And what a fantastic story it is!
– Our Hero starts to inexplicably lose weight, not body mass. He enjoys an exhilarating period of physical elation and increased performance.
– As the condition worsens, he gets worried, and enlists the help of close friends, and a trusted professional from outside the scientific/medical domain. There is no explanation for his condition.
– He becomes steadily lighter to the point he has to be kept down in a wheelchair.
– At the end, he makes a decision to let go, and sails off into the sky, leaving his girlfriend on the ground.
I'm not suggesting for a moment he gets them from my 1997 novel (more a novella) Helium, in which:
– Our Hero starts to inexplicably lose weight, not body mass. He enjoys an exhilarating period of physical elation and increased performance.
– As the condition worsens, he gets worried, and enlists the help of close friends, and a trusted professional from outside the scientific/medical domain. There is no explanation for his condition.
– He becomes steadily lighter to the point he has to be kept down in a wheelchair.
– At the end, he makes a decision to let go, and sails off into the sky, leaving his girlfriend on the ground.
Well, okay. Ideas/concepts aren’t copyrightable. They’re just floating around out there and can land in anyone’s head, even Stephen King's. The floaty man thing has been done before. But not like this. The narrative correspondences between the two books seem beyond the scope of coincidence. There are confirmatory details, too, like "his" chapter title The Incredible Lightness Of Being, and my The Incredibleness Of Being Light. And his symbolic image of a firework disappearing into the sky, and mine of a helium balloon disappearing into the sky - right there on the cover.
Let's imagine my book being published after Mr. King's. Would he have dismissed it as coincidence, or instructed his lawyers to sue the fuck out of me?
Stephen King is a global corporation, not “a writer”, and retains lawyers with experience of being sued for plagiarism (King has form). It’s unlikely that they would leave open legal grounds for any accusation I might feel like making. It’s also absurd that I could lawyer up against a global corporation. I have no money, no support, no publishing network, nothing. I have tried to contact him, his agent, the movie production company, my publisher, and his publisher.
If you have any suggestions (that I haven't already tried), or can offer help in getting exposure - maybe through social media (which I don't do), staging a candlelight vigil on Mr. King's front lawn, or taking out a full-page ad in The New York Review - I'll be really grateful. But do not accuse him of anything - ask the question.
I for one would like to know the answer.
Not a chance of coincidence.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a social media user, but I think that's the answer.
I'll look for Elevation mentions on Facebook & Twitter and ask a few rude questions.
I urge 4 or 5 other guys to do the same.
Thank you. Absolutely anything you can do along these lines would be fantastic.
DeleteI'll gladly give this some exposure on social media. I have a fair number of followers on Twitter, so I can give this a bit of exposure there.
DeleteAlso...your protagonist is Gary, whilst his is Carey. I find that curious, to say the least.
Carey - Gary - I missed that, somehow. Thank you.
DeletePLEASE put it out any way you can - nothing is a dead end in social media.
Maybe someone who knows how to do these things (and the rules that govern them) could make a discreet edit to the Wikipedia page on Elevation.
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elevation_(novella)
I did the wikipedia, even though you banned me
DeleteThat is fucking BRILLIANT. Thank you so much. Made my day.
DeleteNot sure if you have to register to read this - basically asking the question, supplying details.
ReplyDeleteGoodreads
I've registered, reconfirmed my email address and commented in about 3 minutes. Anyone with a better more constructive comment, could do so.
DeleteRight, now to de-register, before Goodreads send me loads of unwanted crap. I have nothing against Goodreads, I just don't join stuff.
"HE ADDED LESBIANS" -- well, now I have to read it. I hope the Sapphic subplot isn't cut from the film that hasn't been made yet.
Delete"ELEVATION: Guaranteed to Add Moisture to Your Oyster!"
Count me in!
Delete(I meant to the Sapphic subplot but I've added my own GoodReads review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4611845635)
DeleteThanks, Mr.Dave, but "page not found".
