Hepburnettes Presents: THE ART OF DEALING WITH PLAGIARISM

(Massive love for KellyAnneBlount for hosting the Wattpad Block Party. Thank you for believing in me enough to invite me for the fifth consecutive time. And thank you for your tireless and unwavering support towards Wattpad authors.)

For the past few Wattpad Block Parties, I've been talking about fun and positive things, like how to genre hop or sink ships. And that much is true, Wattpad is a place to share your work, interact with people across the globe and have fun. But here's the deal—it's not always rainbows and unicorns around here. So this time round, I'm going to be a major party pooper and talk about one of the most frightening things that can happen to you as an author on the internet:

Plagiarism.

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What is plagiarism?

Merriam Webster defines it as the act of using another person's words or ideas without giving credit to that person. Blah-blah-blah, basic stuff, you should know this, right? So let me give you a quick test.

Scenario #1: Author A does a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Is that plagiarism?

Scenario #2: Author B finds a fanfiction on another site and re-uploads it here under their username, while still giving credit to the original author. Is that plagiarism?

Scenario #3: Author C copies every single one of Author D's ideas—including the plot, characters, twists, and each progression within the story—but paraphrases everything. Is that plagiarism?

The answers (and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) are no, no and yes respectively. And here's why:

In Scenario #1—a retelling of a fairytale is not plagiarism, nor are fanfictions plagiarism if you add a proper disclaimer. I cannot tell you how many times some readers have looked at my fanfiction, Draconian (which had a disclaimer), and still asked, "Noelle, are you sure you're not plagiarising J. K. Rowling's work by using Draco Malfoy's name?" Going by that warped logic, please sue all the authors under the fanfiction genre.

In Scenario #2—it's not plagiarism, but it is illegal sharing of work, especially if the author has said outright that they do not allow it. One of the reasons I took down a few of works was because people were circulating PDF copies on social media sites. When I tried to take them down, the responses I received were that—ad verbatim—"you put it on the internet, and everything on the internet should be shared." Now that one was a tough pill to swallow, but more on that later.

In Scenario #3—it is plagiarism. In fact, it is the #1 nightmare of every author because these plagiarists are almost clever enough to write their own book, but with every single one of your ideas. Notwithstanding actually hiring a lawyer, you are going to have a hellish time trying to reclaim what you originally owned.

So what do you do when something as terrible as this happens? Welcome to my Wattpad Block Party post:

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THE ART OF DEALING WITH PLAGIARISM

Do note—if you're looking for legal advice when it comes to dealing with plagiarism, I'm afraid you'll have to go to someone else more qualified than me. I have, however, been dealing with plagiarism across three sites since 2010, and over the 4–5 years spent on my current account, I've had my works plagiarised or illegally shared over fifty times. The worst case of plagiarism that I've ever dealt with was when someone made a PDF version of my book and tried to publish it.

Nevertheless, it hasn't stopped me from posting, because I love what I do too much to stop. I'm hoping that with this post, I can offer a more empathetic and nuanced perspective, and help any fellow authors who are going through the same thing.

Right, now buckle down, and let's get started.

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#1—KEEP CALM.

So you're having your first cuppa for the morning and you think it's going to be a good day. Then when you get online, the first message you see is from a random reader going, "I think someone just plagiarised [insert your story title here]." Now, I don't know about you, but every time I learn about a new case of plagiarism, I just sit there for several minutes with a huge knot of dread in my stomach, wishing desperately that a fake Sheldon Cooper would pop out and yell, "Bazinga!"

(At this point, I just want to take a moment to thank anyone who's ever looked out for me. In my experience, at least, about 70-80% of plagiarism cases come to light due to readers who are clever and fast enough to point them out to me. Don't take your readers for granted. The majority of them will always have your back, especially at times like these. But I digress.)

When you've found out that you've gotten plagiarised, the first thing you need to do is to take a deep breathe. Let it out. And stay calm.

