Aaron Polson's Blog, page 13
January 19, 2012
The Digital Gold Rush and Plagiarism
In light of the recent kerfluffle at Amazon.com over plagiarized erotica (thanks to the good posters at Kindle Boards for bringing this to my attention), I've been doing some thinking.
Dangerous, that thinking thing.
A number of author's were angered--incensed--that stories were stolen from free-to-read websites and sold for profit on Amazon. Yes, it stinks. But it won't go away. Not ever.
Plagiarism has a long and healthy history in the world of content creation. In Shakespeare's time, an actor was only given his lines on tiny slips of paper which contained his lines and cues for fear the plays would be stolen. Modern technology has only made the process easier.
It's a digital gold rush.
Thank goodness Wikipedia is back today, because I'm quoting directly:
"A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold."
I'm speaking of content gold, here. Follow my logic:
Many authors post on Kindle Boards about how lucritive erotica can be. Plagiarizer goes to the web and trawls for free stories (and there are a ridiculous number of them out there--in any genre).Ctrl+C then Ctrl+V and a few formatting moments and voila, a book. If you are going to point hombres to gold, you better be ready for the rush. And every gold rush in the history of the U.S. has brought a shit-storm of criminal activity.
Some of the sites (Literotica in particular) don't appear to be publications in the traditional sense (meaning they don't reject most of their submissions and just about anyone can post). Countless similar sites exist in other genres, from fan fiction to poetry. While this isn't a case of people stealing stories from Newsweek or Fantasy and Science Fiction, it is still theft.
I'm not a fan of plagiarism and piracy; no author should be. (I've been a target of plagiarism in the past, remember?) But I'm not stupid, either. You put your content out there in today's wide-open wild west, and poachers are probably going to strip the juiciest bits like digital vultures on a rotting digital 'possum. Are we ever going to stop them? No. Not ever.
What can an author do?
Know the risks of posting online and take those you feel comfortable with. Most of all, get paid for your writing. If the Literotica scandal has shown these erotica writers anything, it's that there's a market for their words.
Publish them yourself and get paid. It's not a dirty thing to accept compensation for your work. If you don't, somebody else might.
Dangerous, that thinking thing.
A number of author's were angered--incensed--that stories were stolen from free-to-read websites and sold for profit on Amazon. Yes, it stinks. But it won't go away. Not ever.
Plagiarism has a long and healthy history in the world of content creation. In Shakespeare's time, an actor was only given his lines on tiny slips of paper which contained his lines and cues for fear the plays would be stolen. Modern technology has only made the process easier.
It's a digital gold rush.
Thank goodness Wikipedia is back today, because I'm quoting directly:
"A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold."
I'm speaking of content gold, here. Follow my logic:
Many authors post on Kindle Boards about how lucritive erotica can be. Plagiarizer goes to the web and trawls for free stories (and there are a ridiculous number of them out there--in any genre).Ctrl+C then Ctrl+V and a few formatting moments and voila, a book. If you are going to point hombres to gold, you better be ready for the rush. And every gold rush in the history of the U.S. has brought a shit-storm of criminal activity.
Some of the sites (Literotica in particular) don't appear to be publications in the traditional sense (meaning they don't reject most of their submissions and just about anyone can post). Countless similar sites exist in other genres, from fan fiction to poetry. While this isn't a case of people stealing stories from Newsweek or Fantasy and Science Fiction, it is still theft.
I'm not a fan of plagiarism and piracy; no author should be. (I've been a target of plagiarism in the past, remember?) But I'm not stupid, either. You put your content out there in today's wide-open wild west, and poachers are probably going to strip the juiciest bits like digital vultures on a rotting digital 'possum. Are we ever going to stop them? No. Not ever.
What can an author do?
Know the risks of posting online and take those you feel comfortable with. Most of all, get paid for your writing. If the Literotica scandal has shown these erotica writers anything, it's that there's a market for their words.
Publish them yourself and get paid. It's not a dirty thing to accept compensation for your work. If you don't, somebody else might.