DeleteBambi - your action is very much appreciated. Getting this kind of support is absolutely key.
DeleteMaybe the parenthesis got in the way; this should work:
Deletehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4611845635
Excellent. I have replied.
DeleteAnd now, this:
ReplyDeletehttps://ataleoftwonovels.blogspot.com
Maybe a list of the narrative correspondences and those details that seem more than coincidental would be a helpful addition to this site. Social media mavens (SMM's) tend to have short attention spans. They seem to prefer information in quickly digestible nuggets.
DeleteI just posted in FB and used the link above. It thought the link was spam and disallowed it, so I changed the link slightly giving instructions how to make it work and it posted OK. My only published author friend is on there and I used his handle in the post, so I hope to get a reply.
DeleteJonder - keeping the list to the bare minimum to show conceptual and narrative similarities beyond coincidence is the way to go. These are unarguable. Details can appear similar but can also be seized upon for differences.
DeleteSteve - thank you very much. This is exactly the help I need.
These guys (SK etc) know what they're doing, if they steal your idea, they'll probably already have had lawyers look at both versions to make sure it's safe to steal. Sorry to be such a pessimist, i'm in that frame of mind at the moment. If they were honorable people they would contact you, suggest Mr King loves your work and would like to base his new novel on it and give you credit, plus a large cheque to make you smile.
ReplyDeleteI'm not on twitter or faecebook.
I know - I've already said this: "Stephen King is a global corporation, not “a writer”, and retains lawyers with experience of being sued for plagiarism (he has form). It’s unlikely that they would leave open legal grounds for any accusation I might feel like making. It’s also absurd that I could lawyer up against a global corporation."
DeleteThis is all the more reason for trying. He probably thought - "obscure book, unknown author hasn't been published for years ... safe bet." I'd like to show him it wasn't.
I've just ordered a paperback of Helium - it sounds like an interesting read.
ReplyDeleteI've never knowingly read anything by Stephen King Inc, but there's always a first time, so an epub upload would be good, Mr Shark, much appreciated.
I'd make Helium (and my other novels) available here if I could. My "publisher" won't give me digital copies; all I have is a few battered paperbacks.
DeleteMr. King was once asked about his ideas sounding familiar. He replied something like, "Yes, I steal, but I only steal from the best."
ReplyDeleteSo a judge would look more leniently on someone who shoplifted in Harrod's rather than "Poundland"?
DeleteFor those who have said that they don't use social media: you're soaking in it. What is Blogger, if not a social medium?
ReplyDeletePublic outcry is sometimes effective in these David vs. Goliath copyright situations. It worked against Led Zeppelin (for almost everyone except Spirit and poor Jake Holmes). Does anyone know a reporter who might be able to lob a few awkward questions at Mr. King, his agent, or his publisher?
Say, who is our Genial Host, and what has he done with Farq?
And speaking of Farq, did he make this 1972 album, The Formal Female?
http://therockasteria.blogspot.com/2013/11/j-w-farquhar-formal-female-1973-us.html
"Farquhar was undergoing a brutal divorce when he barricaded himself in his apartment and recorded this one-man assault on the female race." Sounds like a fun listen for your next shindig or hootenanny!
I only know one published author. I'll make sure he sees the article. You never know. Some issues have a strange way of capturing mas public attention at just the right time.
DeleteI know this is first and foremost about Principle but ...
ReplyDeleteBOY HOWDY! Just thinking about that sweet, sweet movie royalty we'll all be rolling in as soon as the Major Motion Picture Studio realizes the hot water they're in with the rising tide of disaffection and bad publicity is making my oyster moist (and I ain't even got one)! I'm already measuring my "authentic rustic island hut" for some major improvements like running water, indoor plumbing, and electricity! Built-in entertainment center and wet bar can't be far behind!
To help this movement gain traction I'm going to coin a new slogan for our revolt against vulture capitalism: "STOP THE STEAL"!! On second thought ... maybe something like STEVEN KING IS A THEIVIN' BASTARD! would be a clearer message.
