Why Didn't I Think Of That?
Kaavya Viswanathan got a two book contract and a $500,000 advance from the publishing firm Little, Brown and Company, based on her first novel, "How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life". It was critically acclaimed, and she had already sold the movie rights to DreamWorks.
Only one small problem. The book appears to be a plagiarism of at least four other books: "Sloppy Firsts" and "Second Helpings" by Megan McCafferty, "Can You Keep a Secret" by Sophie Kinsella, and "The Princess Diaries" by Meg Cabot.
Gee, if I had known that all it took to get a book deal with a major publisher was to copy passages from the works of several already-published authors and give it a new title, I would have done it years ago instead of trying to write something original in my own style.
Too bad she won't get to keep any of the money. She'll need plenty of it to defend herself in the upcoming lawsuits.
Only one small problem. The book appears to be a plagiarism of at least four other books: "Sloppy Firsts" and "Second Helpings" by Megan McCafferty, "Can You Keep a Secret" by Sophie Kinsella, and "The Princess Diaries" by Meg Cabot.
Gee, if I had known that all it took to get a book deal with a major publisher was to copy passages from the works of several already-published authors and give it a new title, I would have done it years ago instead of trying to write something original in my own style.
Too bad she won't get to keep any of the money. She'll need plenty of it to defend herself in the upcoming lawsuits.