Robbed, Again
So last night at the Shepherd Canyon Salon featuring Elizabeth McKenzie and Pamela Holm, I was having a great conversation with the wonderful writer Sophia Raday, and talk turned to adoption (she is awaiting adoption of an adorable daughter from Guatemala - I saw the teeny little photocopied picture she keeps in her wallet!) and she said, "I saw your quote in that cute little adoption book!" and she made her hands into a tiny square shape. Um, what cute little adoption book?!? "The one with all the quotes!"
Uh huh.
Long, awful silence. I wrack my brain to think of any such book and realize I have never heard of this, and that once again, my words have been stolen. Did I mention what happened a year or so ago, when my daughter's friend's big brother told her that one of my stories was part of the SAT Reading Comprehension exam!? Another thing they hadn't bothered to tell me, or ask me.
So today she emailed me with all the details, and yes indeedy, it is a cute little adoption book by one Nancy McGuire Roche. I'd never seen it or heard of it until last night. And yes indeed, it contains a quote by yours truly.
I just wrote a scathing little comment on her Amazon page. Next I need to find a copyright lawyer with a truckful of Dobermans. I hate this stuff. I mean I guess I'm flattered, and that is very nice that she wanted to use my words and all, but it would be even nicer if I could have been contacted beforehand, and compensated.
posted by Susan at 2:28 PM
4 Comments:
I can't F__KING believe these people! YES> get a lawyer.
Sheila Ballentine sued and won against a woman who used a bunch of text from one of her novels for a book of quotes. That is appalling that she would just think she could use it without asking you. Royalties or not, she should've had your permission - is it crazy to think that?
I swear I"m going to talk to our in-house counsel tomorrow and see what he knows about this! ARGHGHGH!
Friday, June 23, 2006 8:22:00 PM
oh bleah! you would think with all this hubbub with the "Opal Mehta" chicklit book and all, people would be even warier! But now youhave social precedence to pursue people who "use your words," go for it.
Saturday, June 24, 2006 11:51:00 AM
Oh good Lord, NOT AGAIN!!!!! If it makes you feel better, I submitted an essay idea to the NYTBR "Autism as Metaphor," and soon an essay, "Autism as Metaphor" appeared in the back page, with all my sources, but written by someone else. Bleah. I went to the Amazon page and tried to think of something so say, but as an unrelated party, I figured it would come out psycho. I do hate the idea of the cute book with the cutesy heart-heart-heart bookmark stealing quotes!!!!!!!
Wednesday, June 28, 2006 1:23:00 PM
Marie - NOOOOOOOO! I can't believe that- (re the NYTBR) that's disgusting.
And you know what's really sick about the cutesey heartheart book? They attribute me as
Susan Ito, Adopted Child
No mention of my book, or the fact that I wrote the dumb quote as an ADULT.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006 1:40:00 PM
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