May 22 2012
Tuesday Midday Links (and a few deals): Story Siren Plagiarism Story Continues; Self Pub Romance Author Signs Trad Contract; CreateSpace Expands Abroad
Links, News, and some WTFery | Blog | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books – “YA Author Sarah Cross has a guest blog about plagiarism and how it sucks a lot (which it does). It’s not a bad post, as it discusses the different types of plagiarism. But it’s a guest post on Kristi Diehm’s site, The Story Siren, where plagiarism occurred last January, and was discovered last month. ”SmartBitchesTrashyBooks Personal note: the unfortunate thing isn’t that the Story Siren is hosting a week long series on plagiarism, it is that Kristi Diehm still refuses to acknowledge what she did and so many of her readers express bewilderment, she allows the victims (the fashion bloggers) to be harassed and blamed for this kerfluffle, and she plays the victim card.
Reversing Logos with Different Brands Is So Confusing – “The whole Brand Revisioning set is on display at I’m Just Creative and it’s fascinating to see Smith fiddle with our brains and our alliances toward certain brands. Aside from some slight brain fraying, what I noticed was that Internet companies are missing the fun logos of brands that were created pre-Internet. Sites like Vimeo and Skype are really just fonts and not true logos like Domino’s or BMW.” Gizmodo
“Bared to You,” the Self-Published Erotic Fiction eBook Sensation by Sylvia Day, Now a Berkley Books Title – PR.com – “Author Sylvia Day originally self-published “Bared to You,” offering the first installment in her Crossfire series as an eBook and a print-on-demand title. The buzz for Day’s erotically-charged novel began within days of the April 3rd publication—reviewers across the internet compared the book (favorably) to Fifty Shades of Grey. “Bared to You” immediately jumped into the list of top 40 bestselling eBooks at both Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The author is currently selling about 1000 copies of “Bared to You”—everyday. “Bared to You” is now a national bestseller, landing on both the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. And sales are continuing to grow.” Press Release Personal Note: According to Publishers Marketplace, this sold for a “major deal” which s 500,000 or more and has already sold many foreign rights. The new cover looks very 50 Shades of Grey.
CreateSpace: Self Publishing and Free Distribution for Books, CD, DVD – “CreateSpace, an Amazon company, today announced that authors and publishers around the world can now use its independent publishing platform to distribute their books in Europe for free on Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.es and Amazon.it. By using CreateSpace to distribute directly to Amazon, authors and publishers ensure that their titles are always in stock for customers to purchase. Books will be available for same-day shipping, and are also eligible for free shipping and Amazon Prime. CreateSpace authors and publishers will earn industry-leading royalties on each sale while continuing to own the rights and have creative control over their work. Additionally, CreateSpace authors and publishers can now receive their royalty payments by direct deposit in US dollars, British pounds or Euro.” CreateSpace
Latest results – Corporate and Investor Relations – Bloomsbury.com – “Ebook sales were £5.7 million, up by £3.5 million, 159% compared to the year ended 28 February 2011. They now represent 6% of continuing sales (year ended 28 February 2011: 3%). In the US, ebook sales were 23% of continuing sales compared to the UK where they were 3% of continuing sales. We anticipate most markets will reach the US level of ebook sales in the near to medium term future.” Bloomsbury
- A Lady Never Tells by Candace Camp * $2.99 * A | BN | K | S
- A Gentleman Always Remembers by Candace Camp * $2.99 * A | BN | K | S
- An Affair Without End by Candace Camp * $2.99 * A | BN | K | S
- Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick * $4.99 * A | BN | K | S
- 666 Park Avenue by Gabriella Pierce * $0.99 * A | BN | K | S (reviewed by Jia)
- Withering Tights with Bonus Material by Louise Rennison * $0.99 * A | BN | K | S
Send to Kindle
May 22, 2012 @ 13:04:49
I don’t know if it’s a mixup, but Amazon currently has the PB version of A Lady Never Tells for the $2.99 price, with the ebook listed at $7.99. (Good deal for the folks who want the DTB.) It’s the reverse for A Gentleman Always Remembers.
May 22, 2012 @ 13:26:00
I’m happy for Sylvia Day! I enjoyed Bared To You infinitely more than The Book That Shall Not Be Named and eagerly await the next installment.
