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How Kaavya Lost It(India Today Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)A few weeks ago, Kaavya Viswanathan had "burst into tears" when she had walked into the Harvard Coop bookstore in Harvard Square to find her book unexpectedly (delivery took place two days ahead of schedule) displayed among the new arrivals. If the 19-year-old Harvard University sophomore had returned to the store on April 28, she would have faced similar anguish, but for an entirely different reason: all copies of her book (with an initial print run of 1,00,000) were being removed, after Little Brown and Co. (part of the Time Warner group) decided to withdraw her debut novel, How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life, following allegations of plagiarism from Megan McCafferty's novels Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings, published by Random House. And if this was not enough, by the end of the second week, The New York Times had reported three other passages copied from yet another chick-lit book, Can You Keep a Secret?, by British author Madeleine Wickham, who writes the "Shopaholic" series as Sophie Kinsella. The decision, which came after a relentless five-day trial played out publicly in the media and privately between lawyers on both sides, may have reduced Viswanathan from a teenage writing sensation to a regular copycat, but it also raised questions on a host of issues, including the manner in which popular literature is crafted. Ironically, the beginning of the end was prompted by a single article in The Harvard Crimson-America's oldest college daily brought out by students at Harvard University-based on an "anonymous tip". The story, published on April 23, listed seven instances where the text in Viswanathan's novel was identical to that in Megan McCafferty's first two books. Initially, Viswanathan denied the charges when a Crimson reporter contacted her for comments. However, all hell broke loose when Random House-which claims there are as many as 45 similar passages-confirmed the findings and made threatening legal noises. In a dog-eat-dog world of instant and seamless connections built around blogs and online community portals-where justice is meted out Town Hall style-Viswanathan did not stand a chance. A plethora of blogs were on the case in no time, even while mainstream media like The New York Times and Boston Globe-ironically, both had given the writer a thumbs-up-stepped up their investigation. Online newspaper Harvard Independent even came up with a portal dubbed "Kaavyagate" (in obvious reference to the notorious scams of Watergate and Irangate). Gawker, a blog on Manhattan gossip, went a step further when it remarked: "Let's just sum it all up with the obvious: isn't it kind of awesome to see an overachieving Indian kid finally do something wrong?" In a desperate move, Viswanathan's handlers set up an appearance for the author on NBC's Today show on April 26. Through most of the show, Viswanathan held out the olive branch by offering profuse apologies and maintained that it was "unintentional", as she had internalised McCafferty's novels when she had read them in high school. She also promised that future editions would be edited and would also acknowledge McCafferty. But to no avail. At the end of the show, anchor Katie Couric queried whether a mere apology would suffice for matters to return to "normal". What the anchor left unsaid was that in a country where litigation is the name of the game, the action was only about to begin. Two days later, the writer's worst fears came true. The publishers threw in the towel and withdrew the book from the market. In just a week, Viswanathan's reputation came crashing from that of an accomplished teen writer with an enviable $500,000 contract and a film option by DreamWorks-which, according to Variety magazine, may not be exercised anymore-to one of a regular cheat. Worse still, her future at Harvard, which has a strict code of ethics, could be jeopardised. But in the vilification rage sweeping the media, some obvious issues have been overlooked. To begin with, in the entire episode, judgement on Viswanathan has shifted from one extreme to another. While she is culpable to the charge of plagiarism, there is no denying that she was an accomplished student and had what it takes to get through the gates of Harvard-even though her doctor parents left little to chance by engaging Ivy Wise, an admissions consultancy that charges around $30,000. At the same time, the manner in which her book was put together raises a number of questions about the publishing industry-the cosy relationships and mutual accommodation that go on behind the scenes. At the root of this is the "book packager", known to be the architect behind many a bestseller. Shorn of all niceties, what this process does is to take a concept, flesh it out and bring it in line with whatever trend is in vogue, to make it eminently saleable. This is followed through with a well-oiled publicity machinery, ensuring that everyone stays on the message. Viswanathan's initial work, too, was turned over to a "book packager"-17th Street Productions, which was acquired by Alloy Inc. It is only after this that Little Brown picked up the idea and has, in fact, extended joint copyright credit to Alloy and Viswanathan, who shared the $500,000 advance on a two-book deal. And in a strange coincidence, Claudia Gabel, an editor who had served at Alloy, has been included in the list of acknowledgements by both McCafferty and Viswanathan. Even when the instances of plagiarism had come to light, Viswanathan had continued to argue that she alone was responsible for the text. If she had shifted the blame to Alloy, it would have meant acknowledging that the work wasn't hers to begin with. Finally, it is rather strange that the controversy has eluded the editors who had worked on the book, not to speak of the host of thumbs-up reviews that had appeared in the mainstream media. It was, therefore, surprising that the scoop surfaced in a student daily. So far, it is the debutant author who has been at the receiving end. More likely than not, the episode will fade rapidly from public memory. But while that would allow the teenager a chance to look at life afresh, it would also gloss over the structural shortcomings in the book publishing industry. BOX SPOT THE DIFFERENCES McCafferty's Sloppy Firsts, P 6: Sabrina was the brainy angel. Yet another example of how every girl had to be one or the other: pretty or smart. Viswanathan's How Opal ... , P 39: Moneypenny was the brainy female character. Yet another example of how every girl had to be one or the other: smart or pretty. McCafferty's Sloppy Firsts, P 237: Finally, four major department stores and 170 specialty shops later, we were done. Viswanathan's How Opal ... , P 51: Five department stores, and 170 specialty shops later, I was sick of listening to her hum along to Alicia Keys... McCafferty's Second Helpings, P 67: ... but in a truly sadomasochistic dieting gesture, they chose to buy their Diet Cokes at Cinnabon. Viswanathan's How Opal ... , P 46: In a truly masochistic gesture, they had decided to buy Diet Cokes from Mrs Fields. Wickham's Can You Keep a Secret?, P 304-5: The mink like being made into coats. Viswanathan's How Opal ... , P 264-5: The foxes want to be made into scarves. Wickham's Can You Keep a Secret?, P 350: And we'll tell everyone you got your Donna Karan coat from a discount warehouse shop. Viswanathan's How Opal ... , P 282: And I'll tell everyone that in eighth grade you used to wear My Little Pony sweatshirt to school everyday. Wickham's Can You Keep a Secret?, P 354: I got this scar on my wrist by cracking open a bottle of beer when I was fourteen. Viswanathan's How Opal ... , P 304: I got this scar on my hand when I burned myself on a toaster. |