If I had a dollar for each time an aspiring author voiced a concern about his or her blogged book idea getting stolen or actual blog content getting pirated, I’d be rich by now. This fear is similar to the one harbored by a person I know who won’t allow agents to look at his book idea; he’s sure that if one took him on as a client, while his book was shopped to publishers, a publisher would steal his great idea, hire a writer to create it and run off with the money.
Not.
I’m not going to tell you that online content never gets stolen. It does, but only if:
A. You are highly discoverable.
B. Your content is great.
Now, your content may already be great, but if your blog isn’t easily found, no one will know that. And that means, the likelihood of your content getting “scraped,” used by someone else without attribution, is pretty low. Why? They simply won’t know it exists.
When content gets scraped, usually you can get it taken down pretty easily by simply asking. The rest of the time, content is copied and attributed with a link back to your blog. That’s what you want! This type of linking drives your blog up in the search engine results pages (SERPs) and makes your blog and blogged book more discoverable.
Then you can write more great content.
Ah…but you’re probably thinking, “Now my blog is more discoverable and there’s a higher likelihood that my content will be pirated.”
Nope. Why would someone want to steal from a well-known blogger? You have a name and reputation. They don’t want to mess with you.
Here’s the bottom line. When you are starting out as a blogger and book blogger–And those that ask me the question, “Don’t I need to be worried about my blogged book getting stolen if I give it away on the Internet?” are always just starting out.–you have no readers. You, your blog and your blogged book are not easily found on the Internet. You, your blog and your blogged book are not discoverable. You are obscure.
Thus the popular saying: You have more to fear from obscurity than from piracy. (Sorry, I have no idea who said that first.)
So, blog your book already and stop making excuses. Move through your fear.
Then, when someone, actually cancel that…when many peoples so-called steal your work and plaster it all over cyberspace, rejoice! It means they like what you have been blogging/writing! Your blog and blogged book has relevance. You have impact and so does your book. Yahoo! Yippee! You have a hit on your hands.
Send a note to an agent. Wave some flags toward a publisher. Land yourself a book deal or self-publish that sucker.
Now for God-sake, stop worrying about someone stealing your book idea and content. Just blog the damn book.
Photo courtesy of chanpipat | freedigitalphotos.net
Wow. This blog is so great. I am learning a LOT! Thank you. I am compiling previous blogs into a book as we “speak” – so I can’t wait to put my new knowledge to work. Honestly, I have asked the question above too – thank you for the very smart answer. I read it and it just made sense. Cheers.
Glad you are finding the blog helpful, Teeny Bikini!
Who would steal from someone who can prove that they write the book with posts and people to back it up! Great post, and very interesting. Thanks for the share!
Great point, Thomas!
Right to the point.
Personally if someone uses my content in a book they publish, I would feel great for knowing my blog is great.
And then I’ll file a lawsuit against them and live forever on an deserted island. NOT
Thanks for the post. One fear sorted. Now for the 27 others.
Keep blogging.
If someone is going to put your material in a book, most likely they’ll contact you, Melvern. It’s the theft on the internet most bloggers are worried about–mostly without cause.
I have had a blogged book stolen, and I’m not an obscure blogger. It was a so called friend who not only ripped off the idea (which I had openly published) but then went on to say yes she had, but ideas in the public domain and exactly that – ideas in the public domain. It hammered my confidence, and then she went and did it to someone else (again a prominent person on social media). 2 years on my books have been likened to the blogged book she took from me. My retort has always been that i’m the original and not the copy…
That’s unfortunate, Sarah, but it doesn’t happen often. I’m sorry it happened to you. You should be able to point to your blogged book to show that you had the idea first; you published it on your blog after all. Not only that, you say she admitted she ripped you off…so it seems you have plenty to stand on to claim she ripped you off.