Kristi Diehm hasn’t really apologized or suffered any consequences of her plagiarism, has she? What a shame.
May 22, 2012 @ 13:28:10
Its always sad when people are caught plagiarizing.
May 22, 2012 @ 14:17:43
I am endlessly delighted by Bared to You’s success. Not just because I really like Ms. Day, but as the PR statement says, it really is so much better than 50 Shades. I’ve recommended it over and over again to people looking for that “50 Feeling”.
The Story Siren story continues to outrage me. She should write a post on how not to handle being outed as a plagiarist. She’s got that down pat. If she bothered, even once, to offer a genuine or heartfelt apology, I’d be a lot more forgiving. Or to tell her rabid followers to put their pitchforks down. As it stands now, I feel the same way I did when the whole kerfuffle unfolded. I’m so sick of The Story Siren, I could vomit.
May 22, 2012 @ 16:11:24
I think the actions of The Story Siren and her victim hating readers is such a poor reflection on the YA book community. To have authors such as Sarah Cross agreeing to a blogpost is just bizarre beyond belief. It’ll be interesting to see who the other authors will be.
The other day I saw how heavy the promo/giveaways were at TSS, and it disappointed me greatly. Harlequin Teen were professional and decent enough respond to my tweet, and they have spoken out and said they have no further plans to work with TSS.
I asked the same of HarperTeen and I was ignored. So if you want to know HarperTeen’s response on plagiarizing, think what you will of their non-response.
May 22, 2012 @ 16:45:51
I think I’d better buy Bared to You today before those Agency Publishers hike the price out of my range in a couple of days. Kobo 50% off coupon works and makes the final Kobo US price $2.49.
May 22, 2012 @ 16:59:13
@Kati: This! I am asking myself why on earth do I bother to keep checking the comment threads, and it’s because of this. I’m outraged and disgusted–and amazed. The willful blindness of some of the people commenting there is beyond imagining. Just now someone said something along the lines of, “I don’t read fashion blogs, so I don’t care.” Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.
@Lou: Today’s ‘guest’ is a 24 yr old middle school teacher. The last line of the post? “Conclusion: People learn from their mistakes and move on.” I repeat: niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.
May 22, 2012 @ 18:04:42
@azteclady:
Well, I went over and left my two cents also. Basically what I said was that I don’t understand why she doesn’t just come out with a simple, straight forward apology. She’s admitted what she did was wrong but you have to go the extra (necessary) step in making amends with the people you’ve wronged. And yes, it has to be done publicly now because of the way she handled it initially. Say you’re sorry, you were wrong, and tell the people who are “defending” you to stop. No excuses as to why you did it or trying to make it sound like you didn’t know what you were doing. How hard is that? Then this whole mess will die down. Since she hasn’t done that, these posts on her site about plagiarism have stirred up the shit-storm again and lessened the actual message behind the posts themselves. It could’ve been a very good thing had she gone about it correctly, but clearly she has no concept of how to do that. She just continues to send the wrong message to her many followers and it’s so very irresponsible and sad.
May 22, 2012 @ 18:30:00
Yay for Sylvia Day! I only hope more authors of erotic romance get recognition as well. I still am having a hard time digesting that something as poorly put together as “that” book became such a hit. And mind you, I am on the forgiving side of readership, I don’t ask for much, never did.
As to the plagiarizing blogger, I was not getting myself involve, but a certain post using the word “respect” at the end finally gave me the push I needed. However, the comments are moderated, so I don’t expect my reply to that post to show up. On a side note, I do think things will die down. I have yet to see a single plagiarist not get away with it. Call me jaded.
May 22, 2012 @ 18:54:43
@Jenny Lyn: I saw both your comments, Jenny–around the time TSS replied to a couple of sycophantic comments in today’s “guest” post. Funnily enough, still silent on the actual shit that matters.
@Mireya: I agree, it will die down–hell, most people ignore whatever she was doing for the past month (which was indeed business as usual) Haven’t seen your comments yet…
May 22, 2012 @ 21:02:05
@azteclady: I got an e-mail thanking me for the post, so I went to check and I saw that she approved it…not sure if I should be surprised or not.
