Welcome to this week’s news post. It started off innocuously enough but it has ended with one of the most craziest story linked to plagiarism I’ve seen yet. There is also updates from Karen Marie Moning and Google’s Blogger deletion of adult blogs as well as our usual books to look out for.

Dear Author broke the news that authors Jamie McGuire’s BEAUTIFUL DISASTER and Tammara Webber’s EASY was plagiarised by an author called Jordin Williams in their book called AMAZINGLY DAMAGED. Now this is where the tale gets really strange and twisty when it was later found out that Williams also had a slew of aliases with other books which were then removed and their profiles removed when the news broke. But it gets even stranger when the book was later found out to be  Twilight fanfiction which had plagiarised passages from McGuire and Webber’s books and it was due to the plagiarism that this author was caught and the long twisted tale led to the other aliases being found out which had similar profile pics and author bios. For the infograph linking the whole sordid saga- click here. But I suspect this is the tip of the iceberg because it is very easy to scrape free fiction or fanfiction and slap on a cover and get some savvy marketing to make a quick buck. I know it has made me wary about debut authors selfpublishing especially in New Adult and that is a huge disservice to those genuine writers. Because breaking out is extremely hard to do and with dubious scammers using spammy marketing and stolen stories is just going to make things harder for readers and authors alike.

I really don’t think this is going to end well but Google on the heels of removing Google Reader have now announced that in the next few days they will be removing blogs which has adult posts that monetizes content like ads and affiliate links. However Google did not make it clear what were the details for the reasons why adult themed blogs needed to be removed and it is all so vague. This could affect erotic romance themed blogs and I think it would be a very good idea to look at WordPress or other blogging platforms like LiveJournal or Tumblr to avoid getting caught up in this which I suspect will be a huge mess.

And finally I suspect that there is going to be more mergers or buyouts in the future due to the everchanging nature of publishing right now. Hachette has bought out Disney Hyperion which recently did a restructure with their business – Hachette will gain over 1000 titles and will be publishing Disney’s entertainment tv/movie  properties as well as children’s books and other trade titles.

News in Brief:

Karen Marie Moning has posted some updates on her Facebook page about BURNED’s release date and the followup books featuring Mac and Barron.

I reported last year that Ron Moore had purchased the rights to OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon,  and Starz will be developing the series. Well it looks like it has been greenlit and shooting commences this Fall for next year.

Watch out for Shakespeare fanfic although it does look like reimaginings and adaptations than straight up fanfiction. But it does feel that fanfiction is becoming so mainstream its now a marketing ploy!

Sylvia Day has announced the next CROSSFIRE book as CAPTIVATED BY YOU. No details on the publication release date.

And talking mentioning fanfiction – the most famous fanfic turned into mega seller sensation, 50 SHADES of GREY movie has now got a release date which is slated for 1st August of 2015. The casting of Ana and Christian will also be announced in this year’s San Diego’s Comic Con.

And now books to watch out for!

BURN OUT by Kristi Helvig looks beyond awesome!

 

A futuristic blend of Beth Revis’s Across the Universe and Lenore Appelhans’s Level 2, Burn Out will satisfy the growing desire for science fiction with a thrilling story of survival, intrigue, and adventure.

Most people want to save the world; seventeen-year-old Tora Reynolds just wants to get the hell off of it. One of the last survivors in Earth’s final years, Tora yearns to escape the wasteland her planet has become after the sun turns “red giant,” but discovers her fellow survivors are even deadlier than the hostile environment.

Holed up in an underground shelter, Tora is alone–her brilliant scientist father murdered, her mother and sister burned to death. She dreams of living on a planet with oceans, plants, and animals. Unfortunately, the oceans dried out ages ago, the only plants are giant cacti with deadly spines, and her pet, Trigger, is a gun–one of the bio-energetic weapons her father created for the government before his conscience kicked in.

When family friend, Markus, arrives with mercenaries to take the weapons by force, Tora’s fury turns to fear when government ships descend in an attempt to kill them all. She forges an unlikely alliance with Markus and his rag-tag group of raiders, including a smart but quiet soldier named James. Tora must figure out who she can trust in order to save humanity from the most lethal weapons in existence.

 

I was given the headsup on CRUEL BEAUTY by Rosamund Hodge, the other day by a friend because she knows I am a sucker for Beauty and the Beast retelling and this looks like a fantastic take on the fairytale.

 

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom—all because of a reckless bargain her father struck. And since birth, she has been training to kill him.

Betrayed by her family yet bound to obey, Nyx rails against her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, she abandons everything she’s ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, disarm him, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle—a shifting maze of magical rooms—enthralls her. As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex’s secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. But even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, could she refuse her duty to kill him?

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

 

 

And finally the 3rd book in Veronica Rossi’s post apocalyptic YA trilogy – INTO THE STILL BLUE. I highly enjoy this series and definitely looking forward to the final book!

 

 

 

What do you think of Google’s move to delete adult themed blogs? Do you think romance blogs or those who link to more adult sites will be affected due to the vague wording of the announcement? And what do you think about fanfiction becoming mainstream? 

About Has

Has is a bookaholic and feeds her addiction whenever she can. She usually can be found lost in a Romance or an Urban Fantasy novel. Her favourite sub genres are Paranormal, Fantasy and some Scifi. Her most treasured authors are, Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews, Ann Aguirre, Lisa Kleypas and Tamora Pierce. She loves that discovery of finding a brand new author and falling in love with their books. Has also blogs a The Book Pushers - Book chatter and reviews

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