PublishAmerica author sues Stephen King for plagiarism

BenPanced

THE BLUEBERRY QUEEN OF HADES (he/him)
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 5, 2006
Messages
17,864
Reaction score
4,639
Location
dunking doughnuts at Dunkin' Donuts
Based on this lawsuit, the Tolkien estate should sue Stephen Donaldson. Donaldson used a ring... a white gold ring.

I on the other hand have avoided this in my fantasy work by using a different type of magical item. In my story, the hero wears a cock-ring made out of bone. He has to cross the mountains of silicone, make his way through the valley of cleavage, until finally reaching the caverns of Divine Access... Once there, he has to leave the ring in the fires of burning desire. Its YA...

What you think...do I have a shot or should I worry about a lawsuit?
*checks date stamp on file*

Dammit.

*erases file, starts again*
 

Manuel Royal

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Messages
4,484
Reaction score
437
Location
Atlanta, Georgia
Website
donnetowntoday.blogspot.com
Ironically, Stephen King himself has been plagiarized more than once. In my (adopted) home town in East Tennessee, back in the '80s, a high school kid won a system-wide short story contest. They printed the story in the local paper, and I (and many others) immediately recognized it as King's story "Battleground" (in which a hit man is attacked by toy soldiers). Not just similar to it, but the very same story, word for word, just condensed a little. Oops.
 

RedRajah

Special Snowflake? No. Hailstone
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 23, 2010
Messages
3,884
Reaction score
2,358
Website
www.fanfiction.net
How are they going to even get a copy of this book from PA to submit as evidence?
 

frimble3

Heckuva good sport
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 7, 2006
Messages
11,574
Reaction score
6,396
Location
west coast, canada
And the court will have to buy a bunch of them for the jury, the lawyers, etc. Probably the biggest sale of his career.
 

Alphabeter

Player of the Letters
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
948
Reaction score
205
Location
NW Iowa
There was a PA promo awhile back that if you bought so many books, a copy was sent to Stephen King. If this guy participated, could his case force open PA's books to see if they do fulfill their provable promises?

Anyone else published by PA who paid for that promo could also make the same claim.
 

Cyia

Rewriting My Destiny
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 15, 2008
Messages
18,615
Reaction score
4,029
Location
Brillig in the slithy toves...
How are they going to even get a copy of this book from PA to submit as evidence?

There's King's defense right there. He got so frustrated waiting for his copy to arrive, he decided it was faster just to write the darn thing himself. Perfectly understandable.

:D
 

Christine N.

haz a shiny new book cover
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
7,705
Reaction score
1,336
Location
Where the Wild Things Are
Website
www.christine-norris.com
I was just thinking about that - that he will try and say that of COURSE SK has read it, because his publisher SENT it to him. If PA really DID send those books to SK, and this author DID participate, well, either SK really did get a copy (though his staff probably opened it and tossed it long before HE saw it), or it will prove that PA is a lot of big fat liars and NEVER sent the book at all.

Which would be sad for the poor author, and terribly embarrassing as well.
 

DaveKuzminski

Preditors & Editors
Requiescat In Pace
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
5,036
Reaction score
859
Location
Virginia
Website
anotherealm.com
Or this could be a brilliant ploy to gain evidence to use against PA that they didn't send a copy to King.
 

Terie

Writer is as Writer does
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 18, 2008
Messages
4,151
Reaction score
951
Location
Manchester, UK
Website
www.teriegarrison.com
Since King's book was published in 2008, I think we can safely assume that it was written no later than 2007, and that significantly predates the 'we'll send your book to Stephen King' offers. I'm pretty sure those started late last year, which itself was at least one year after the King book was published. Honestly, I don't think the PA offer has anything to do with this.

ETA: Yep, first mention here at AW of the 'we'll send your book to King' offer looks to be in early January of this year, here.
 
Last edited:

shaldna

The cake is a lie. But still cake.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 12, 2009
Messages
7,485
Reaction score
897
Location
Belfast
penny crayon, the magic paintbrush, the picture of dorian grey...i can name about half a dozen stories that could be 'similiar' but all published before 2002.
 

Christine N.

haz a shiny new book cover
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
7,705
Reaction score
1,336
Location
Where the Wild Things Are
Website
www.christine-norris.com
I couldn't remember, Terie, when that nonsense started. Thank you for finding it. I didn't think it was directed as a ploy to find out if the books had been sent, just thinking of ANY kind of defense this man has for his case.

That one's out. :)
 

James D. Macdonald

Your Genial Uncle
Absolute Sage
VPX
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
25,582
Reaction score
3,785
Location
New Hampshire
Website
madhousemanor.wordpress.com
I was just thinking about that - that he will try and say that of COURSE SK has read it, because his publisher SENT it to him.

Yet another reason to believe that, if PA really did send copies of books to assorted celebrities (particularly book-and-movie celebrities), those folks' assistants threw them right in the trash.

Who needs that kind of aggravation?
 

Gillhoughly

Grumpy writer and editor
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Messages
5,363
Reaction score
1,761
Location
Getting blitzed at Gillhoughly's Reef, Haleakaloha
What a dickhead.

Quoted for truth.


Anyone taking bets that the PA writer noticed the book titles have words starting with the same letter and that's what set him off? Think of the hours he put in poring over King's book looking for the vaguest similarities. Which is all he found: vague similarities--if you stretch real far, shut one eye, and hold your head juuuust right.

While I dislike Mr. King's writing, I DO respect his intelligence; he's certainly be brainy enough to avoid that sort of thing.


Despite the call for a jury trial, I expect the offended PA author (and his lawyer!) hopes for a fat out-of-court settlement to pay him off. Otherwise, I'm sure his sales--if his book is ever in print again--will show a bump for the publicity.

Oh, yeah--his 7-year contract with PA is expired by now--unless he was daft enough to renew it. (Scary.)

All it means is that both writers used common tropes of the language and the situation. King was not being particularly original with his language, and the PA writer is just flattering himself. (Which isn't saying much as there are far better writers around than King.)

As an editor, I'd have asked Mr. PA for a rewrite of "controlled him like the talons of an eagle wrapped around a harmless garter snake."

Way too labored and clunky.

OTOH, King's was a boring cliche: "I was like a bird hypnotized by a snake."

I'd have asked Mr. King to do better: "Dude--we're paying you an effing fortune for your words, for pity's sake have the courtesy to bring your A-game to the page!"

I'm sure I saw a Twilight Zone, a Night Gallery, an Alfred Hitchcock Presents and quite possibly a LaVerne and Shirley episode with similar themes.

I am presently watching The Dukes of Hazzard TV series for the very first time in my life, and odds are good they will also have a similar plot, but with more car chases to banjo music.

Perhaps the painting angle will have to do with a fresh customizing job on the General Lee and a look-alike car with a bad motor.

Doubtless Boss Hogg will be in the thick of things before he gets a well-deserved comeuppance involving swamp water, chickens, and a 1958 Plymouth Fury named Christine.

.

Come to think of it--THAT sounds like a way more interesting story than either Keller's Den or Dumas Key!

..

 
Last edited:

Hallen

Mostly annoying
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 28, 2010
Messages
971
Reaction score
111
Location
Albany, Oregon, USA
One of the funnier things here is that King started a sentence with "Suddenly ... ". Whoops. :evil
 

Gillhoughly

Grumpy writer and editor
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Messages
5,363
Reaction score
1,761
Location
Getting blitzed at Gillhoughly's Reef, Haleakaloha
I had a beta reader call me out on "suddenly" when I was 14.

She mentioned Snoopy, and I've not repeated the error since.

darkstormy9.gif