6.24.2007

and now for something completely different

i bought tickets to see lewis black when i'm in vegas on vacation.


can i tell you how frickin' awesome this is???




this is frickin' awesome!

6.22.2007

the plagiarist speaks!

so, i took the time this week to write to the plagiarist and basically told him to make sure the door didn't hit his ass on the way out. here are a couple excerpts for your enjoyment:

[mr. plagiarist]-

i am writing to you about a serious matter. i just finished our upcoming publication, which had your most recent reviews. while the review of [author 1's] book was fine, i was dismayed to find that almost two-thirds of the review of [book 2] was copied from the book, nearly verbatim. the first two paragraphs were gleaned from the book flap, while the paragraphs about reed hastings and netflix were taken from the first two pages of the first chapter. i then discovered that the last paragraph came from page 131 of the book.

you do realize this is plagiarism and is unacceptable. i would like to know why this occurred. it is sloppy work, and if it had not been caught, could have jeopardized the integrity of this publication.

if you have any further questions, or wish to discuss this matter, you may contact me by e-mail.

thank you for your previous work, and good luck with your future endeavors.



his response had him practically prostrate on the ground, apologizing about his oopsie. i had also called him out on his sloppy work, how other assignments had been riddled with typos. he had the gall to say: "Regarding [assignment], I read through my copy last night and could not find the typos you mentioned."



perhaps you shouldn't be a professional writer then!!!



i didn't respond to him. there's no need. so now, my kind readers, this saga has come to a close...until some other idiot thinks i'm stupid.

6.14.2007

plagiarizers will be shot and sent to the western front

all right, perhaps that's a play on words from what my modern american history professor wrote on the board the day of our first exam.

he had written "cheaters will be shot and sent to the western front." (he has an awesome sense of humor.)

so, plagiarism. i absolutely hate it. for anyone who has some integrity, especially someone who calls him- or herself a writer it is inexcusable. like hester prynne, the scumbags that feel it necessary to plagiarize should have a giant "P" emblazoned across their chests.

in high school if you plagiarized a paper, you failed that assignment, and could face other repercussions, depending on the teacher. in college, it was the same deal, though you might also fail the class and maybe even be asked to leave the school.

i remember back in school always hearing about "do NOT plagiarize" from my teachers, and in college, every syllabus had the school's anti-plagiarism message (and punishments) listed, usually on the first page. it's no joke. it's theft. it's dishonesty. for lack of a better word, it's just plain shitty.

so, imagine my surprise when i go over a book review for this month's publication for the first time to really edit (i prefer getting it settled into the layout first before i do my fine-tuning). i already had one of my editors go over the manuscript and she didn't notice anything amiss, and i can't blame her. however, for some reason i wanted to look something up in the book, and that's when i caught it. the very first page of chapter one contained the same paragraph that i had just read, located about 3-4 paragraphs down the first column of the review. i flipped out. i then discovered the first 2 paragraphs were gleaned from the book flap, and the last paragraph was from page 130.

did this freelance writer think i was stupid??? that i don't look over the books? true, i didn't catch it immediately, but i caught it nonetheless (thank god).

i was so insulted, pissed off, and about ready to drive out to where this man lived to personally give him a piece of my mind, though honestly, it's not worth the gas money.

i plan on e-mailing him and demanding answers. one person told me to send his name out to as many other publications and blacklist him. another told me to give him a serious slap on the hand. quite frankly, i want to confront him, ask why he did it, and then tell him that his past work over the last year has been shoddy, his book reviews have been sub-par, and i don't need him writing for me.

is this too harsh, or not enough? it's not like i'm NYT and i'm cool with that. but still.

if you take writing seriously, then you don't steal someone else's words and present them as your own. take pride in your work. don't be lazy. as a good friend told me after i mentioned the incident, "how would he have liked it if someone had plagiarized him?"

seriously man, how would you feel about it?

6.08.2007

redundancy can work if your sentence is longer than 7 words

in chapter 11, on page 309 of topgrading the following sentence starts off the second paragraph:

topgrading is a crucial component of topgrading.


oh really?! i am so glad that after 300+ pages of a 592 page book, author Bradford D. Smart, Ph.D shares this scintillating insight.

word to the wise: hire a better proofreader next time.

6.06.2007

virtual bookshelves galore

this reminds me of shelfari.

6.05.2007

umm...wow

just read about this in jeff gomez's blog. what about donating them to a library or a thrift store? sheesh!

s.o.s

my desk is covered in book, publisher catalogs, pens, stickies, and small toys. i am strange. it's always been this way, but since bea, it looks like a small book bomb went off. quel désordre!

my online bookshelf is beginning to shape up, though i really need to sit in front of my book case with my laptop to be truly successful. that and somehow every library book i've read since 3rd grade.

i picked up the witch's trinity for a friend that teaches a graduate level witchcraft in lit class, since it looked interesting...of course while attending the expo. it comes out in september, which might work well for the next time she offers the class. i took it two years ago, and it was a great examination of the perception of witches throughout the history of literature, beginning with macbeth and ending with harry potter. it got me thinking about designing a class that would study the perception of the monster in literature...i was thinking frankenstein, grendel, dracula, and perhaps a few others.

speaking of books, i should get cracking and read some of the ones i picked up, that way i get some reviews out there. now i just need to find the time...and my desk.

6.04.2007

Beowulf on the big screen

all right, one of my favorite epics most certainly is beowulf because i totally dig old-school brit lit. now, as i flip through one of the harper collins catalogs, i find out that in november the grendel vs. the danes flick will hit the big screens. how do i know this? neil gaiman and roger avary worked on the script book! the "digitally enhanced live-action blockbuster" will be directed by robert zemeckis. holy hotness i cannot wait to see this!

cubicle monotony

is it terrible that i'd rather be curled up in my bed reading interview or getting deeper into the almost moon than be at work? i think it's the dismal weather.

oh well. i still need to go through the latest catalogs i picked up from the bea. i'm excited about making a boatload of requests, as well as making note of some non-business titles that i might want to pick up in the coming months.

oooh...i just received a bounty of hc catalogs. yay, something new to look through.

6.02.2007

i survived the bea...

...and all i got was close to 100 pounds of juicy, juicy swag. aside from the heat, the blisters, and the crowd of heathens, er, um i mean industry professionals, book sellers, publishers and exhibitors, it was pretty freaking awesome.

i fully intend on reviewing some of the arcs i picked up, and passing on the goodness. i also managed to score a signed copy of tim gunn's latest endeavor, though i totally missed actually getting to meet him. oh well. he is still a god among many.

i also got a copy of alice sebold's the almost moon. thank god...she's signing the arc on sunday, but i left this afternoon. i snagged a copy about 15 minutes into the opening day, and pulled it out on my train ride back to philly. within the first few pages, i am happily assured that her distinct voice is as strong as ever. as i have said about the lovely bones and her memoir lucky, they are devastatingly good. i can't wait to dive further into this...and then by the time october rolls around, i'll pick up the hardcover.

such joys. such stuff. i need a pedicure, and a long night's rest. instead, i'm doing laundry, eating orange sherbet, and writing this. devotion.