(Despite my attempt at levity, I in no way mean to belittle any of this -- not the outright and despicable plagiarism here nor the righteous efforts to call attention to it and spread the message. Steven King, Inc. is clearly stealing and making huge piles of cash off other people's ideas -- intellectual property -- and counting on their size and reputation to get away with it. It does seem like there are enough blatant similarities for a strong case against them but I don't know any good or cheap literary lawyers unfortunately)
Save me a seat at the wet bar for your next clambake, MrDave!
DeleteI mean, for the chapter titles...you both are riffing on Milan Kundera there, right?! (I mean, you're riffing while King is, like..., well..., changing a word I guess), so that I would allow.
ReplyDeleteAll the rest, though, sounds like it stinks to high heavens
It's a notable correspondence. That's what I'm looking at.
DeleteThese 'writers' like Patterson/ Cobden too are companies using ghost writers to generate new novels is it possible that the real Stephen King simply does not even get involved in their production any more and even he unaware of some scammy ghost writer stealing stuff to keep their job?
ReplyDeleteShort of walking up to him I see no way through the fog....or you could republish your book as a new book with name Elevation and wait for the lawyers which would be amusing....
He'd have difficulty defending himself on the basis of "I didn't write this book".
DeleteOr I could rip off you both and my new novella called Elevating on Helium will be out in the fall...
ReplyDeleteMuch as I'm usually not a fan of writing unions/organizations, something like this is exactly what they're good at dealing with. They have the lawyers, they have some clout. I'd recommend joining one and siccing them on the problem.
ReplyDeleteThanks, but paying union dues for an uncertain service isn't possible. I have no credit card, no way of finding either an organisation or an individual who could and would carry this through.
DeleteAs distasteful as it may be perhaps think about going to the likes of Fox with a little man versus the conglomerate story. They probably hate King as he has known liberal tendencies.
ReplyDeleteJournalism is one avenue I will be looking at.
DeleteHelium is a really good book. I started reading it 2 years ago. Then for some reason, I couldn't find the book. A friend brought it back, thanked me for letting me borrow it (I hadn't)--and he probably left with something else. I finally finished Helium a couple of months ago. All I will say about the story is, I didn't see that coming!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bill. Anything you can leave anywhere on the internet is a help.
DeleteI just want to mention GOODREADS again; this is absolutely the forum that can shine a light on this with the audience that matters most. Stephen King, Inc. definitely has a staff that monitors reviews and questions so I would encourage everyone who is able to leave a negative review with a reference to the plagiarism and to add a comment to the question Elson left in the Question section.
ReplyDeleteStephen King has 789k followers on GoodReads and this is the forum they use to discuss his work. If anyone can comment on Stephen King's FB page that would be great too.
Leave a Review for Elevation here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/38355410
Post a Comment to Elison's question here:
https://www.goodreads.com/questions/2322867-my-question-is-did-stephen-king
"Let's do this, people". I'll bring you all over to Siam with the money King coughs up.
DeleteIn case you missed it - some kind soul has set the record straight at wikipedia:
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elevation_(novella)
how about havign a word in his ear..if it him and not a office clerk at King inc.? https://mobile.twitter.com/StephenKing
ReplyDeleteBoth his publisher and mine have responded with a "looking into this" email - I have named contacts to follow up. I doubt anything will happen other than a few more emails, but "justice is for the rich", as always. Getting in touch with The Great Man himself is a complete waste of time. He already knows.
DeleteWhat ever became of this? How many pen names do you use? And what should I read next?
ReplyDeleteNothing became of it.He's untouchable. "Plagiarism" isn't a legal term; the relevant law is Copyright Infringement, which is heavily weighted against the plaintiff. The law, of course, is the ass it is held to be.
DeleteRead "Baddha" by "Elson Quick". That's one he won't be stealing.
Oh - and please sign your comments!
DeleteOh, right. Sorry.--Gary Wilder
DeleteWhere are you, Gar?
Delete