The problem with plagiarism when your work goes viral

Back in 1997, a small literary magazine called WordWrights published Judith Podell’s wonderful Blues for Beginners.  It was so on target; it had the feel of something that belonged to everyone.  And soon it did. Without giving Judith any credit, the piece went viral.

On the one hand, Judith was flattered. Who wouldn’t be when you know your work is an instant classic, read by thousands? On the other hand, as a writer, Judith has pride of authorship and an understandable desire to get credit for her work.  And as a lawyer, she knows about plagiarism.  This didn’t sit well.

I’ve asked Judith to do a guest blog to describe what happened next. That will appear later. But right now, it’s happening again. The editors at Bacon Press Books just found a link to something called Rules for Writing Blues for the End of the Earth. And there it is -- Judith’s work all over again in time for the end of the world, with no attribution.

Fortunately, Judith’s book Blues for Beginners, where you can find the original, attributed,work, is ready to go to press very soon. The first 100 copies are free.  To read, not to plagiarize. We hope you’ll check back in the next few days to find out how you can get a copy.

You can also read what Memphis Earlene had to say about all that copying the first time around.