January 17, 2012
The Travelling Theatrical Tour: On Dreaming the Impossible
(a guest post by Cate Gardner)Thank you to Aaron for allowing me to invade his blog so that I cancelebrate the release of my book, Theatreof Curious Acts. Aaron is one of my favourite online folk and I thought anapt subject for his blog would be 'On Dreaming the Seemingly Impossible' for as Aaron's recent publication in Shimmerproves, perseverance pays off…
Clarkesworld (insert magazine of your choice here) will never acceptone of my stories. I fully expect they won't - most of the time. This isn't acase of doubting whether my stories are good enough, it's about a market thatthousands of writers target and, which only accepts twelve a year from theslush pile.
Despite this fact, every time I send them a story I think 'this is the one'.
It never is, of course.
Does receiving a rejection from Clarkesworld bother me? Heck no, I justsent a story to one of the top magazines in the speculative fiction business. Idared to dream.
If rejections get you down, and hey we all have our moments, try toremember that every other writer out there, that one you just twittered, thatother who just wrote a Facebook update that left you gasping with envy, theygot a rejection yesterday or they'll get one tomorrow. You're not alone. Rejectionsare part of the business, but their partner is a wonderful thing called hope.What was just rejected goes out into the world with fresh hope.
And you know some of those writers who've had stories accepted by oralready published by Clarkesworld, well they didn't think they'd make it ineither. Now I need to go check if seven days have passed since I last subbed toClarkesworld.
*
Theatre of Curious Acts is available at all goodonline bookstores.
Daniel Cole wants the world to end.
Returned home from the Great War, his parents andbrother in their graves, Daniel walks a ghost world. When players in a theatreshow lure Daniel and his friends, fellow soldiers, into a surreal otherworldthey find themselves trapped on an apocalyptic path. A pirate ship waits toferry some of them to the end of the world.
Already broken by war, these men are now theworld's only hope in the greatest battle of all.
More information isavailable at www.categardner.net
January 13, 2012
Promises, Promises
It ain't going to be pretty.
January 11, 2012
WIP Wednesday: Escape from the Planet of the Rewrites
Yeah, I'm sitting on my first installment of Dead Lands. It has wings--granted, they are rotting and undead--but for some reason I'm dragging my feet.
Maybe it's the 3:00 AM feedings. Maybe it's the repeat trips to the specialist in Kansas City. Maybe I need to be slapped around by the ghosts of Edgar Allan Poe (who published some of his own stuff in journals for which he was editor--did you know that?) and H.P. Lovecraft.
In the meantime, I've written (or mostly written) two shorts. I've not written a short worth donkey spit in quite some time. Maybe these will have wings, too.
"Small Favors" features a man who cannot die (think "he coulda been a superhero") in a post-apocalyptic world. Yes, I have zombies on the brain, but I'll be damned if I can write a "straight" story about them. He's a different kind of undead.
"No Good Deed" is a pretty straightforward crime story where one good deed turns into a night of hell for a man and his wife. I guess you should probably leave the guy carrying a gas canister on the side of the road next time, eh? Why am I writing it? Readers like crime. I can't explain it; it just is.
I guess I'm not dragging my feet that much. Dead Lands is coming (once I finish "No Good Deed"). Promise. I might even have cover art soon.
Maybe.
Maybe it's the 3:00 AM feedings. Maybe it's the repeat trips to the specialist in Kansas City. Maybe I need to be slapped around by the ghosts of Edgar Allan Poe (who published some of his own stuff in journals for which he was editor--did you know that?) and H.P. Lovecraft.
In the meantime, I've written (or mostly written) two shorts. I've not written a short worth donkey spit in quite some time. Maybe these will have wings, too.
"Small Favors" features a man who cannot die (think "he coulda been a superhero") in a post-apocalyptic world. Yes, I have zombies on the brain, but I'll be damned if I can write a "straight" story about them. He's a different kind of undead.
"No Good Deed" is a pretty straightforward crime story where one good deed turns into a night of hell for a man and his wife. I guess you should probably leave the guy carrying a gas canister on the side of the road next time, eh? Why am I writing it? Readers like crime. I can't explain it; it just is.
