Plagiarism and Hard-Working Authors

by | Feb 22, 2019 | Articles

Important news, press and appearances

A message about CopyPasteCris, Cristiane Serruya’s Plagiarism and the effect on the true authors of the books.

Earlier this week I woke up to messages about several books being plagiarized from myself and other authors. Since that day, the list has grown to an alarming number. The last numbers I saw posted online (they keep changing) was 26 authors (multiple books from some of those authors, including me), 2 recipes, and 2 articles. Thank you to the diligent writing community who’s stepping up and helping with this.

The author known as Cristiane Serruya plagiarized many in what appears to be a cut-and-paste compilation of several authors’ works. Specifically for me it is from Dragon Lords: Warrior Prince which released 2005. And Love Potions published in 2014.

I do not know the full extent yet, but I have screenshot comparisons from those two books: One | Two

Needless to say, PLEASE don’t buy anything from Cristiane Serruya.

This was not a fun reality to wake up to, and it has been a rough week because of it–not just for me, but for many.

It’s sickening, violating, heartbreaking, so many emotions. Authors put a piece of ourselves into everything we create. Writing a book is difficult and time-consuming & authors deserve to have that work protected.

A huge thank you for the support from readers and my fellow authors about this. You are why I love the writing community.

Quick Rundown CopyPasteCris

If you’re just catching up… When this first started, Courtney Milan shared a screenshot on Twitter showing how this author used a direct passage from my book, Warrior Prince. If you want to read the thread from the beginning, you can follow along on twitter here.

Thank you, Courtney, for tagging me and letting me know what was happening.

You can also follow the Twitter hashtag: #CopyPasteCris

Because it’s already explained perfectly elsewhere, I don’t need to rehash what is already being said. Here are links to a few places with more details:

Explanation when this started: Cristiane Serruya is a copyright infringer, a plagiarist, and an idiot – Courtney Milan

Nora Roberts explains this kind of case from her personal experiences: PLAGIARISM, THEN AND NOW – Message from Nora Roberts

Not a Rant, but a Promise – Nora Roberts

Ghostwriters

Serruya tried to claim ghostwriters did it to excuse her bad behavior. Though it appears she did employ ghostwriters, it also appears as if she sent them (and editors) a hodgepodge of pasted together scenes she’d collected, had them “fix” it, and then didn’t pay them from their work.

If it says Michelle M. Pillow on the cover, that book was written by me, and if I have a co-author that is mentioned on the cover as well. I have done work-for-hire projects, and pen names.

I do not have an issue with ghostwriters earning a living, and have met talented ones. There has been talk about ghostwriting in fiction right now, but let’s not get off-topic of this blog post about Serruya’s blatant plagiarism.

Authors of Books

I feel for all the authors this is also happening to (or has happened to). Knowing how many days/years/decades go into putting together a body of work, it’s horrible to have that hard work stolen.

So far I’ve seen reported: Michelle M. Pillow (me), Nora Roberts, Courtney Milan, Sara MacLean, Tessa Dare, Trish Morey, Victoria Alexander, Michelle St. James, Lauren Royal, Lisa Kleypas, Loretta Chase, Lynne Graham, Kresley Cole, Karen Marie Morning, Kerrelyn Sparks, Gena Showalter, Constance Phillips, Christi Caldwell, Cathy Williams, Carmen DeSousa, Callie Hart, Bella Andre, Anne Gracie, Alys Murray, Abby Green, Laurann Dohner.

There could very well be more.

If you are an author and believe your work is also part of this, please visit: What to do about #CopyPasteCris – Courtney Milan

The Readers

OMG, I LOVE YOU.

Several of you have asked how you can help.

First, if you see an author’s work being plagiarized, please tell that author. For my books you can contact me on this website, or PM me on Facebook.

Second, I would never ask you to buy books you wouldn’t normally read, but I do ask that you check out the books from the authors on this list, and let other readers know about them. They might find something they’d like to try and maybe you’ll discover a new favorite. 🙂 Know these lists might not be complete: Blog Post List, Twitter thread with buy links, or check out the authors/websites I hyperlinked earlier in this post.

Thank you for all your kindness, suggestions, and support! You can find me on Facebook, Twitter (I’m slow to answer DMs), or via email if you want to talk to me.

Michelle

Feb 23 UPDATE:

Make that three of my books. Forget Me Not has been reported into the mix too.

I have now personally confirmed all three books have been stolen from.

March 3 UPDATE:

I never thought I’d have to make the statement “Yes, I write my own books” but there you have it. I do. Everything with Michelle M. Pillow on it was done by me. I work every day, often 15-18 hours. I work on vacations, in waiting rooms, and while riding in the car.

Yes, 3 of my books have been plagiarized in the #copypastecris thievery. Yes, it’s an awful feeling. Three confirmed, by me, tediously comparing books side by side. I’d have kept looking for more but honestly, I have deadlines. I promised my readers books. I promised myself books.

There is plenty more I could say on the matter. And I have been through a ton of different emotions. One thing that has not changed is my gratitude to you, the readers, for your support, and to my fellow authors who have been supportive in this situation whether your books were stolen from or not.

Here is the Facebook Post I wrote up the morning it happened. 
https://www.facebook.com/MichellePillow/posts/10156718528601971

Last Update:

Michelle M Pillow – 12 of my books plagiarized – This list is compiled by blogger Caffeinated Fae. Thank you to her for her excellent tracking. PLEASE visit her blog post for a complete list of stolen work by Cristiane Serruya who has plagiarized at least 95 books, 43 authors, 3 articles, 3 websites, & 2 recipes.

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