Protect Your Freelance Writing Work from Theft
posted October 26, 2009 - 9:27pmI have been writing for over 21 years in one capacity or another. For more than six years, I have been freelance writing from my home where I help care for my elderly mother. I just want to share how badly you can be ripped off by "buyers" of your work.
October 16th, I finished a batch of seven articles for a client who said I would be paid right away. Well, I haven't been paid but my work certainly is showing up everywhere online under his byline. The name he gave me wasn't real, but I've been able to track him down through diligence and creative detective work.
It hurts to be ripped off. Especially when the client knew I was willing to do some fast turn-around urgent work for him for well under my normal price. You see, my mom's medical bills had been hurting us financially and I needed to make some fast money to buy food, medications, and survive. This person knew these facts but still chose to rip me off.
Basically, the person stole food out of the mouth of an 82 1/2 year old lady who happens to have mutiple hairline pelvic fractures. How sad is that? Are people that desperate or that evil? Apparently so because this really happened to me.
I suggest you occasionlly search the internet for anything which should have your name on it to find out if someone else has stolen it. Just place a sentence or two in quotes in a search engine and you'll either get a return from the search (if it has been online a few days so the spiders have had time to crawl it) or you won't. If you get a return and it isn't under your byline, contact the person and ask them to remove the stolen content from their website.
Most website owners and buyers of content are very kind, caring, ethical people who really do take good care of their writers. I've never had such a bad experience before with a buyer, but I certainly did this time.
Out of courtesy and my own sense of ethics, I won't post his name or his websites which I have located. I just suggest you be very careful about protecting your freelance writing work from theft.
Website: http://www.ifreelance.com/provider/detail.aspx?pro...
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Comments
Also Heartbroken
I can tell you that I too suffered from online thieves. I've been working on my book series for a year and a half now. Mainly because it's Science Fiction and I wanted my book to be consistent with Science fact. About two weeks ago, a hacker got onto my computer and stole my concept. Its a miracle I even caught it. I put so much love and dedication into my writing and research. I was devastated when I knew for sure someone "copied" my work. I'm still going through with the project. I put too much work into this. Though, now I have to be worried that I won't get sued for using my own work! It's an all-around bad situation to be in. So trust me when I say that I can relate and sympathize. To have an 83yr old woman, of all things, suffer because of someone's lack of consideration is just horrible. I wish you and you mother a safe and happy holidays.
Did you try...
Did you try reporting it to all the places that you saw the articles? let them know that they are your articles, and if you can supply proof he will be kicked off the site. I haven't had it to happen to me personally, but have heard of it happening to others. It's a shame that people go to such extremes to get a story. I hope you get it straightened out soon. I also hope your mom gets better.
Johnny Yuma
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