I guess I'm not dragging my feet that much. Dead Lands is coming (once I finish "No Good Deed"). Promise. I might even have cover art soon.
Maybe.
January 5, 2012
Some News, Some Not
I made my first "sale" of the new year on New Year's Day. Considering the lack of material I have in the wild, I'm chalking it up as a "New Year's Miracle". "Jumping In" will appear in Dark Moon's forthcoming charity anthology, Slices of Flesh. The cover art is provided by Mike Mignola of Hellboy fame with Dave Stewart doing the color work. Yes, it's pretty awesome. Check it out at Dark Moon Books. The TOC is stacked with some big names in the industry, too.
On the home front, Max has a diagnosis. We're currently seeking a second opinion. I believe healthcare, like any personal service, should involve choice. Doctors--while much more knowledgeable about medicine than me--are not experts on my kid. (It makes a parent a tad uncomfortable when the diagnosis changes in a week simply based on an offhand comment made to the doctor... Just sayin'.)
Dead Lands: Pass the Ammunition is coming soon. Like next Monday soon.
Stay tuned.
On the home front, Max has a diagnosis. We're currently seeking a second opinion. I believe healthcare, like any personal service, should involve choice. Doctors--while much more knowledgeable about medicine than me--are not experts on my kid. (It makes a parent a tad uncomfortable when the diagnosis changes in a week simply based on an offhand comment made to the doctor... Just sayin'.)
Dead Lands: Pass the Ammunition is coming soon. Like next Monday soon.
Stay tuned.
January 2, 2012
"The Good Daughter" Makes Tangent Online's Recommended Reading List for 2011
These are the moments which make "traditional" publishing special."The Good Daughter" from Triangulation: Last Contact (edited by Steve Ramey and Jamie Lackey) has been selected as a starred "recommended read" at Tangent Online (read the entire Tangent Online Recommended Reading List 2011). It's the second time one of my tales has made the list (the other story was also from a Triangulation anthology, Dark Glass back in 2009).
Congrats to all the authors who made the list. I'm humbled to be in your company.
January 1, 2012
The Year That Was, The Year That Is
Elliot dominated 2011, even before we knew he would be Elliot. Once Aimee and I learned we would have another child, plans tripped into motion. I spent the summer tearing apart and rebuilding our house. The (older) boys moved into a new room. I dove into electronic publishing with the hopes of bolstering our family coffers to help pay for another mouth. It's helped.
But my writing has suffered. Not because of any one of these things, but all of them together. Having another child scares me--even with him here, now, I'm scared.
I have hopes for 2012. I want the best for my family. I want to do some real writing again.
One goal I'm putting forth is to write and submit at least one quality story a month. While I have several longer projects brewing, short stories are my real love. Short stories won't do anything to help feed my family. But...
It's something I have to do so I can be sane for my family.
My goals for 2012 are simple:
1. Write and submit one story a month. I'm one pro sale away from "active" status in the HWA. I'd like to see that happen someday.
2. Finish my serial zombie novel.
3. Write at least one other book. Several ideas are brewing. I'll be flipping coins in a week or so to see what direction I head. (The front runner is a story involving a murdered magician and the boys who vow to find his killers.)
Bring it on, 2012. I'm ready.
But my writing has suffered. Not because of any one of these things, but all of them together. Having another child scares me--even with him here, now, I'm scared.
I have hopes for 2012. I want the best for my family. I want to do some real writing again.
One goal I'm putting forth is to write and submit at least one quality story a month. While I have several longer projects brewing, short stories are my real love. Short stories won't do anything to help feed my family. But...
It's something I have to do so I can be sane for my family.
My goals for 2012 are simple:
1. Write and submit one story a month. I'm one pro sale away from "active" status in the HWA. I'd like to see that happen someday.
2. Finish my serial zombie novel.
3. Write at least one other book. Several ideas are brewing. I'll be flipping coins in a week or so to see what direction I head. (The front runner is a story involving a murdered magician and the boys who vow to find his killers.)
