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Stop Thief! A Pro Writer’s 5 Tips to Fight Plagiarism

Editor

How one writer took action to fight plagiarism after her e-book was stolenIt was an evening like any other… poking around on Amazon. But tonight was different. There, before me, in all its glory, was my new e-book with someone else’s name on it!

Thus began an emotional roller coaster of confusion, shock and anger. “Ojuola Infotech” had come to my website, downloaded my newly finished e-book, and put his name on Pricing Basics for Copywriters & Consultants: Meet Your Income Goals – Guaranteed!

Worse yet, it wasn’t just that my e-book was stolen. He stole my brand as well. CHRIS NOTES was now OJUOLA NOTES.

Did I see red? You know it. And it cost me emotional turmoil, enormous amounts of time, and lost income to do what I did next.

Namely… I went after him. But not before I got my e-book back… and my authorship.

I’ve been dealing with this professional tragedy for nearly five months, and I’m still not finished.

Because I don’t want you to suffer an experience like this, I’m going to give you my top five newly learned tips to fight plagiarism and protect your work, so the Ojuolas of the world can’t hurt you.

 

Tip #1. Get your work copyrighted.

In the U.S. it’s commonly believed that simply putting a copyright notice on your work is sufficient. But as I discovered… it’s not! The only reason I got my e-book back was I because could prove legal copyright to the booksellers I contacted. Register your work with the U.S. Copyright Office, or if you’re in another country, the governing body in your country that handles intellectual property protection.

Tip #2. Start with Amazon.

When I proved to Amazon that I was the rightful owner of my stolen e-book, the fraudulent version of my e-book quickly disappeared from the catalogs of many smaller booksellers, too. Going to Amazon first saved me lots of extra work in booksellers I didn’t have to contact.

Tip #3. Avoid Web page downloads.

DO NOT put your intellectual property on a Web page for download – either for free or for purchase. This is how my Nigerian thief, Ojuola Infotech, got my e-book. He uses keywords to find the kind of book he wants to steal. Then, he uses advanced knowledge of how websites work to find the digital file.

Tip #4. Choose other delivery methods.

Rather than have your work on a downloads page, email the file to your subscriber or purchaser. I use e-Junkie and AWeber, but there are other service providers who can deliver your file securely, either via email or by placing your file behind a firewall.

Tip #5. Call on your relationships.

There is astounding power in community. I’ve been fighting this beast on my own, but now that I’ve regained my property, my writer friends are getting the word out on this predator. There is social sharing, commenting, blog posts, and copywriters are even creating video sales letters exposing Ojuola Infotech.

Chris Marlow is a writer entrepreneur who shows other writer-entrepreneurs how to use their writing skills to make money in copywriting, information publishing, and ebook sales. Learn more at chrismarlow.com.

 

20 Ways to Find Freelance Writing Jobs for Beginners

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Best Freelance Writing Jobs for Beginners. Makealivingwriting.com

Right now, a record-high number of people are considering a freelance writing career. My inbox is overflowing with questions from newbies. And the first question is: “Where can I find freelance writing jobs for beginners?”

If that’s you, sending hugs! I totally feel your confusion. The freelance marketplace is a big, complicated place. There are lots of types of paid writing, and different kinds of clients, too.

I’ve been helping writers get started for a dozen years now. And I know how mystifying it can be. You feel like there’s a door you need to find, a person you need to know, a secret you must unlock to become a freelance writer.

But really, the path to freelance writing jobs for beginners is simple.

You need to find someone willing to let you write for them. That’s it.

You get a few samples and boom — you have a portfolio to show. And you’re on your way.

There are fairly simple, break-in writing assignments that newbies tend to get. I’m going to outline what they are below.

But first, I need to explain something…

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The purpose of a personal narrative is to describe a specific story in your life. No matter who you are, you have a plethora of life experiences, events, and stories that can be crafted into a compelling personal narrative for use in an article, blog post, case study, etc.

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Writing an Article vs. Writing a Blog Post: What’s the Difference?

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