Another Plagiarist Poised to Bite the Dust

maestrowork · Apr 25, 2006

I am surprised that a publisher would rush out and give a new, unproven, non-celebrity, 17yo author half a million dollars advance (which means she doesn't have to pay it back if she doesn't earn out). I am not jealous, just curious. It doesn't make much business sense, even though some prior deals (such as the Horse Whisperer) turned out great. I heard from the grapevine that someone in a nearby neighborhood got a deal for $750,000 -- yeah, new author. That just boggles the mind. Imagine how many books you have to sell to earn out? On the other hand, I would just take that 3/4 million and run.

William Haskins · Apr 25, 2006

well, like i said - the hype machine in the hands of some savvy agents and publishers, along with a stream of money for movie rights from dreamworks, can give a lot of people incentive to concoct a new literary persona and attempt to shove it down the public's willing throats.

i urge anyone with more than a passing interest in this case to read this article:

among the tidbits:

- there were more than two dozen "internalized" coincidences with mccafferty's novel.

- in an extensive rattling off of her favorite books and authors on multiple occasions, not once did mccafferty's work come up.

- 17th street productions, her "book packaging" outfit, admits to helping her "conceptualize and plot the book".

http://www.harvardindependent.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=9910

aruna · Apr 25, 2006

Another article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/24/AR2006042401842.html

Well, the good fallout is that McCafferty will get a bit more publicity for her book.

PennStater · Apr 25, 2006

Harvard's Grade Inflation begats Novel Inflation: Girl Dies from Blowing Hot Air

I'm following this very closely.

I only wish I could get paid a half-million dollars to photocopy someone else's work. :Shrug:

By the way, just in case my next novel has the words "Wookie", "lightsaber", or "Jabba the Hutt", I want you all to know that it was completely unintentional and subconscious, yet somehow as masochistic as buying a diet Coke from Cinnabon.

Sarita · Apr 25, 2006

Hey fellow Penn Stater, mind if I borrow a few of those catch phrases? It's only because I've read and loved your work...

aruna · Apr 25, 2006

PennStater said:
I'm following this very closely.

I only wish I could get paid a half-million dollars to photocopy someone else's work.

.

Yes, but are you young, female, beautiful and (South) Asian?

PennStater · Apr 25, 2006

And exactly how will she spend her money?

She plans on hitting up 5 department stores and 170 specialty shops.

Maybe she'll get kissed.

Maybe she'll get a life.

Maybe she'll get caught.

Nevertheless, she's going to look fabulous!

PennStater · Apr 25, 2006

HARVARD WRITER SAYS SHE 'INTERNALIZED' EARLIER NOVEL...

New evidence suggests that up-and-coming, bottom-shelf, chick-lit-star Kaavya Viswanathan's "internalized" Megan McCafferty's novels.

"I couldn't help myself," Kaavya explained. "It was just too irresistible."

Publisher Little, Brown and Company discovered the little, brown Harvard student cowering in her dorm room when she refused to return calls. Editor Stuart Applebaum found the girl under a pile of refuse consisting of half-eaten Cinnabons and torn McCafferty novels.

"She really did internalize those novels," Applebaum insisted. "I saw her eat chapter three with my own eyes."

Her critics, however, are demanding to see evidence of internalization. "I just want her bowel movements," Mrs. McCafferty suggested when reached by phone. "Is that too much to ask?"

Kaavya, a sophomore at Harvard, is coping well with the controversy. "We managed to pull her out from under her bed and she feels like she can write again. We want all of her fans to know that she is writing her follow-up novel 'Sloppy Coppy', which is in no way related to 'Sloppy Firsts', and we have the bowel movements to prove it."

Sarita · Apr 25, 2006

You really should be submitting that stuff to the Onion, if you're not already.

badducky · Apr 25, 2006

The more I read of this, the more I smell the lingering odor of ghostly co-authors...

How come when Milli Vanilli lip synch, they're villified and spurned. Yet, when Faith Hill sings through a sea of corrective effects we -- as a culture -- clap our hands and cheer?

Poor kid. Well, like any pre-packaged teen sensation, I suspect not even the clearing of her name will prevent the sink into obscurity.

robeiae · Apr 25, 2006

badducky said:
How come when Milli Vanilli lip synch,...

EXCUSE ME! What, EXACTLY, are you implying?!?

William Haskins · Apr 25, 2006

yes... poor kid... poor kid...

suffocated by expectations and the neverending pressure from society to succeed.

poor kid.

no obscurity for her, i'm afraid... she'll be branded with a scarlet "P". her life as a writer is effectively over, despite her and her publisher's protests of her innocence and the wickedness of coincidence.

the only upshot is that i envision a "shattered glass" type film that portrays her as a victim. it'll be woefully miscast (i'm thinking selma hayek).

badducky · Apr 25, 2006

I think her name will be cleared. Whether she deserves that or not is another matter entirely.Also, how do we know it was the kid, or if it was the "book packager" that blew it?

