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On Kaavya and Widgets
Look, there’s no excuse for plagiarism. (Not even “it was unintentional.” Not when you do it 40 times.) But this lastest scandal has got me thinking that perhaps there’s a reason for it.
Perhaps when the book industry changes from an institution devoted to the development and promotion of literature and ideas to a corporate behemoth devoted to the bottom line, even authors get the message that what’s in the book matters much less than whether or not it sells.
Comments
Do you think this will hurt other new writers? Especially young ones? Will they have a harder time getting published because of Kaavya's actions?
It just made me think of Helen Oyeyemi, (who's excellent reading from "The Icarus Girl" will soon be available in an on-line video clip). Angela's work was superb and she had so much confidence. I wonder if folks will be combing through her work looking for a scandal because she was soo young when she wrote it.
Posted by: Robbie | May 4, 2006 11:30 AM
You know, it might hurt new writers, but then again, I've been surprised at how this story plays itself out over and over again. It's possible that risking the occasional scandal is more cost-effective than the thorough research it would take for publishers to prevent this sort of thing.
Posted by: Jaclyn | May 4, 2006 01:39 PM