Right of a budding writer.
Hello all,
This is my story. I sent the first few chapters of my manuscript to Grapevine 2 years ago (Early 2013). I received a reply from Nikita Singh, who was an editor of the publishing house. The mail said that the editors enjoyed reading my manuscript and would like to take a look at the entire manuscript before making the final decision. I sent the entire manuscript. A few months later another editor replied saying they are not taking it up.
Then I met with Tales4 publications and they published my book in December 2013.
6 months later Nikita published a book titled 'Right here, Right now' with penguin india. I saw some of the posters released before the publishing date. The plot sounded so similar. I mailed penguin and grapevine asking for a copy to be sent to me as I doubted it to be my story. They did not respond, I am not famous enough to be taken seriously, right.
Then, the book got published. I bought it, helping her raise her royalty, read it and found the plot, narration and the first chapter to be very similar.
Isn't it too much to be coincidental? She read my book in march 2013, published a book with same plot, same first person narration, concept and same first chapter but a changed story in mid 2014. How can I not call it plagiarism?
To clarify- I had posted just the first chapter because photographing the other pages of her book and posting it online is not the right thing to do. First chapter was taken from samples Amazon site has. Secondly, the similarities don't stop with first chapter. It's just an example I had given. There are a lot more similarities. I have a list which I won't post here for obvious reasons.
I have all proofs. I have shared it on twitter ganga_bharani s my handle. I have also shared it in Facebook.
All I want is to prove to them that they are not free to copy from struggling writers who are not as famous as they are. I don't want them to take us for granted assuming we wont become a pain by voicing it out.
If X makes a short film, uploads in youtube. say some famous director makes a movie with same plot we can't question. But say X was the famous director's assistant. He showed the movie to famous director to get a producer. Then if the famous director makes a film quickly in the same plot with the same opening scene is it acceptable? When this X makes a feature film, people will say it's just like the famous person's film. Also, the impact will be lost. People will say they have already watched a film with similar opening, wont they?
Reason: Clarification
Best of Luck for your Next Book Ganga. Hope you are able to cope up with all this, and come out strong. Would recommend you don't give your script to unknown publisher and editor, share only with well-known persons whom you can trust.
Thanks Kanuj. :)
That gives a little hope 
As John Lennon said "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end". Hope you will get justice..all the best!!!
Hi Ganga...What happened.. Did you get any positive response from the publishers ?
Hi Deepika,
Penguin mailed me justifying just the one similarity i have mentioned myself saying that it could be coincidence. They said a team of experts read the books to just justify the one point i have mentioned as example. They did not even talk about the other 14 similarities and it was expected.
Nikita did not even bother to address this personally or publicly.
Now some of the legal expertsi know are reading both the books. Let's see how it goes.
All that said, I am happy with how it is already. All I wanted was people knowing about such things happening to writers and I think i was successful with it. :)
Really sad reading this. Actually, I never imagined Nikita Singh do this. Because honestly, all her books seem original. Of course, now I get it. It is because of all you great writers. Don't lose hope dear.
I was really shocked to know about this Ganga. i never thought Nikita would do this. She is also a writer after all #LetsStopStealingIdeas
That's unfair. You should drag her in a litigation. Go ahead we are with you. One should respect other's work.
I will Nitin. Thanks a lot. For now my only goal is to make the publishers and the writer to answer my questions and do justice to the complaint.
They are too big for me to fight alone. That's why I share all that happens to create records of it on social media. Also, to keep the people who support this fight against plagiarism updated.
Day 8- I have found a few more points. Similarities between Right here, right now and my book, Just you, me and a secret:1. Clearly first chapters are very similar.
2. In the second chapter of my book I have written a scene with the laptop. It can be read here http://scribbledbygb.blogspot.co.uk/…/just-you-me-and-secre… A scene in Right here Right now is very similar to this scene.
My argument here is, it's about a 17 year old girl. She is shown childhood photographs. So when she was a kid, it would have been a year in 90s when Digital cameras were not there. So it is natural for anyone to say that the amnesiac was showed a physical photograph. Why a laptop? I had written laptop because that scene occurred so to me and also it was about the recent photographs. In her defense, she can say it was all digitized form of physical photographs. But why a laptop? It could have been a tablet or a phone. The only conclusion I can come to, with this point also, is that it's taken from my manuscript.
3. Her book starts from 2nd April 2013. I would like to point out that the first five chapters of my manuscript was sent to Grapevine in January, 2013. I received a reply from Nikita asking for full manuscript on 4th, March, 2013. I sent the manuscript immediately as I had it ready. As writers we tend to make use of the date we start the book, we don't write a date too much in future. So, my point is that she has started writing her book after she received my full manuscript. This makes the intention clear to me.
https://www.facebook.com/gangabharaniv/posts/735035536603698
Are editors sitting in comfortable air-conditioned cubicles reading ideas sent by writers and then adopting them as their own creative vision? Even if there is no straightforward copy-pasting, there is certainly a high degree of breach of trust here. The publishing house, I'm sure, will be concerned about such a breach and will take appropriate action.
Literary plagiarism can often be hard to prove. The last major case I can recall was of Kaavya Viswanathan was accused of plagiarism and lost her two-book deal. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/harvard-author-admits-that-she-internalised-an-earlier-novel-475664.html
Is her entire book similar to yours or only the first chapter? But I can understand your pov. I am hardly a writer but when someone took my fictional character from my blog and started using it on his blog without my permission I was really upset.