Bring it on, 2012. I'm ready.
December 28, 2011
WIP Wednesday: Long Live Serial Fiction
I'm writing about zombies.
Well, not exactly. I'm writing about people dealing with zombies and each other in a post-apocalyptic setting. I (almost) swore I never would, but, as Justin Bieber says, never say never.
Great Zeus, did I just reference Bieber?
I'll be releasing Dead Lands in three parts. If I still want to play in the world I've created, I have ideas for other books.
Come back Friday for a the first chapter of the first installment, Pass the Ammunition. Until then, here's a teaser:
Back in high school, Mrs. Phelps made us do this littlewriting project about what kind of junk we'd grab if our house was on fire. Shewas an English teacher and older than both my folks put together. Even herwrinkles had wrinkles, but you won't see anyone that old anymore. They can'trun fast enough. They can't swing a bat or sledge hammer hard enough to crack azombie's skull. Most kids wrote down inane shit like family photos or theirChihuahua. I think I wrote about my brother's Playboy collection. That was a different life.
Well, not exactly. I'm writing about people dealing with zombies and each other in a post-apocalyptic setting. I (almost) swore I never would, but, as Justin Bieber says, never say never.
Great Zeus, did I just reference Bieber?
I'll be releasing Dead Lands in three parts. If I still want to play in the world I've created, I have ideas for other books.
Come back Friday for a the first chapter of the first installment, Pass the Ammunition. Until then, here's a teaser:
Back in high school, Mrs. Phelps made us do this littlewriting project about what kind of junk we'd grab if our house was on fire. Shewas an English teacher and older than both my folks put together. Even herwrinkles had wrinkles, but you won't see anyone that old anymore. They can'trun fast enough. They can't swing a bat or sledge hammer hard enough to crack azombie's skull. Most kids wrote down inane shit like family photos or theirChihuahua. I think I wrote about my brother's Playboy collection. That was a different life.
December 27, 2011
Shimmer 14
A pleasant, non-healthcare related distraction... Whew. I need one of those. Shimmer #14 has been released to the wild, including:
Food My Father Feeds Me, Love My Husband Shows Me , by A. A. Balaskovits
Chinvat , by Sunny Moraine
Made of Mud , by Ari Goelman
This House was Never a Castle , by Aaron Polson
Minnow , by Carlea Holl-Jensen
Trashman , by A.C. Wise
We Make Tea , by Meryl Ferguson
Bad Moon Risen , by Eric Del Carlo
Some Letters for Ove Lindström , by Karin Tidbeck
Gödel Apparition Fugue , by Craig DeLancey
You can read Eric Del Carlo's piece, "Bad Moon Risen," free online. But I know you want a copy, don't you?
Well, don't you?
December 26, 2011
My Three Sons
First of all, Max is (somewhat) on the mend. Thanks for all the well wishes and positive vibes; I told him he had good vibrations sailing in from around the globe. He smiled. His condition (which involves some rather unpleasant blood where there should be no blood) continues to stymie the doctors, but we did escape the hospital in time for Christmas at home. His spirits are high and energy better than it has been, so I have hope.
With the infant at our house (Elliot continues to be the most chilled-out baby I've ever met), we didn't have to travel this year. Christmas at home was soooooo pleasant.
Owen is winning the best big-brother award this year. The hug Max delivered upon opening Owen's gift was a once in a lifetime moment. Evidently, Lego Hero Factory kits = "I love you to the moon and back, man" in Max's world.
I'll start on something writing related soon, but for now I'm just circling the nest.
It's a good place to be.
With the infant at our house (Elliot continues to be the most chilled-out baby I've ever met), we didn't have to travel this year. Christmas at home was soooooo pleasant.
Owen is winning the best big-brother award this year. The hug Max delivered upon opening Owen's gift was a once in a lifetime moment. Evidently, Lego Hero Factory kits = "I love you to the moon and back, man" in Max's world.
I'll start on something writing related soon, but for now I'm just circling the nest.
It's a good place to be.
