\u201cHow do I keep someone from stealing my idea?\u201d<\/p>\n
This is a question I get from time to time\u2014generally from a new writer who is hesitant to publish because he doesn\u2019t want to show his work to anyone. I often tell these fearful writers that this is something we sometimes worry about when we are new to writing\u2014it is the concern of an inexperienced writer. I recommend that they spend more time perfecting their work and studying the publishing industry than worrying about something as unlikely as plagiarism.<\/p>\n
But newby authors want to know how to protect their writing. They want to have more assurance that their work is not going to be stolen. And I\u2019ve found an excellent source for these hopeful authors.<\/p>\n
Of course, no one can guarantee that you won\u2019t meet up with a scammer who loves your idea and wants to claim it as his own or an editor who assigns your topic to another writer. It can happen. But it is rare. It has never happened to me, that I know of. But I do see my articles posted all over the Internet without my permission. Does that upset me? Not really. As long as they attribute the work to me, I\u2019m not going to complain.<\/p>\n
Having said that, let me introduce you to Carolyn Howard-Johnson\u2019s latest edition of her book, The Frugal Book Promoter<\/em>. She is one author who has the courage and finesse to discuss the concept of plagiarism and she also offers suggestions for protecting your work. She says, for example, \u201cThe most important part of writing, after the process itself, is to be read, to share. Worry about plagiarism keeps inexperienced writers from doing that and produces anxieties that interfere with their creativity.\u201d She says that the kind of plagiarism that authors worry about is quite rare. It\u2019s hard to steal an idea. She also says, what I tell authors all the time, \u201cThere are truly no new ideas in the world.\u201d (or There is nothing new under the sun.)<\/p>\n She offers some great ideas for protecting your work\u2014from help understanding copyright to some practical ways to afford yourself peace of mind. She strongly suggests, as I do, that you do NOT ask an agent or publisher (even your editor) to sign a nondisclosure agreement. It would seem to me that if you don\u2019t trust these people with your work, you shouldn\u2019t be working with them. <\/p>\n A bigger concern might be you plagiarizing the works of others. As Carolyn says, \u201cSometimes our memories don\u2019t serve us, our minds absorb something so completely we don\u2019t remember where we first saw something or our researchers don\u2019t take accurate notes. To protect yourself, research carefully, keep accurate records and assiduously credit others.\u201d <\/p>\n I\u2019m pretty impressed with Carolyn Howard-Johnson\u2019s book, The Frugal Book Promoter<\/em> (second edition). I\u2019ll be reviewing it for SPAWNews\u2014probably the December issue. Subscribe for this FREE enewsletter at http:\/\/www.spawn.org<\/a> and receive a FREE ebooklet on how to promote your art or your writing. <\/p>\n To learn more about plagiarism and frugal book promotion, order Carolyn\u2019s 413-page book at http:\/\/www.howtodoitfrugally.com<\/a> <\/p>\n I also did an Internet search using keywords, \u201cplagiarism,\u201d \u201cwill someone steal my writing?\u201d \u201ccan someone steal my idea?\u201d etc. and came up with other interesting articles and resources on the topic. If this is something that concerns you, you might do your own research.<\/p>\n