In your case if the first chapter was copied verbatim then your case for plagiarism is strong. If only the ideas and some words are common then it is more of a case of unprofessional conduct and you should bring that up strongly with her publishers.
Subroto,
Thanks for that information. It was useful.
I am not even talking about plagiarism. It's about the intent of an editor and the way the publishers didn't take the plagiarism doubt mail seriously.
I agree with that concern. The publishers should have at least replied.
Ganga Bharani relax and keep your mind cool as then only you'll be able to find what you need to do. If you're true, then don't worry.
I went through both excerpts , yours is way better than hers .Your style of narration is very different from hers though the the setting and introduction of the character is eerily similar .
Thank you Preethi. I am not saying she has word to word copied. My fight is against the intention of an editor of a reputed publishing house. The way the manuscripts sent to publishing houses are not protected these days.
Sue her and the publisher. The so called famous writer can't do this to a blogger by taking credit of someone else's creative work. You should take actions. I stand with you
#IstandWithGangaBharani
The takeaway should be never to send your manuscript to Grapevine. As such, no one buys or reads their stuff except their friends and followers on facebook 
I have posted all I have here..the first chapters.. mail..
http://scribbledbygb.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/for-your-reference.html
Ganga, I read both the excerpts, but I'm sorry to say that I don't find it plagiarized. It can be called inspired, but that's also a long shot as it is only the setting and the amnesia thing. Your chapter is better written though.
As I said earlier also, there are many books with similar first chapter.
I would have been happier if the two publishers did the analysis and declared it not being plagiarized. They did not bother.
They were not even aware of this till so many voices came up.
1. Editor reads the manuscript. Publishes a book with similar plot. "Coincidentally" has the same start and plot.
2. Publishers did not respond to mail sent with subject 'doubt of plagiarism' even before the book got released.
My fight is not against Nikita. My fight is for the right of budding writers who send manuscripts and wait for years to see someone, who evaluvates it, publish a similar story. Even when we are doubtful the publishers don't bother unless we are famous or so many people ask them together.
This is a shameful act and, we're with you. But I think, as there is no hard and fast rule in India (as far as my knowledge goes) regarding stealing of an 'idea', little could be done legally.
If someone copies ad verbum, only then it's regarded as plagiarism in our country. But I would advice you to spread the word more and more in social media so that they actually become compelled to respond.
True :( I will
Thanks guys! Penguin India has responded. They have asked me to mail my concern to them.
Atleast they replied i hope you get justice
Hey, Ganga. I have come across your post in FB as well. I am just presenting my opinion as a reader of the book.
I haven't read the Nikita's book or your book, but honestly I think the plot that you used is fairly common. There are movies based on that plot and many other first person POV written on the same. You yourself said that while your book was thriller, hers is a romance story. The only thing, which might support you in the whole case, is that first chapters are same. Again I haven't read the chapters, but if she picked it up exactly, then you can complaint. Otherwise, memory loss or amnesia is not really that much of novel thing to be constituted as your copyright.
My question is not about amnesia as a background of the story Parichita. If you read the first chapter of both the stories even the details are the same like beeping, ECG to the right, oxygen mask related scene. Considering she has already read my story and the first chapter being same the only conclusion I can come up with is that similarities are not coincidental.
The point I am trying to make is that she has read my manuscript, which is clear from the mail she has sent. After a few days she publishes a book with a very similar plot. How often do two people, who write a story with an amnesiac protagonist, start with the same hospital scene. Okay, let's say this is common. But how often do they write about just the same details in almost the same style? Considering that she has read my manuscript already, this can't be coincidental but intentional.
I am not questoning your claim because you as an author know better. I did say I haven't read the book.But I'm trying to tell you that maybe (a slight chance) that you are wrong. We all love our work as our baby, and it's possible that you're being too attached to your storyline.
It's equally possible that author did get inspired from your story, but again it won't be a copyright violation as she used a different language. Or maybe she she wrote it before you, but published afterwards because of not getting the right contract.
But both the things are possible. Most of the amnesia books do start with hospital scene. I recall one romance (I don't remember the name!) I read few years back. Even Dan Brown has that similar hospital in Inferno. Foreign authors and all same things, except probably the oxygen mask. Even movies start their scene from the same thing.
You might feel that I'm taking sides, but I'm not. Both of you are unread by me. Besides, you might get to hear this (or similar) reply from the publishers as well.
I know. Hospital amnesiac is common.. But I waited till a lot of people read the two first chapters and confirmed the intention behind it. I waited for more than 8 months before I even raised a question on social media only because I didn't want to simply blame someone just because I feel it was not coincidental.
But as you say I will share the chapters with you guys. You all please let me know if what I am doing is wrong :)
I would have been happier if the two publishers did the analysis and declared it not being plagiarized. They did not bother.
They were not even aware of this till so many voices came up.
1. Editor reads the manuscript. Publishes a book with similar plot. "Coincidentally" has the same start and plot.
2. Publishers did not respond to mail with the doubt of plagiarism.
My fight is not against Nikita. My fight is for the right of budding writers who send manuscripts and wait for years to see someone, who evaluvates it, publish a similar story.
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