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    APNewsBreak: Publisher pulls debut novel

    By HILLEL ITALIE - AP National Writer | AP – Tue, Nov 8, 2011

    NEW YORK (AP) — A debut spy novel, Q.R. Markham's "Assassin of Secrets," was pulled Tuesday after its publisher said it discovered that numerous passages had allegedly been taken from other sources.

    Little, Brown and Company said the book, released last week as a paperback original, included material "lifted from a variety of classic and contemporary spy novels" and that stores should return any copies. Customers who purchased the book can return it for a refund from the seller, who will in turn be compensated by the publisher.

    Little, Brown had signed Markham, 35, to a two-book deal and said the second novel has been canceled.

    "We take great pride in the writers and books we publish and tremendous care in every aspect of our publishing process, so it is with deep regret that we have published a book that we can no longer stand behind," Little, Brown president Michael Pietsch said in a statement. "Our goal is to never have this happen, but when it does, it is important to us to communicate with and compensate readers and retailers as quickly as possible."

    According to a Little, Brown spokeswoman, Nicole Dewey, "Assassin of Secrets" borrowed from Ian Fleming's James Bond novels and fiction by Robert Ludlum and Charles McCarry. Dewey declined to offer examples of passages in question and would not say how the publisher learned of the similarities.

    Markham's novel was published by Little, Brown's Mulholland Books, which specializes in "suspense fiction." As of Tuesday afternoon, "Assassin on Secrets" ranked No. 43,966 on Amazon.com.

    The novel tells of top CIA operative Jonathan Chase and his battle against "Zero Directorate," which captures and kills agents. Publishers Weekly had praised the book as "quirky" and "entertaining," and noted that the "obvious Ian Fleming influence just adds to the appeal."

     
    • Green Ajah
      Green Ajah  •  Winston-Salem, United States  •  6 mths ago
      What exactly is the job of the editors at Little, Brown and Company?
    • The Bad Blue Bomber Himse ...
      The Bad Blue Bomber Himse ...  •  San Francisco, United States  •  6 mths ago
      they should have known something was up when they read the line "Chase, Jonathan Chase"
    • Alisa
      Alisa  •  Riverview, United States  •  6 mths ago
      I'm surprised that an editor didn't catch this before it got this far in the process.
      • P
        P 6 mths ago
        All the editor had to do was compare the manuscript with every single book EVER written. Should have been able to do that during a coffee break, right?
      • Oh, sure
        Oh, sure 6 mths ago
        No, not every single book ever written, JUST THE SPY NOVELS. You'd hope/expect an editor acquiring spy novels would know something about the classics in their field.
      • jewel
        jewel 6 mths ago
        Publishers don't sign an author with the assumption that the writer is a plagiarist. They only fact check for non-fiction.
    • Donny
      Donny  •  Rancho Cordova, United States  •  6 mths ago
      To copy from one: Plagiarism. To copy from many: Research.
      • A different Michael
        A different Michael 6 mths ago
        Research is for facts not fiction. Fiction is the intellectual creation of someone else; facts are history. If you don't know the difference, you will be forever branded a cheat.
      • jewel
        jewel 6 mths ago
        You must document your sources!
      • Uldi
        Uldi 6 mths ago
        To lift entire passages unattributed: Plagiarism.

        To pass such writings off as one's own: Contemptible.
    • J
      J  •  6 mths ago
      the dumbdown continues...easy outs dropped by inattentive editors...professors so out of touch with their disciplines that they need hi-tech artillary to catch kids whose plagiars are as easy to spot as cracks in a mirror...media performers whose diligence in hair and makeup exceeds their commitment to accuracy and clarity...big biz profiteers who think that they can get away with...oops, check that, they did (ok, the exception that proves the rule)...how about elected peacocks strutting while their keepers, the big biz profiteers, get away with looting an economically illiterate electorate...and so, as we sink into the mire of our own neglect, the words of a 20th philosophical giant echo through the silence of our last days and nights, for it was casey, mighty casey stengal, late genius of the national pastime who lamented the state of our general welfare as he surveyed the bumbling troops he inherited from a distracted management and grumbled: "can't anyone here play this game?"
    • Diana B
      Diana B  •  6 mths ago
      This incredible - people not only rip off from other writers, but from the very writers that their readers are likely to have read already.
    • TOTO IN KANSAS
      TOTO IN KANSAS  •  6 mths ago
      Somebody's in trouble!!!
    • NunYa B. Ness
      NunYa B. Ness  •  6 mths ago
      Why does anyone think in the age of the internet that they're going to get away with this sort of thing?
    • Bad Karma
      Bad Karma  •  Washington, United States  •  6 mths ago
      This guy should have just hired other writers to ghost write the story the way Tom Clancy does.
    • amora
      amora  •  Clarksburg, United States  •  6 mths ago
      Should of know the author plagarized when the main character says:"Elementary my dear Watson"
    • Bob
      Bob  •  6 mths ago
      How many time can you re-write a story line without have similarities? I guess one less than this.
      • Uldi
        Uldi 6 mths ago
        You can have similarities, yes. Entire passages, word for word? No.
    • PTS
      PTS  •  6 mths ago
      I think such a move on the publishers part should require that they provide examples....or maybe not.

      Now this guy can just publish via some eReader site for like $60, with all he publicity this has given him he will make a killing.
    • You're No Fun
      You're No Fun  •  Round Rock, United States  •  6 mths ago
      Wow. That's GOT to be embarrassing.
    • amora
      amora  •  6 mths ago
      I should have known when that the author plagarize when the main character says "Elementary my dear Watson"
    • tookiespookies
      tookiespookies  •  Texarkana, United States  •  6 mths ago
      HAHAHA!
    • Winged Avenger
      Winged Avenger  •  Largo, United States  •  6 mths ago
      And how come Tom Clancy cant write a novel without someone holding his hand?
    • Phoebe
      Phoebe  •  6 mths ago
      Fellowes, then. My best friend, she just has announced her wedding with an excellent black man! She told me they met via šeekǐnterracial–č0/Μ. She said it is the best community for black white singles and friends. View photos of singles near you and meet one there. I followed her suggestion. It is terrific. LOL!!
      s Weekly had praised the book as "quir
      • amora
        amora 6 mths ago
        you're a douche!
      • Energize
        Energize 6 mths ago
        i think the silicone from those implants has poisoned your brain
     Post a comment
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