When You've Been Violated: What To Do When Someone Steals Your Ideas or ArticlesBy Angela Hoy"I queried a major magazine and included a list of interview sources. Theyrejected my idea but, one year later, they just published the article I pitched tothem, and they used my sources!""I received a form rejection letter for a series of books I pitched to a largebook publisher a couple of year ago. I just got back from Barnes and Noble and,guess what? That same publisher just launched a new series and used all my bookideas!"We get these types of emails frequently at WritersWeekly.com. It's a disturbingtrend and one that we should all keep in mind when pitching our ideas to themasses.Unfortunately, you can patent new products, but you can't copyright or patent newideas. Any magazine or book publisher can "steal" your idea and assign it toanother writer. In fact, they can steal your idea and write the article or bookthemselves. As nasty as it sounds, it does happen. And, with so many writers onthe market, editors and publishers would prefer to assign good ideas to theirsteady stable of freelancers rather than hire an unknown (you).So, what's a writer to do?WHEN AN EDITOR/PUBLISHER STEALSIf you have a really good idea, it might be prudent to write the article beforepitching it. While I never recommend writing on spec, some ideas are just too goodto pitch to potential thieves without some protection. We all know when we'vewritten that one outstanding piece, or had that one idea that we just knew wasgoing to sell. If the article is already complete, you have a better chance ofselling the piece. If the piece is already complete, chances are they're not goingto hire someone else to rewrite it. Second, if the article is already written andincludes statements from all your sources, it will be much easier to prove theystole your material later if they use your sources for a different article. Anddon't forget to copyright it! So, while it's impossible to prove someone stoleyour idea, it's pretty easy to prove if someone rewrote the same article and usedthe same sources.What can you do if someone steals your article or book idea? Unfortunately, notmuch. If you're not positive they stole your idea and can't prove it, spreadingrumors about their alleged theft can get you into lots of legal trouble. If you'repositive they stole your idea, article or book, you need to let them know you'llbe telling the online writing community to watch out for them. If you alert enoughof us about their unethical behavior, it could make a serious dent in the qualityof the queries coming into their office.WHEN A COLLEAGUE STEALSWhen I wrote How to Publish and Promote Online with MJ Rose, we interviewed manyindustry insiders about ebooks and print-on-demand. After the book was complete,we sent copies of the ebook to all the contributors. Before we could blink, one ofthose contributors wrote a book that was so similar to ours that it made ourstomachs turn. Yes, that person stole our idea, and had our entire book to use asa reference. What could we do? Nothing. But you can bet they got no favors orpublicity from us after that stunt. And, whenever a member of the press mentionedthat person was being interviewed for an article we were to appear in, we let themknow what the idea thief did. More than one reporter told me they'd dropped them
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