It's "Just" Romance ... or Is It?
Okay, after spending a lot of time reading about a certain romance author (I'm not naming her here, because her 15 minutes of fame should be
beyond OVER
) I'm weighing in on the topic. Because here's the thing:
She's wrong.
Everything about her actions is wrong, from filing for a trademark on a commonly-used word, to sending cease and desist letters demanding other authors change the names of their books (some of which were published before hers), to convincing Amazon to remove said books AND reviews--REVIEWS, PEOPLE!--containing the word in question, all the way up to her refusal to admit her error, apologize, and relinquish the trademark. Wrong.
And there are a lot of people out there laughing about it, saying things like, "The romance authors are in a tizzy over nothing." One journalist actually said romance writers are arguing over "trivial" things. Trivial? Is it trivial because it's "just" romance?
And why is romance any less legitimate a book genre than any of the others? Why is it less respectable than fantasy? Or action with its improbably skilled-knowledgeable-athletic spies and cops and its 38-24-36 damsels in distress? But I digress.
The point is, as both an author and a reader, I find this whole situation concerning. If an author can trademark a common word, what's to keep other authors from trademarking words? Love. Sweet. Summer. Forever. Christmas. All words frequently used in romance titles.
But it's just romance, right? ... Is it?
What about words like, oh, I don't know ... space? Time. Travel. Galaxy. Star. Dragon. Pirate.
Or what about murder? Killer. Spy. Thief. Mystery.
See where I'm going?
So if you thought this was just a bunch of silly romance authors getting their feathers ruffled over nothing ... think again. What about musicians? Artists who title their works? Screenwriters. Bloggers. See?
It's so much more than a "trivial" argument. So if you see anything about this situation surrounding this cocky author, speak up. Defend your favorite writer's right to use any word he or she chooses in the title of their books, blogs, songs, plays ... well, you get the idea.
She's wrong.
Everything about her actions is wrong, from filing for a trademark on a commonly-used word, to sending cease and desist letters demanding other authors change the names of their books (some of which were published before hers), to convincing Amazon to remove said books AND reviews--REVIEWS, PEOPLE!--containing the word in question, all the way up to her refusal to admit her error, apologize, and relinquish the trademark. Wrong.
And there are a lot of people out there laughing about it, saying things like, "The romance authors are in a tizzy over nothing." One journalist actually said romance writers are arguing over "trivial" things. Trivial? Is it trivial because it's "just" romance?
And why is romance any less legitimate a book genre than any of the others? Why is it less respectable than fantasy? Or action with its improbably skilled-knowledgeable-athletic spies and cops and its 38-24-36 damsels in distress? But I digress.
The point is, as both an author and a reader, I find this whole situation concerning. If an author can trademark a common word, what's to keep other authors from trademarking words? Love. Sweet. Summer. Forever. Christmas. All words frequently used in romance titles.
But it's just romance, right? ... Is it?
What about words like, oh, I don't know ... space? Time. Travel. Galaxy. Star. Dragon. Pirate.
Or what about murder? Killer. Spy. Thief. Mystery.
See where I'm going?
So if you thought this was just a bunch of silly romance authors getting their feathers ruffled over nothing ... think again. What about musicians? Artists who title their works? Screenwriters. Bloggers. See?
It's so much more than a "trivial" argument. So if you see anything about this situation surrounding this cocky author, speak up. Defend your favorite writer's right to use any word he or she chooses in the title of their books, blogs, songs, plays ... well, you get the idea.
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