Trust me, that is the hardest part. It is natural to feel upset—after all, you've just had something precious stolen from you. But you need to handle it in a mature, civilised manner that will not get you into any further trouble. Here's what I generally do, while being in zen-mode on the outside (and pulverising the plagiariser to fragments on the inside):

First, I make sure that it's really plagiarism. Not all potential cases are plagiarisms. If someone uses the same story or chapter titles, that's not plagiarism. If someone has a similar trope (e.g. popular guy meets shy girl), that's not plagiarism either. Even if someone has a similar plot, that might not be considered plagiarism, especially if the characters and twists and development progress differently.

Additionally, do note this on Wattpad's Reporting Copyright Infringement page:

"Copyright only protects the physical representation of an idea, not the idea itself. Unfortunately, similar plots or story themes may not constitute copyright infringement. If you are unsure of whether a work infringes your copyright, we encourage you to seek professional/legal advice before submitting a notice."

So if you're unsure about whether you've been plagiarised, I suggest getting a second opinion. But if you're absolutely sure that it is, and you have sufficient evidence to prove it, then here's what you do next:

#2—DEAL WITH IT.

If your book has been plagiarised and uploaded on Wattpad, taking the copy down is quite simple. Regardless of whether you're on Web or App, the report button is somewhere on the synopsis page. Remember—only you, the author, can file a report. And if you choose to file a DMCA, for the love of all that is good and pure in the world, please give the correct information. Don't make up some pseudo information that would confuse HQ and render your report moot.

Once you've done that, just sit back and let Wattpad work their magic. Having written on two other sites and read on many others, I can assure you that Wattpad is one of the more efficient sites when it comes to dealing with word-for-word plagiarism. In my experience, they take those down within 24 hours (2–3 days if it's the weekend). You can always contact Wattpad support should you have any further questions.

However, if your book has been plagiarised and uploaded on another site, it's going to be a bit tricky. Wattpad's hands are tied in this aspect because they're not the author. You are. So you need to file the report. On well-known writing sites, the support or contact button is easy to find. Just send those sites an email asking what you have to do and they'll walk you through the process. Sometimes, you'll have to file a DMCA take-down notice; other times the site will take it down for you.

The most difficult part is when there. is. no. support. Short of finding your own way to contact them (which is a fifty-fifty chance that you will), you might not be able to get your work down, period. Believe me, I understand how frustrating that is. Plenty of my works are somewhere out in cyberspace just floating around, and I'll never get them back. That's just the way it is...

#3—IT'S NOT RIGHT.

...but it doesn't make it right. I cannot tell you how many times someone has told me, "Noelle, think of it as a compliment. That plagiariser stole your work because you're too good, and they can never hope to be even half as good as you."

Now, I'm normally a glass–half–full kind of person—you kinda have to be, to deal with plagiarism that many times. But I will never, ever see plagiarism as a compliment. It. is. not. a. compliment. I don't care how many people tell you that it is, because it isn't. It is not flattering when someone plagiarises you. And it is downright offensive to even suggest that it is—because to pass it off as flattery makes it a positive thing. It. makes. plagiarism. right. So if you love what you do and are proud of what you do, never let anyone belittle you enough to tell you that.

I see plagiarism as a violation of the mind. Going through it fifty times doesn't make it any easier than going through it once. Yes, you learn to stay calm and handle things better. But each time it happens, it feels like a violation of something that you've created and held close to heart. It feels like an undermining of every minute of hard work that you've put into writing a story. It feels like an insult to your intelligence and your right to your own work. That initial panic, that subsequent anger and that remaining bitterness will always linger.

So never let anyone undermine your experience. Just because plagiarism happens often doesn't mean it should be normalised. Just because you're a good writer doesn't mean that you deserve to get plagiarised. Just because you share your works on the internet doesn't mean that everyone else has a right to it.

#4—CARRY ON.

Dealing with plagiarism is difficult but, in my experience, the more difficult part is moving on from it. After the fallout, it's perfectly normal to mope. For me, I like going on hiatuses. I need time to clear my head, leave the negativity behind and regain my confidence before I go back to writing.

