On Amazon, An Uneasy Mix Of Plagiarism And Erotica
Unlike traditional publishing companies, self-publishing programs like Amazon’s Kindle Select lack the keen eyes of publishers, leaving room for copyright violations — and plagiarism.
Sharazade is the pen name of a writer and editor who is a rising star on Amazon’s erotica section.
“I do a lot of traveling, and most of my stories are travel-based in some way, either set in an exotic location or having to do with modes of transportation … or airports, airplanes, buses,” she tells weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz.
Sharazade is also an entrepreneur, publishing erotica for other writers, including a story she put up on Amazon recently called Taking Jennifer, which climbed the charts.
“On the U.S. site, it eventually got to 21 in the free erotica, and on the U.K. site, it got to No. 3,” she says. “When you are that close to the top, I think it’s natural that you look around to see what the competition is like.”