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0 comments on "“Independent Publishing and DMCA Abuse” This is very scary. #indies"

Wow, this is very scary => Independent Publishing and DMCA Abuse, or “How a Scammer Got My Book Blocked with Very Little Effort” <= and it’s a currently ongoing case.

Basically, some a-hole sent a fake DMCA notice to Smashwords and Amazon and got Becca Mills’ book “Nolander” taken down. Then he turned around and contacted her, offering sympathy that her book was taken down. From the emails, he’s about a step away from offering to help her get it back up… probably with a request for money.

How did he do it? Well, it looks like he posted snippets from her book on a WordPress site, then pointed Amazon and Smashwords to it and claimed that her book — which was published in 2013 — was published earlier in 2011.

A few backdated posts, and all of a sudden an author is looking at trouble. How dumb is that?

“Nolander” is back up on Smashwords, but remains unavailable from Amazon at this time.

I believe that DMCA Notices can be a powerful tool for authors fighting to keep their works from being distributed without their permission. But I kind of figured a bit of research would be done by companies like Smashwords and Amazon.

Google requires several bits of proof that you’re the copyright holder and that your work is being infringed upon. What’s up with Amazon/Smashwords not even bothering to listen?

Hogfather at Amazon
2 comments on "You wasted my time, ficcer, and now I kinda hate you"

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“This is the story that never ends. Yes, it goes on and on, my friends. Some people started reading it, not knowing what it was, and they’ll continue reading it forever, just because…”

MrYukStickerI get it. You’re writing fanfic, natural rules do not apply, blah blah blah.

But maybe there comes a point when you need to be honest with your readers and say: “I have no idea where this is going. I’ve written myself into a corner, so here’s 100,000 words about the MCs new cat, Devilicus.”

Or how about: “This story is 20% awesome plot, dialogue, and characterization. The rest is me detailing every second of their lives in excruciating detail for no other reason than that you’re going to read it and love it. Oh, and by the way, every third ‘update’ is just a random scene apparently taken from some different story. Sorry?”

Look, I love epic fics. When I’m searching a fandom I sort by COMPLETE and WORD COUNT just to enjoy the meaty, plotty goodness of a long story.

But when your WIP fic is 700,000+ words and turns to total crap when I’m 400,000 words in? We’ve got a problem.

I feel like I’ve been tricked. Especially when your spot on characterizations go zinging off into the wilds of OOCness (out-of-character) and this thought provoking and engaging story turns into baby babbling crack.

You’re churning out a crap story, yet you expect me to keep reading it? You seriously think I’m going to praise you? Really?

There’s an epic story, then there’s “This ficcer loves their baby too much to let it go and introduces drama and surprise twists just so they don’t have to shut up.”

I’m not saying you need to study three-act structure or take a creative writing class. It’s just, dude, OUTLINE. That’s all. Even just jotting down some plot points and knowing where you’re going with it will help a lot.

And I don’t end up feeling like you killed my will to live.

~Pax