And, for a lot of authors (including myself), finding ways to deter plagiarism from happening again becomes a priority. Of course, it's impossible to prevent it. Nothing on the internet is sacred. Nothing. It's not just on Wattpad where plagiarism happens—it's on every writing site, it can happen to ebooks or published books, it's done to unknown authors or famous ones.

But there are things you can do to reduce the likelihood of it happening, and here are some tried and tested ways that I've come up with over the years:

Keep the original version of your manuscript for yourself. Or for future publishing purposes, if that's what you're going for in the long run. These days, I tend to keep at least three chapters of each story for myself, so what you read on Wattpad is 70–90% of what I have to offer. It might seem a selfish move to some of you, but the way I see it—it's self-preservation. You need to keep something for yourself, so that even when people take it from you, you still have a bit of your story that is exclusively yours.

Share less of your unwritten work. One of the most frightening cases of plagiarism I've ever seen was back on another site, when an author talked extensively about a book she hadn't yet written. It's understandable to do this to get good feedback, but what happens when someone else uses all your ideas and uploads their book before you do? It's your word against theirs, and they have the timestamps to prove that they wrote it first. That's how quickly the tables get turned and you end up being the plagiariser instead.

Never give out copies of your work unless you are 100% sure you won't regret it. One of the biggest mistakes I've ever made was to 'gift' readers with PDF versions of my old books. Back then, all I wanted was to thank them for their support so I sent those copies out individually for their personal reading. But I didn't know that, years down the road, they'd upload it on file-sharing sites. And even though I'm being credited as the author, these copies are still being circulated without my knowledge or permission.

Perhaps you might think that all these measures are drastic, but I've been writing online since 2009. I've met amazing people and had wonderful opportunities, but I've also been betrayed by a lot of people and plagiarised far too often. I would never wish for anyone to go through the same experiences I did, so if I am coming across as paranoid or selfish or self-preservationist, it's only because I don't ever want any of you to experience the same things I did.

#5—WRITING IS WHAT YOU LOVE.

So, you may ask, if I've been plagiarised so often—Why am I still here? Why am I still writing and posting online and handing out that metaphorical knife to potential plagiarisers who could stab me in the back?

The answer is really simple: Writing is what I love. I love writing too much to stop. I love sharing my works with people who motivate me everyday to stop. I love knowing that the stories I tell have an impact on someone across the world, even if in small amounts.

Yes, I'm terrified. I am always terrified. But the way I see it—everything that you do in life is a risk. When you started to write, you risked having your innermost thoughts and feelings put on paper for people to see. When you started posting online, you were (and still are) risking your time and effort that may not always translate into sufficient readership. And when you chose to write on this site, or any other writing site, it's yet another risk that you have to take.

So you can keep your works to yourself, hold them tight-fisted to your chest, and never show them to anyone ever. Or you can take the plunge and risk it anyway, because even the most famous authors today have experienced plagiarism at some point in their career.

For me, I'll risk it every time. Just remember, if you ever get plagiarised, keep calm and deal with it. It's not right, but you carry on anyway, because writing is what you love.

If I can get through it, I know you can too.

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P R O M O T I O N S

There will be two promotions this time round:

1) Hosted by KellyAnneBlount

I will be promoting 1 winner to all my followers. To participate, visit the giveaway links!

2) Hosted by me (hepburnettes)

I will be promoting 3 authors AND their stories to ~210'000 followers. To participate, in-line comment HERE to tell me a) how you've dealt with plagiarism and b) the link to your book that you'd like me to promote!

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION: 

Hepburnettes will promote one lucky winner to all her followers! My giveaway is open internationally!

★ ★ ★

ENTER THE WATTPAD BLOCK PARTY GIVEAWAYS BY CLICKING HERE:

Shortened Link to Blog: https://goo.gl/oCHaqH

OR HERE:

Regular Link to Blog: http://kellyanneblountauthor.blogspot.com/2018/01/wattpad-block-party-winter-edition-iv.html