I published this on LinkedIn earlier today, and I want to share with all of you.

I write true stories about crimes that happened at the turn of the century. The era is eternally alluring; it was a golden age of art and architecture, of science and invention. In France, they called it the Belle Époque. I love researching and writing forgotten stories from this time.

I’ve had few negative experiences. One notable one was last October, when I discovered my book Cold Heart had been plagiarized and sold on Amazon for 28 months. I discovered it by accident. I was looking for my book and searched for “Cold Heart.” Another book appeared: Cold Heart from Buffalo by Denail Emily Easter.

My book is about Ed Burdick, a wealthy manufacturer in Buffalo, who was mysteriously murdered in his den in 1903 while his family slept upstairs. Despite his kindness and generosity, many suspects in his elite social group had a motive to murder Ed. I wouldn’t be shocked if another author wrote about it because it’s an intriguing story, but the title being so close to mine made me suspicious. Not to mention how similar his cover was to the first edition of my book:

As for the description of Cold Heart from Buffalo, words fail me. See for yourself:

Amazon’s preview feature wiped the smirk off my face. This book’s table of contents was identical to my book–from the chapter names down to the unusual font my former publisher used. I followed Amazon’s copyright infringement process and purchased a copy of the book. It arrived four days later.

I felt violated when I opened it. Denail Emily Easter had plagiarized my entire book, removing only the pictures. Cold Heartis more than something that belongs to me. It’s a very personal book. And I’d spent hundreds of hours researching this obscure crime, uncovering the details, and writing the book. This person stole it, pasted his name on the cover, and spent the past two years selling it on Amazon!

Denail Emily Easter was also listed as the author of books about Chuck Berry and Paul Robeson. All three books had similarly illiterate descriptions, but the preview feature revealed the books were well written. Curiously, all three books were published on the same date: June 7, 2023.

 

I asked Amazon to remove the book and suggested they verify Denail Emily Easter wrote the other books. I also requested:

• The sales data
• Reimbursement for all sales made on Amazon
• A refund for the copy of his book I bought to prove he plagiarized it

There was no dispute about my ownership of the book. Cold Heart is copyrighted through the copyright office of the Library of Congress. The first edition was published on December 8, 2020. The book has over 1,100 Amazon reviews. I’ve promoted it on podcasts, websites, and at live events.

Amazon promised to investigate. A month later, they notified me that Cold Heart from Buffalo was removed and the case was closed. I assume they notified the other authors that Denail had stolen and was selling their books. There’s no trace of Denail Emily Easter or his books on Amazon today. It’s like it never happened. But he existed, he really did!

Denail may have only sold a few books but I want the data. Amazon refused to disclose it. Instead they provided his contact information and suggested I email him:

Amazon didn’t knowingly facilitate Denail Emily Easter’s plagiarism. They probably get requests like mine every day. Their responses are intended to mitigate risk to Amazon, even if that shields people who use their platform to publish, sell, and distribute stolen work.

Amazon has a great publishing platform but independent authors and creators should be aware there are no safeguards protecting your work. Be vigilant, copyright what you create, and search Amazon periodically to ensure thieves aren’t selling your work there.

Fortunately Cold Heart is still available, and the second edition has a beautiful new cover! I’ll be speaking about the story at a virtual event hosted by Burchfield Penney Art Center. The event is on Thursday, February 5, starting at 6:30 p.m. Eastern. It’s free and open to the public!  Select Register for Virtual and the museum will send you a Zoom link to join the session. Click here to register!