May 22, 2012 @ 22:30:50
Wow, that new Bared To You cover IS a lot like the book-that-shall-not-be-named isn’t it? I’m a BtY fan and I suppose its smart business to try and piggy back on the book-that-shall-not-be-named’s success but it makes me a little.. I don’t know… uncomfortable isn’t quite the right word, but it’s the closest I have right now.
May 22, 2012 @ 23:11:20
I guess my concern is that if Bared to You has gone to mainstream publishing will the next two planned installments also go that way and will that result in higher selling price, DRM and perhaps not as much writing freedom for Ms Day?
May 22, 2012 @ 23:25:29
@Marc: I asked the author on Twitter and she said books 2 and 3 had been picked up by Penguin too but the release dates are unchanged. I guess that means, in answer to your questions: yes, yes and apparently not.
May 23, 2012 @ 06:15:24
Haven’t read Bared To You or Fifty Shades, but I’m highly amused by some of the indignant reviews appearing on Amazon accusing Day of ripping off another author’s characters. Rolls eyes.
May 23, 2012 @ 06:37:57
@coribo25: Now, that’s funny.
May 23, 2012 @ 07:21:10
@azteclady: You should check out today’s guest post. There’s a shaming post on the haters and gossipers, and the viciousness of it all. Oh cry me a fucking river I thought. It’s clear to see now that this whole week is about Kristi trying to look good in the eyes of the blogging community, and to make herself feel better. Funny enough, so far I’ve seen one author. And Sarah Cross seems to have gone very quiet. I wonder why…
Looking at the readers of TSS and their appalling defense of Kristi, it’s clear to see that they’re not the real voice of the YA book community.
May 23, 2012 @ 08:05:58
I am also so happy for Sylvia Day! Way to go! And if having the name of “50…” in a comparison to a well written story will help get that new story out there to a wider readership, and help the author get a big deal, well then I’m all for naming that wierdly popular POS. Yep, ride those marketing trends. lol I also hope authors of those well written, epublished, BDSM stories dust off their “old” novellas (if they got the rights back) and get em out there!
May 23, 2012 @ 08:08:46
@coribo25 – That is hilarious.
May 23, 2012 @ 08:14:25
Sylvia Day is in my RWA chapter and I’m THRILLED for her. It’s so exciting to see somehow I know make it big. I could kiss 50 Shades for opening the door.
May 23, 2012 @ 08:59:32
Anyone wanting an ebook copy od Ms. Day’s book should grab it today as it’s the last day for it to be sold as a self pub title. When it goes on sale from Penguin it’s likely to be in the $10 range based on the $15 list for the paper version and how Penguin usually prices things (not to mention Agency pricing and DRM).
May 23, 2012 @ 09:05:07
I take that back, it looks like the ebook from Penguin will be $5.99 so not a big jump from Ms. Day’s $4.99 self pubbed price. I wonder if that will hold for the future books (doubt it).
May 23, 2012 @ 17:51:10
@Brian: My fingers are crossed because I definitely want to read the next book/s.
I do wish Ms. Day every success. Hope she makes loads of money with it. I certainly think it’s better quality than the other book which is currently making squillions (although I haven’t read it – I’m just going on what others have widely reported regarding editing and fanfic conventions etc).
May 24, 2012 @ 03:46:49
@Lou:
“Looking at the readers of TSS and their appalling defense of Kristi, it’s clear to see that they’re not the real voice of the YA book community. ”
I can’t comment on who is or is not part of the community, but it’s clear that the outsiders who are posting condemnations of Kristi are now possibly doing more harm than good. The true believers will never be convinced that Kristi has done a serious wrong and has not in fact apologised properly. but they *are* being convinced by every outside post that Kristi is a victim and that in fact their tribe is under unfair attack. They know the visitors aren’t regulars, and will dismiss them on that basis.
This is how this type of situation always plays out, in fact. So having stated one’s objection to the bad behaviour, I don’t see the point in posting the same thing over and over and over, replying to every clueless commenter, and using increasingly hostile words to people who are never going to listen. All that’s happening is that casual visitors scanning these posts will get the impression of attack and hostility, and the complaints of victimisation will thus seem to have merit.
Kristi and her apologists are beyond help and reason. It’s better to spread the message to saner audiences at other blogs, in my opinion.