Right now, I'd love to see the only actual author sue the travelling pants off that book pckager.

PennStater · Apr 25, 2006

Dieticians Weigh In

"I think what Kaavya is doing is a wonderful thing," registered dietician Meredith Cartwright exclaimed. "A large percentage of girls her age are suffering from poor diets as a result of poor body image. Internalizing novels is a good way to get the nutrients one needs."

Dr. Williams agrees, "if we could only get more young people to do this. Colon cancer is the leading cause of death for those with poor fiber intake. Why, a McCafferty novel is 93% pulp and only 7% readable. It's an ideal choice for a healthy diet."

Not all colorectal surgeons concur with Dr. Williams, however. "I wouldn't recommend internalizing a Tokien tome, but maybe something like "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves" would be okay," Dr. Hanson suggested. "I only wish I had more patients who were internalizing McCafferty novels. It'd make my job a whole lot easier." Dr. Hanson's staff verified that most of the novels that have been recovered during colonoscopies are available next to YM and Highlights in the waiting room.

aruna · Apr 25, 2006

William Haskins said:
yes... poor kid... poor kid...

no obscurity for her, i'm afraid... she'll be branded with a scarlet "P". her life as a writer is effectively over, despite her and her publisher's protests of her innocence and the wickedness of coincidence.
).

Thing is, she never intended to be an author. When the waves of this die down she'll go back to being an economist. She's a numbers person who can write breezy e-mails, and fell into the hands of a greedy publishing/packaging machine, couldn't cope. She'll get over it, and keep the money.

robeiae · Apr 25, 2006

aruna said:
Thing is, she never intended to be an author. When the waves of this die down she'll go back to being an economist. She's a numbers person who can write breezy e-mails, and fell into the hands of a greedy publishing/packaging machine, couldn't cope. She'll get over it, and keep the money.

She's a victim?

aruna · Apr 25, 2006

robeiae said:
She's a victim?

No. I never said that. She should have known better. She's guilty, as far as I can tell - unless the packagers also actually wrote the book for her.

All I'm saying is, she probably had no intention of being an author before this started up, and now can happily go back to what she really wanted to be. It won't ruin her life.

William Haskins · Apr 25, 2006

yes, i saw her "investment banker" aspirations. this will be a nice little stain on her background check when it's time to vet her for SEC regulations.

robeiae · Apr 25, 2006

aruna said:
No. I never said that. She should have known better. She's guilty, as far as I can tell - unless the packagers also actually wrote the book for her.

Okay...it's the 'fell into the hands' bit that caused me to ask.

Rob

aruna · Apr 25, 2006

I think as penance she ought to donate her advance to 25 aspiring YA authors.

pconsidine · Apr 25, 2006

William Haskins said:
yes, i saw her "investment banker" aspirations. this will be a nice little stain on her background check when it's time to vet her for SEC regulations.

The vet people in the financial industry? I guess they don't like people with unethical behavior in their past. They want to teach you themselves.

badducky · Apr 25, 2006

The book packager is quick to distance itself from the writing.

So, if the book packager didn't do any writing, didn't publish the book, didn't catch the plagiarism in their own genre, and didn't really do anything wrong... What did they do?

Is the editorial staff as culpable in this as the author, or merely not guilty by reason of incompetence (i.e. we didn't catch it, sorry!)?

oswann · Apr 25, 2006

I'd entitle my next book - "How to wangle a 500K book deal". That's got to be worth at least another 500K.

Os.

oswann · Apr 25, 2006

pconsidine said:
The vet people in the financial industry? I guess they don't like people with unethical behavior in their past. They want to teach you themselves.

This may even help the woman. 500K in finance is 500K.

Os.

William Haskins · Apr 25, 2006

a former harvard teaching fellow has apparently (and perhaps foolishly) posted about her experience with viswanathan on a metafilter discussion thread:

"I was surprised to learn she had written a book, as her writing was awful...I feel bad for her, even though she was always falling asleep in section (as if you don't notice a snoozing person sitting at a conference table for ten). Plagiarizing from chick lit has to be some kind of double whammy against artistic integrity."

http://www.harvardindependent.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=9911

edited to add:

here's the thread

http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/51136#1288438

Another Plagiarist Poised to Bite the Dust

Fear the Death Ray

poet

On a wing and a prayer

carpe noctem

On a wing and a prayer

carpe noctem

No Time For Chitchat, Kemosabe.

Touch and go

poet

No Time For Chitchat, Kemosabe.

On a wing and a prayer

Touch and go

On a wing and a prayer

poet

Touch and go

On a wing and a prayer

Too Adorkable for Words

No Time For Chitchat, Kemosabe.

Grumpy

Grumpy

poet