lots of people commit all sorts of crimes, from speeding to murder.  “A lot of people do it” should not be a justification for breaking the law or violating codes of ethics.  In fact, those laws and codes of ethics exist because people engage in that behavior; if nobody does it, why bother to condemn it?

    My favorite high school English teacher once made us write not one but two papers: one of them a manual on how to write a research paper, including long sections on how to proper source citation, and the other one the research paper itself, utilizing those principles.  (Writing the manual was incredibly helpful, too—I kept that thing for years as a reference.)

  40. EGS says:

    Let me ask each of you this question…How many of you did book reports and essays in High School?  How many of you never used complete sentences or paragraphs from your research?

    Never.  I learned in elementary school that copying word for word SOMEONE ELSE’S work is plagiarism.  It’s not that tricky of a concept.  And playing the ignorant card doesn’t negate the issue, either.

By posting a comment, you consent to have your personally identifiable information collected and used in accordance with our privacy policy.

↑ Back to Top